Show I BAREE Son of Kazan By JAMES OLIVER CUR GURWOOD WOOD i 0 Doubleday Page tt Co C S J ll Y 6 lY CE G W. W rJ Y Cl r Jl Service Chapter VI VI Continued Continued 11 11 It ft was a splendid night that fol fol- lowed Perhaps Baree would hue have slept through It in his nest on the theop top op of at the dam If It the bacon smell had hadnot hadnot hadnot not stirred the new hunger In him Since his adventure In the canyon the deeper forest had held a dread for tor him especially at night But this night was like a pale golden day It was moonless but the stars shone like a billion distant lamps flooding the world In a soft and billowy sea of light A gentle whisper of wind made pleasant sounds In the treetops Beyond Beyond Be Be- yond that It was very quiet for Cor It was the the Moon Moon- and the wolves were not hunting the owls had lost their voice the foxes slunk with the silence of shadows and even the beavers had begun to cease their labors Tile The horns of the moose the deer and the caribou were In tender tender ten ten- der velvet and they moved but little and fought not at all It was late July Moon of ot the Cree Moon of ot Silence for Cor the In this silence Baree began to hunt He stirred up a family of oC half grown partridges but they escaped him He pursued d a rabbit that was swifter r than he For an hour he lie had no luck Then he heard a sound that made every ery drop of ot blood In him thrill He was close to camp and what hat he had heard was a rabbit In one of snares He came o out mit t tInto Into n a little starlit open and there he saw paw the rabbit going through a most marvelous pantomime It amazed him for tor a moment and he stopped In to his tracks the rabbit had nm nun his furry head Into the snare snare and his i first frightened Jump had shot the 0 sapling to which the copper wire was attached so that he was now hung half halfIn r rIn In midair with only his hind feel feel touching the ground And there he was dancing madly while the noose about his neck slowly choked him to death Baree Daree gave a sort of ot gasp He could understand nothing of ot the part that the wire and the sapling were pla playing In this curious game All he could see was that s was hopping and dancing about on his hIn hind legs in a most puzzling and like fash- fash Ion It may be that he thought It some sort of ot pla play In this Instance however he did not regard as ashe ashe ashe he had bad looked on the beaver He lie knew that made mighty fine eating and after another moment or two of ot hesitation he darted upon his prey half hulf gone already made almost almost almost al al- al- al most no struggle and In the In-the the glow of ot the stars Baree finished him and for Cor half halt an hour afterward he feasted M Taggart had heard beard no sound for tor forthe forthe the snare Into which had run his head was the one set farthest from his camp Beside the smoldering coals of ot his of-his his fire he sat with his back to to a tree smoking his ills black pipe and dreaming covetously co o of ot when Baree continued his night Baree Barce no longer had the desire to hunt He was too full But he nosed In and out of the starlit spaces enJoying enjoying en en- Immensely the stillness and the golden glow of ot the night He lie was following fol tal lowing a run rabbit-run when he came to toa toa toa a place where two fallen tallen logs left a trail no wider than his body He squeezed through something tightened tightened tightened tight tight- ened about his neck there was a u sudden snap snap snap-a n swish as the sapling was released from its trigger trigger and and nd Baree was Jerked off his feet teet so suddenly suddenly sud sud- deDI denly that he had no time to conjecture conjecture ture as to what was happening The yelp In his throat died In a gurgle gurgle gur gle and the next moment he was going through the pantomimic actions of ot who was having his Vengeance ten Ven Inside him For the life of ot him Baree could not keep from dancing about while the wire grew tighter and tighter about his neck Furiously he struggled It was a miracle that the fine wire held him In Iii a n few moments more It ft must have broken but broken but Mc Mc- Mc Taggart had heard him The Factor caught up his blanket and a n heavy stick as he lie hurr hurried ed toward the snare It was not a rabbit making those sounds sounds sounds-he he knew that Perhaps a fisher cat a lynx a fox tox a young oung wolf- wolf It was the wolf walt he thought of ot first when he be saw Baree Daree at the end of the wire He dropped the blanket and raised the club If It there had been clouds overhead or the stars had been less brilliant Baree would have ha died as surely as-surely surely as had hind died With the club raised over his head hem Mc Mc- Ic- Ic Taggart saw In time the whIte star the white-tipped white ear and the Jet black of Baree's Durees coat With a n swift movement he ie exchanged exchanged ex ex- changed the club for or the blanket In that hour could gart have looked ahead to the da days s 's that were to come he would have used the club Could he be have ha foreseen the great tragedy In which Baree was to play a avital vital part wrecking his hie hopes and destroying de de- his world he would have beaten benten him to a pulp there lInd under r the of or the stars And Baree could ne have foreseen what was to happen this brute with a white skin and the most beautiful thing tiling In the thero ro forests ta would have bave fount oven even more bitterly before he surrendered himself to the smothering embrace of the Factors Factor's Factors Factor's Factors Factor's Fac Fac- tors tor's blanket On this night Fate had played a strange hand for them both and only that Fate and perhaps the stars above held knowledge of ot what Its outcome was to be Half Halt an hour later Bush garts gart's fire was burning brightly again In the glow of ot It Baree lay trussed up like an Indian papoose tied Into a bal bal- shaped loon-shaped ball with thong his head alone showing where his captor had cut cut cuta a hole for tor It In the blanket He lIe was hopelessly caught caught- so closely Imprisoned In the blanket that he could scarcely move a muscle of at his body A few feet teet away front from him was bathing a bleeding bleedIng bleeding bleed bleed- ing hand In a basin of water There was also a n red streak down the side of ot bullish neck You Tou little devil he snarled at Barce Baree You little devil I l He reached over suddenly anti and an gave Baree's head a vicious blow with his heavy handI hand I ought to beat your brains out and and I I believe I will l I IDaree Baree Daree watched him as he pl picked ed up upa a sU stick K close at his side a side a bit of ot fire fire- wood Pierrot had chased him but this was the first time he had been near enough to the monster man to see the red glow In his e eyes es They were not like the e eyes es of the wonderful wonder wonder- ful creature who had almost caught him In the web of her hair hall and who had had crawled after him under the rock They were beast They i 4 r You Little made him shrink and tr try to draw his h head ad back Into the blanket as is the stick sUck was raised At the same time he snarled His white fangs gleamed In Inthe inthe i ithe the firelight Ills His ears were tint Hat He lie lIe wanted to sink his teeth In the red throat where he had already drawn blood The he stick fell tell It fell tell again and 1 when hen was done Baree lay stunned half-stunned his e eyes es partly closed b by bythe bythe the blows and his mouth bleeding the way we take the devil out of ot a wild dog snarled I guess you jou ou wont won't try the biting game again eh youngster A thousand devils devils but but you jou ou went almost to the bone of this hand I He lie began w. w washing the the wound a again nIn Baree's teeth had sunk deep and there was a troubled look look look-in In In the Factors Factor's face It It was wag July Jub July July-a a a bad month for tor bites From his kit lt he got gota a small flask of whisky and turned a abit abit abit bit bit of ot the the raw liquor or on the wound cursing Baree Barce as It burned Into his flesh Baree's shut half eyes were fixed on him steadily He knew that at lost lest he had hind met the d deadliest of all his enemies And yet he was not afraid The club In Bush s hand had not killed his spirit It It- had killed his fear It had roused In him a n hatred hatred hatred ha ha- tred such as he had never known not known not even when he be was fighting sew the outlaw owl The vengeful animosity of the wolf was burning In him now along with the savage courage courage courage cour cour- age of ot the dog Baree did not take his eyes from Crom as he smoked He lIe watched the man when the latter stretched himself out on the bare ground and went to sleep He listened still later to the man monsters man monsters monster's heinous snoring Again and again during the long night he struggled to free tree himself He would never forget torget that night It was terrible In the thick hot folds of the blanket his limbs and body were suffocated suffocated suffocated suf suf- until the blood almost stood still In his veins Yet he did not whine They began to Journey before beCore the sun was up for If It Baree's Buree's blood was almost dead within him Bush garts gart's was scorching his body with the heat of ot Its anticipation He made his last lat plans as he walked swiftly through the forest with Baree under his arm He lie would send Pierrot at once for Father at his Mission seventy miles to the west He would In marry a rr yes yes marry her I That would tickle Pierrot And he would be alone with while Pierrot was gone for the missIoner This thought flamed blood like strong whisky There was no thought In his hot and unreasoning brain of what might say say say-of of what she might think He was not after the soul of her His hand clenched and he laughed harshly as there flashed on him for tor an Instant the thought that perhaps Pierrot would not want to give her up Pierrot Pierrot Pier Pier- rot Ball Bah ah 1 I It would not be the first time he be had hail killed a man man or or the sec sec- ond laughed again and he walked still faster taster There was no chance of ot his losing losing no no chance for tor to get away from him He He He- Bush was l was lord of ot this wilderness master o of Its people arbiter arbiter arbi arM ter of ot their destinies He was power and and the law The sun was well up when Pierrot standing In front of his cabin with pointed to a rise In the trail three or four Cour hundred yards away over over which had Just ap ap- ap I He Is coming With a face tace which had aged since last night he he looked at Again he lie saw the dark glow in her eyes and the deep deepening red of her be parted lips and his heart was sick again with dread Was It possible- possible She turned on him her eyes shining her voice trembling Remember you you must mist send him to me for his answer she cried quickly and she darted into to the cabin With a cold gray face Pierrot Pierrot Pier Pier- rot faced Bush Chapter VII From the window her face tace screened by the folds df the curtain which she had made for tor It the Willow sa saw what happened o outside Sh She was not Smiling Smil- Smil railing rail ing now She was breathing quickly ly and her body was was- tense She heard coarse voice his boisterous ous greeting and then she saw him showing PI Pierrot what he carried under his arm orm There came to her distinctly his explanation of how he had caught his captive In a rabbit He unwrapped unwrapped un un- wrapped the blanket gave a cry of ot amazement In an Instant she was out beside them She did not look at l Ic red face blazing In Its jo Joy and exultation It Is Baree Baree- sh she cried I She Site took the bundle tro from gart and turned t to Pierrot ot Tell him that Bare Baree belongs to tome tome tome me she said She She- hurried Into Into the thea cabin gart looked after niter her stunned and amazed Then he looked at Pierrot A man half blind could have seen have that seen Seen that Pierrot was as amazed as he Ne Ne- had had not spoken to him the him the Factor of ot Lac Bain hamn I 1 She had hadnot Hf not looked at him And she had taken the dog from him with as little concern concern con con- cern as though he had been a wooden man The rhe red In his face deepened as ashe ashe ashe he stared from Pierrot to the door through which she had gone and which she had closed behind her TO BE nE CONTINUED a |