Show ae ea W 42 CHAPTER it continued 19 the thought sobered and gilted her she glanced once at the dark face of her companion dan under artand the strange light that suddenly leaped to her eyes perhaps she herself hae explained the wave 0 tenderness that swept over her with no cause except the look in pans earnest gray eyes and the line that cut so since the world was new it has been the boast of the boldest of men that they looked their fate in the face and this la no mean looking for fate Is a sword from the darkness a power that reaches out of the mystery and cannot be classed with sights of human origin it burns out the eyes of all but the strongest men yet dan was looking at his fate now and his eye held straight they walked together down to the ruined house and the three 0 them sat silent while the alre burned red then lennox turned to them with a half smile you re wasting time you two lie said Ile member all our food Is gone if you start now and walk hard maybe you can make it out there are several things to do first dan answered simply I 1 don t know what they are it going to be any picnic dan A man can travel only so far without food to keep up his strength particularly over such ridge as sou have to cross it will be easy to give up and die its the test man it s the lest and what about you bis daughter asked oh be all right Beside sIts the only thing that can be lone I 1 cant walk and i ou can t carry me on your backs what else remains ill stay here and scrape together enough wood to keep a alre then sou can bring help lie kept his eyes averted when he talked he waff afraid for dan to see them know ing that he could read the lie in them I 1 how do you expect to find wood in this din asked him if will take four da s to get out do ou think you could lie here and batte with a fire for our days and daff more that it will take to back have two choices to bum green wood that id cut for you before I 1 left or the rain soaked deadwood under the snow you keep either one of them burning and you d die in a night besides this Is no time for an unarmed man to be alone in the hills lennox voice grew pleading be sensible dan I 1 be cried that cranstone Crans tons got us and got us right I 1 ve only one thing more I 1 cara about and that iff that you pay the debt I 1 I 1 tan t hope to get out myself I 1 fajr that I 1 can t even hope to but it you bring my daughter through and when spring comes p ay iy what we oe to cranston ill be content heavens son ive lived my life the old pac leader dies aheu his time comes and so does a roan ills daughter crept to him and aliel his gray head against her breast I 1 stay ath you then she cried dont be a little fool snowbird he urged my clothes are wet already from the melted snow it s too long a way it will be too hard a fight and children ira old and tind out I 1 don t vant to make the try hunger and cold and even it you d stay here and grub wood snowbird find us both when they came back in a w eek we can t live without food and inora and keep w mi and there a living creature in be hills except the wolves dan reminded him except the wolves lennox echoed remember were unarmed and find it out you re young snowbird and so Is dan and you two will be happy I 1 know how are you two more than you know yourselves and in the end be happy but me im too tired to make the try I 1 dont care about it enough going to wave you good by and smile and lie here and let the cold come down yon feel warm in a latue while bat ehe stopped ils lips with her hand and he bent and kissed it it going to stay with you dan told them in a clear firm voice it a going to be me but arent any of the cabins occupied you know they arent lennox answered ot even the houses beyond the orth fork even it we could get across the nearest help Is over sev nty miles and snowbird think 1 any been left in the ranger station ot one thing the girl told him you know cranston and hie crowd robbed the place last winter and the cl ephone lines were hen the rangers left Tb only way ie for me to sta deiv you can take the pistol and you 11 have a fair chance of getting through grub wood for our camp meanwhile and you can brine help and if the wolves come or it help come antime In time lennox whis passion drawn for the first time who would pay what we owe to cranston but lier life counts first of all 1 I know it doas but mine count at all believe me you two I 1 m speaking from my own desires when I 1 say I 1 don t want to make the fight snowbird would never make it through alone there ar the wolves and mabe cranston too the worst wolf of all A woman can t thoe bridgm four day without food without some one who loves her and forces her neither can she stay here with me and try to make green branches bum in a fire ashes got three little pistol baah and wed all die for a whim oh please please hut dan leaped for his hand with glowing listen 1 ehnow another way yet I 1 know more than one way but one it weve got the strength Is almost sure there la an ax in the and the blade will still be good likel dulled with the fire cut a limb with ray jackknife for the handle thre will be nails in the nashes plenty of them well make a rude cledt and we 11 get you out too lennox seemed to be studying his wasted hands its a chance but it isn t worth it he said at last you 11 have fight enough without tugging at a heavy sled it will take all night the thing bert cranston burned the house down to Destroy 1 to build it and it would cut down your trances of getting out by pretty near half Ile member the ridges dan but well climb every ridge besides its a slow down grade most of the way snowbird tell him he must do it snowbird told him overpowering him with her enthusiasm and dan shook shoulders with rough hands you re hurting boy 1 lennox warned 1 I m a bag of broken bones tote you down there if I 1 have to tie you in dan falling replied before I 1 ve bowed to your will hut this time a have to bow to mine I 1 m not going to let you stay here and die no matter it you beg on your its the test and im going to bring you through he meant what he said it mortal strength and sinew could survive such a test he would succeed there was nothing in these words to suggest the physical weakling that both of them bad known a few months before the ees were earnest the dark face intent the determined voice did not waver at all dan falling speak lennox replied with glowing eyes he was recalling another dan falling of the dead years a boyhood hero and his remembered voice had never been determined more masterful than this he had just heard and cranston get hie purpose after all to prove his words dan thrust bis hand into his inner coit pocket he drew forth a little nat package half as thick as a pack of held it up for them to see tha thing bert cranston burned the houe down to destroy be ex pla ined I 1 in learning to know this mountain breed lennox I 1 kept it in my where I 1 could fight tor it at any minute cranston bad been mistaken after all in thinking that in fear of himself dan would be afraid to keep the packet on his person and would cravenly conceal it in the house lie would have been even more surprised to know that dan had lived in constant hope of meeting cranston on the ridges showing him whit it contained and fighting him for it hands to tends and even yet perhaps the day would come when cranston would know at last that snowbirds Snow birds words after the fight of long ago were true the twilight was falling over the snowbird and dan turned to the toll of a sled the snow was steel gray in the moonlight when the little party made their start down the long trail their preparations simple and crude as they were had taken hours of ceaseless labor on the part of the three the a its edge dulled by the flame and its handle burned away had been cooled in the snow and with one sound orm lennox had driven the hot nails that snowbird gathered from the ashes of one of the out buildings the embers of the house itself still glowed red in the darkness dan had cut the green limbs of the trees and planed them with his ax the meled had been completed handles attached for pushing it and a piece of fence vire fastened with nails as a rope to pull it the warm mackinaws mackin aws of both of them as well as the one blanket that lennox had saved from the fire were wrapped about the old frontiers mans wasted body dan and snowbird hoping to keep warm by the exercise of propelling the sled except for the dull ax and the half empty pistol their only equipment was a single chirped chirred pot for melting snow that dan biad recovered from ahe ashes of the kitchen the three had worked almost in silence words dian didn t help now they wasted no sorely needed breath rut they did have one minute to talk when they got to the top of the little ridge that had the house well travel mostly at night dan told them we can see in the snow and by taking our rest in the daytime when the sun la bright and warm we can save our strength we wen t have to keep such big then and at night our exertion will keep us as warm as we hope for getting up all night to cut green wood with this dull ax in the snow would break us to pieces very soon for remember that we any food I 1 knoer how to build a fire even in the snow especially ally it I 1 can find the dead dry heart 0 a rotten log but it isn t any fun to keep it going with green wood we dont want to have to spend any more of our strength stripping off wet bark and hacking at saplings than we can help and that means wed better do our resting in the heat of the day after all its a fight against starvation more than anything else just think the girl told them re preaching herself it I 1 had shot straight at that wolf today we have gone back and got his hedv it might have carried us through neither of the others as much as looked surprised at these amazing regrets over the lost unsavory aleh of n wolf they were up against ties and they mince word dan smiled at her gently and his great shoulder leaned against the traces they moved through a world the ever present manifestations of wild life that had been such a delight to dan in he summer and fall were quite lacking now the snow was once chev thought they aw a snow shoe rabbit a strange shadow on the snow but he was too far away for snowbird to risk a pistol shot the pound or two of flesh would be sorely needed before the journey was over but the pistol car trigos might be needed still more he dian didn t let her mind rest on certain possibilities they might be needed such thoughts stole the courage from the spirit and courage was essential beyond all things else fo bring them through As alie dawn came out alicy nil stood still and listened to the pack singing on the ridge somewhere behind them it was a large pack they coulden couldn t out individual voices neither the more shrill cry of the females tie yapping 0 the cubs or the low clear G below maddle 0 note of the males if they should cross our tracks I 1 eanox suggested no use worrying about that now not until we come to it dan told him the morning broke the sun rose bright in a clear sky but still they trudged on in spite of the fact that the sled was heavy and broke through the crust as they tugged at it they had made good time since their departure but now every step was a pronounced effort it was the dread ful beginning of fatigue that only food and warmth and rest could rectify TO BE CONTINUED |