Year: 1879

was coming. Don't want to sell your
furs this morning, eh ?'


81 am obliged to you, Mr.. Van Dyke,
for bringing me the letter, but you can't
have any Of my furs."


Well, you might let me have that
black fox, anyhow, as a personal favor.
want to send it to my brother. I've
taken fancy to it. 1t ANT worth more
than five dollars, but III give you ten"


Polly bad captured black or silver


gray fox a few days before, the only one
she had eyer seen, for it is very rare in
deed that such fox is taken so far south.
She had no idea of its value, but ten dol
lars seemed to her large price, and she
was at frst inclined to yield but re-
membering she was dealing with scoun
drel, she said, "Mr. Van Dyke, believe
that told you that you couldn't have
any of my peltries."


well, Miss Strader, you'll be sorry
some day that you didn't oblige me-" he
said, as he left the door.


Then Polly opened the letter all her
hopes were dashed to the ground. Itwas
from Harry. He was very Ill at st.
Paul, and begged Polly to come to him,
otherwise he thought he would die"


well" said Polly, "if we must give
up all hopes OF buying the farm, or even
forty acres, suppose we'll have to. It'll
take good part of what | have to get
Harry home, and it'll take more than


week to go and come, and New Year
isn't far off. Every piece is precious
But we must save Harry's life, for the
poor fellow will get well if we once get
him home."


And SO, without regarding her mothers
warning that there was storm brewing,
she started out in her canoe to go down
the lake to get team with which to go
for Harry. Her own was an OK team,
and to go in the stage was costly and
beside Harry couldn't stand the day and
night riding in the stage, for the distance
was one hundred and forty miles. She
hired team for trip to st. Paul. She
couldn't get it till the Monday following,
and so she wrote letter to Harry. tell
ing him that she was coming, and then
started to paddle around the shore and
look at her traps. When she had got to
place which she and Harry had called
HarDor, on the opposite side of the lake,
she found dead deer, partly eaten by
wolves, and knowing the wolves would
return after dark, she set several traps for
them. Then she FASTENED back to her
canoe, for it was now late, and there
could be no doubt that the Novembe
storms, with which the winter almost
always begins in that climate, were now
at hand.


But before she could set foot ia her ca
noe, the storm came, and in an instant
the air was filled with snow that an OBJ
ject twenty feet away was invisible. 1t
took but moment for Polly to appreciate
her situation. To paddle across the lake
in such storm was out Of the question
The wind was coming up, and it would be
alike impossible to coast around the shore.
Beside, it was great distance, and ice
would begin to form before she could get
half way. There was no families living
on that side of the lake. Her only course
was to stay where she was. Her spirit
sanl; for a moment, but she dashed away
the tears that come up from her dosolate
heart and set about making the best of
it. She found large log lying in the
-avino. Dragging her canoe from the |
water she laid it upside down parallel |
with the log, about three feet away from
it. She then cut brush and laid across
them, to form root. Creeping under
the shelter, she was soon buried beneath
two feet Of snow, and so felt sure of not
freezing, There is no better protection
from cold than snow.


1t was lorely place. She could hear
her heart beat. But when the wolves
commenced to gather for their midnight
repast, and when they set up their
frightened howls, she could feel the hair
rise up on her head. She would have
been brave enough if she could have
fought with the wolves, but to 10 there
and listen 10 their unearthly yelling, not
knowing how soon the hungry pack
would find her, was moro than she could
endure. And then she thoLght of poor
Harry, and Of the land sale, and she
wished for the skins of the wild beasts
that were so near her. For though the
wolf skin is of little or no value for the
ordinary purposes to which furs are ap
piled, it is in considerable demand for
lap robes. And remembering that she
was on the leeward side Of the wolves,
she dug away the snow at one end of her
burrow, and looked out. Thel, growing
boider, she crept to a clump of little
bushes near by, through which she could
plainly see them. For by this time it
had ceased showing, and the moon was
shining, though the wind blew.


She leVsied the gun at them two or
three times before she could ge. courage
enough 10 fire. At the first shot she
killed one, and the pack scattered lit
tie but the smell of the fresh blood OF
the dead wolf brought them back again.
Several times she fred with like success;
but one of the wolves, in moving around,
caught sight of her. W hen a wolf sees
any living object he Immediately en-
deavors to get to The esward of it, in
order to tell by the scent what it is. A
wolf depends on his nose in such matters,
and not altogether upon his eyes. This
one, when he caught sight of Polly,
commenced to make a circle IN order to