Show The Everlasting Ve Vet t e Whisper By Jackson Gregory Copyright by Charl Soia Son Kings King's f Gloria started this was Marks Mark's kill he lie had stalked stalled It he bad plowed many miles through deep snow Enow to get it It To get set i it for forbel forber ber bel as well wen as for or him To keep the the life In now her her now without It it King would die And now the lIon was l going to take It While she watched ami td nothing 1 I Uh Uli God h 11 hi i III ne e She sprang to her feet she Jerked up her rifle and fired at the black bulk crawl crawl- crawling lug ing upward ard In the pine It shall not have ha Marks Mark's meat I It shall not At the first shot the mountain lion Uon dropped through crashing branches She had shot she It-she It she had driven en a bullet through its heart God had heard her That was her first wild thought nut Cut in la a flash she saw that It was ns on Its feet again and that with red mouth snarling It had swung about fac tac- facing lug ing her she saw the cruel whIte t teeth th wet l and glistening Incoherently Gloria cried out again sick and shaken shoken with l terror In another moment she would have havethe havethe havethe the lean powerful pOl body leaping upon her She fired again and again taking no time for aim as last fast as she could work fork the lever le and pal pull the trigger she ghe was trem hung bUng so fO that It was nil that she could do to hold holl the gun RUO at all She prayed and called 11 on Mark Marlc and fired all nil at nt once Never did bullets Oy ily wider of ot the mark hut but never did the roar of o ov c ox shells do iJ better service The lion thou though raven ravenous OilS was not yet starved starred to the degree to whip It to the supreme of ot attacking nt- nt at attacking tacking a u human heln being and defying a rifle rIne It whirled and went flashing across the snow Gloria gasped stared after atter Its wild flight a ft paralyzed moment and then thEm ran to the tree where th the thu bear benr hung tilh filled d with horror nt tit the thought that at any Rny second the lean Ian body ml might ht como come flashing hack back upon her She began climbing the youn young pine she fought wildly to get up into luto Its brandies branches she slie was handi capped capped by the lie rifle which she clung to desperately She Sho got gat ot the gun In Ina Ina Ina a crotch above her head hend she pulled herself herselt upward she slIpped and tore the skin of hands and arms but hastening frantically she climbed up and up She Slie got the rifle Into her hands again nearly dropped It thrust It above her jammed It Into n a fork tork of numb and kept on climbing At last sho was where she could conid reach rench out find and touch the be swinging s carcass With Kings King's keen edged 1 ed butcher knife she hacked and cut at the frozen m meat t panting with every effort At last there was the thud of or the fall falling ing meat below helow her it It lay on the snow V crust In wild haste hasto she snatched her hr rifle holding It In one hand afraid to let It slip out ot of her ller grasp P for a n moment casting a 8 alast alast last fearful look IOD In the direction whither the tho lion had gone she slie h be- be began be began gan nn slipping down And In another moment with the precious burden caught up with the gun In her arms she was running back up the ridge her feet teet In Kings King's trail The home troll trail I She Slie was cold to the bone her hert t teeth eth chattered her body quaked Yet she kept on And BO so In the fullness of time after long fong fright frightful ful hellish hours she came to the thelast thelast thelast last terror of ot the nl night ht The new day was bright ht on the mountain tops when she felt at nt first firsta n a dull sort of or surprise and then n a sudden stimulating gladness noting not not- notIng noting ing the familiar look of the ridge ahead Yonder the cave e would he be I The Tho cave and King success and andrest I Irest rest She straightened up a little I brushing her hand across her tier straining strain straining I ing eyes making sure that she was right She heard ard the insistent scream behind her but now she dill did i not heed It ft for In front of her still I stock still In the trail was WOos a 11 man n i It was WitS Benny nenny Suddenly nil all emotions were ere up tan tan- gathered up-gathered gathered Into searing anger Her ITer thought was He lie will take the I meat from met mel me I The meat I brought brought for Mark She grew Ire r ri Iel l d lIn I In her tracks She jerked up r rifle In front of her her tired eyes eye i hardened Presently Benny nenny cane came on Site She heard him from a distance stance he was talking to himself excitedly jab jab- jabbering jabbering jab jabbering bering bro broken en fragments of ot sen sen- sen- sen sentences sentences sentences twice breaking Into his hideous dry cackle of ot laughter She i shivered shivered his utterances sounded mad I And mad they wore were lie He was talking about gold and he chuckled lie mentioned names Brodle's Brodies and Jarrolds Jarrold's and und Crat- Crat Cratton's tons ton's tons ton's and another name and he chuckled again Gloria peered cau cautiously from the shelter of a rock lie was very ery near her now struggling struggling gling with the smaller pack pacI nad his rifle and the heavy hen bundle In hism his m mw w mEIr L i Thought Sho She Thought That He Was Going Ing to toPa toPa Pa Pass a Without V Seeing Her sack She thought that he was go- go goIng go going ing to pass without set seeing her But Bat just as lie he passed abreast ot other of her tiding hiding place something prompt prompt- prompted prompted ed neOn Benny to Jerk up his Ills head lie Ile saw her and stopped suddenly she saw V his eyes And she knew on the Instant that If It the man were not stark mad at least he was not entirely sane She Site lifted her rifle cold allover all over If It f ho be came another step nearer she would shoot Its mine minel I Benny shrieked at ather ather her Mine I tell you ou I 1 He lIe broke Into a run passing her leaving Ico the trail floundering down the ridge the shortest way Ills HIs rifle encumbered him i she slie saw It fall Into the snow while Benny nenny clutching his sack gunny In both jarms arms stumbled on ne lIe fell he be rose shrieking curses She watched fast fas fastI fas- fas fascinated fascinated I The pack on his Ills back slipped around In front of ot him Benny tore at St jt t and cursed It backI and I hurled It from him SUII Sill hugging his hi gold he tie was vas gone cone one far down the steep slope scope shuddered and I stepped back Into her own non trull trail She could hear cursing faintly I Murk Mark King Ring awakened to n u sensa sensa- tion sensation of ot piercing cold colli Ile Ie Ie moved a little little to liSa his closer I about him and ns as nn an awaking 11 Im lm Impression Jr slon found that hi Ills his strength even eVID though slowly was surely re- re returning re- re reI turning returning to him I lie He turned his head lifted It a tribe already ld h he hall had thought otI ot of I Gloria and DOW he sou ht her The Tho 1 I fire hart had burned hurnel down to a handful ot of glowing coals Gloria then must mustI I be he asleep t For or that that thai too he was grateful lie He had hut but faint rem rem-em- brance remembrance and dim knowledge e of what I tasks must have hn fallen tallen to her lot lot but his mind active from the mo- mo moI moment moment l ino-l I ment mont his eyes flew new open was Quick to understand that the burdens had fallen upon her shoulders and that I she must have been In dire need of rest and sleep Bleep ric ITe could not see her anywhere no doubt she sho lay In the shadowy dark beyond the dying Ore fire Ue lie lay back staring up Into the gloom above him It was thinning day was coining or had come already A day Aday with sunshine sunshine They could go out on the crust cruH by the time that he hewus hev as was able to be about about- about Gloria was not In the cave lave lIe He sank back sure of ot that Then Then she had gone down dO a again aln for wood He frowned and lay staring upward Gloria bringing ln wood while he lie lay here like a log logi I He lie grew nervously restive nt at the thought It was unthinkable un- un unthinkable un unthinkable thinkable that site she should do work like that Always he saw her ashe as he be had first s seen en her a look I ing look girl a n girl sweet little hands as soft as rose petals lIe He lIeI I must crust fight to get his Ills strength back to get on Ills his feet again to save her from such toll as ns was no womans woman's work In the world certainly never to work of or a n girl like Gloria lie He heard a 11 sound at the caves cave's mouth uth Gloria was coming back bock lIe He found no words with which to greet her but lay still waiting for fOl her to come In She set her gun down at nt first he wondered at that Poor little Gloria he thought taking her rifle with l her when she went nt down do for wood frightened and yet ret strong strong hearted enough to go In spite of ot fear car She came ame on not to him but to the smolderIng coals She Site had turned toward him but no doubt thought I him still asleep no ITe watched her still Mill knowing that presently she sheI I would come awaiting her coming 11 I 11 ti iii a ic Le sac rj perplexed he did Iwi understand why wily Gloria walked he 10 that e p had never seen her walk so befit foll siR had always s 's been so light ot or f fitt itt so so Si so lIke liken n fairy c i scarcely touching I the h I Now ow her f feet t dragged or m she was vas lIke or gone suddenly dizzy S i r I ri s1 rown by hy the coals her fare In lit her hands hanns s The lI light ht was I a lip lie enD hl hardly y see her now I Il lie Ie l hoard heard a sigh Bigli that ended I In a U c j Ii I Site rose Iose oh oil so wearily i lIe siv i EI her lier sway as she walked she he ws throwing wood on the lie fire It i n a flame llaine flared out other othel flones followed with their r mor merry crackling and leaping lights And now be saw Glorias Gloria's face fard ae It was os drawn and haggard it had been washed d with tears her eyes looked enormous and md unnaturally bright Ile He sn saw her tier hair hall It was In wild dis dis- disarray disarray i array n a tumble of disorder He saw that she had hod sacks s wrapped about her lagging feet i that her clothes were torn that her sleeves were rag ragged ed that her ller arms were covered with Ith long s scratches I HIs Ills first thought making his body tense with anger was as that he be had not come In time to save her from Bro Bro- Brodie's Brodie's Brodle's dies die's hands What was l Gloria doing Struggling Struggling gUn gling with something on her back Something which was ns tied across her shoulders She got It free It fell feIl close to the fire tIre played o- o over oer er by the light of ot th the flames flumes He lie craned his I neck and saw It was a great chunk of bear meat meat-he meat he could see bits or of orthe othe the hide on it I The truth came to him at last dawning slowly slowly lowly Gloria I 1 It was OS a n gasp of ot more than thon amazement consternation was In his heart GloriaJ Gloria 1 She lifted her bet ht head and ond sat Gat up He saw her great grent wide-open wide ore oyes and the tears gushing from them Site Sha fought to control herself herselt a n sob cobin In her throat t She Sho rose Dud and came toward him in strange e wildly uncertain un- un un uncertain certain steps My ly God Cod Godi I he cried hoarsely You went l for my bear benr You Yot did It It She tried to smile at t him and Into his own eyes thero there broke a sudden gush of tears You won wonderful erful wonderful won won- wonderful wonderful wonderful Gloria Glorial 1 I he cried out There Is no girl In all nIl the world could have e dono done there that that there Is no DO girl like you Her lIeI hand was questing his ho be caught It and gripped d It with all nil the strenGth In to him he be hurt her bel and nt at last with the pain her smile broke through Gloria Gloria Mark Marie 1 I Can you not you not BO so soon but some someday I forgive day forgive me She found only a faint whIsper with which to answer him her eyes I were as ns hungry as his Can you forgive forG-e Mark l And now when their e eyes es clung together as their bands were already clinging each was marveling that the other could forgive e and love ono one who had hOod erred so THE END |