Show SW-S SW o m I The Th e W White While hIte S. S Silence f r rA ti B i j A Cold and Mute Witness to Human j Heroism Devotion and Tragedy i j I f Ira jS I ra U i w I An ARMEN IEN wont won't last more C than a 0 couple of ot days dus Mason spat out n a chunk I of ot Ico co and sUt surveyed ed the poor animal ruefully then put hl her r foot In In his mouth and proceeded d to bite hill out the which ice-which clustered cruelly between be he- between tween the toes I never neer saw a dog doe with a lutin name that ever was worth a a. arap rap he said as he concluded his task t and shoved shored her aside They Just fade fode away and die under the responsibility Did ye ever eer see one go wrong with u Ii sensible name like Cassiar or Husky No sir Take Tale n a look at Shoo Shoo- rum um Here hes i Snap The lean Jean brute flashed up I Ithe the white teeth Just missing Masons Mason's th throat roa t. t Ye Yo will wll ye yc A shrewd clout behind the ear car with the butt of ot the dog j whip str stretched the animal in the snow BilOW i quivering softly n a yellow slaver slater drip dripping plug ping from Its fangs fang As I was way saying Just look at Shoo Shoo- Shoo Shoo-I kum here berc lies lie's got the spirit Bet Det yo he be eats Carmen before the weeks week's out I Ill bank another proposition against i that replied Malemute Kid reversing I the frozen bread pIa placed cell before the fire i iJo I Jo to thaw Well Wen eat ent before the trip Is over What d' d ye say I I Ruth I IThe The Indian woman settled the coffee with a piece of ot ice glanced from Malemute Malemute Male Male- I mute Kid JOd to her husband then at the dogs but vouchsafed no reply It was I such juch uch a palpable truism that none was necessary Two hundred bundred miles of ot unbroken unbroken unbroken un- un broken trail In prospect with a scant j six Biz days' days grub for tor themselves and none for tor the dogs could admit no other al- al I The two men and the woman wom worn an In n grouped about the fire and began j I meager meal The dogs la lay in 10 in I their harnesses for tor It was a midday I halt hatt watched each mouthful en ene I en-I No more lunches after today said Malemute Kid And weve we've got to keep a close eye eJe on the dogs They're getting vicious s. s They'd Just as liS soon pull a fellow down n as not If It they get a chance And I was president of at an nn Epworth once had and taught In the Sunday school Having Irrelevantly delivered himself of ot this Mason fell Cell Into a dreamy contemplation contemplation contemplation con con- of ot his steaming moccasins but was as aroused b by Ruth filling tilling his cup God weve we've got slathers I of ot teal Ive I've seen It growing down In Tennessee What wouldn't I 1 give for tor fora I a hot corn pone Just now Never I mind Ruth You Tou wont won't starve star much l longer nger nor wear moccasins elt either el The woman threw off ott her gloom bloom at at this and In her eyes welled up a great I Ilove love for her white lord the fir first t white whiteman whiteman man she had hud ever seen the first man whom she had known to treat a It woman woman woman wom wom- an ns fiS something better than a n mere I animal or common beast of ot burden I Yes Ruth continued her husband having recourse to lo the macaronis Jargon jargon jargon Jar jar- gon in which It was alone slone po for tor them to understand each other wait walt till we clean up and pull for the Out Out- side Well We'll take the white mans man's canOe canoe canoe ca ca- noe and go to the salt fealt water Yes badwater bad badwater water rough water water great great mountains dance up and down all the time And so big so AO far tar so 80 far Car away you away you travel eI ten sleep twenty sleep forty Corty sleep he graphically enumerated the da days s 's on his fingers lingers all the time tune water bad wa water er Then you come to great village plenty people Just Juat the same I i toes next summer Wigwams oh so I hl high ten high ten h-ten ten twenty pines yu Hl-yu skookum I kum He paused impotently cast cut an nn appealing appealing appealinG ap ap- ap- ap pealing glance at Mal Malemute mute Kid then laboriously placed the twenty pines end on end cad by sign language Malemute Malemute Male- Male Malemute mute Kid smiled with cheery cynIcism cynicism cism clam but Ruths Ruth's eyes were wide with h wonder and with pleasure for tor she half halt believed he was Joking and such condescension condescension con- con pleased her poor womans woman's heart I And then you step Into a a-a a a box and pouf up you go He ne tossed his empty cup In they the air by way of ot Illustration illustration Illus mus- and as he deftly deWy caught It cried And buff down yon you com come Oh Ob great reat medicine men I You go Fort Yukon Igo I- I go Arctic City twenty five twenty five sleep sleep big string all aU the time I time I catch him string I say Hello Ruth nuth How are ye And you say Is that my good husband husband husband hus hus- band And I say Yes And you say No can bake good bread no more soda Then I say Look In cache under under under un un- der flour Goodby You look and catch plenty soda All the time you Fort Yukon me Arctic City yu Hi-yu me medicine man I Ruth smiled so Ingenuously at the fairy story that both men meri burst t into laughter A ro row among 1 1 g ih the do dogs s cut short the wonders ut of the Outside and by the time the snarling combatants were separated she had bad lashed the tho sleds and all aU was ready rendy for the trail Mush Baldy Hi Mush on Mason Mason Mason Ma Ma- son worked his whip smartly and as the dogs whined low In the traces broke out the sled with the gee pole Ruth toll followed owed with the second team leaving Malemute Kid hid who had helped her start to bring up the rear Strong Strongman Strongman Strongman man brute that he was capable of ot felling on nn ox or at a 0 blow he could not bear benr to beat bent the poor animals but humored humored humored hu hu- hu- hu mored them as a dog driver rarely does any nay almost wept with them In their misery Come mush on there you poor sore footed tootoo brutes he Ire murmured after arter aft art er several Ineffectual attempts to start stort the load But his patience was at last rewarded ed and though whimperIng whimper- whimper Ing with pain they ther hastened to Join their fellows c R t v ti Yr r y w r C ir a r L Stretched the tho Animal In the Snow Quivering Softly I. ti No more conversation The Tho toll o othe of the trail will not permit such gance And of ot all oU deadening labors labor I that of ot the northland trail traUls Is the w Happy Is la the man who can weather a aday's adars adar's aday's days day's travel at the tho price of at silence And that on a b beaten track And of ot all heart breaking labors that of ot breaking trail is worst At every step the great webbed shoe sinks sink till un the fin snow ow Is level evel with the knee Then up straight up the tho deviation of ot a fraction free frac tion of ot an Inch being n 1 certain pro pre cursor of ot disaster the snowshoe must be lifted till the surface Is cleared then forward down do and tie tLe other foot toot Is I. raised perpendicularly for tor the matter mat ter of ot half halt a n yard He lie who tries this for tor the first time If It haply be he avoids bringing his shoes in dang dangerous rouB propinquity propinquity pro pro- and measures not his length on the treacherous footing will give up exhausted at the end of ot a hundred yards He lIe who ho can keep out of at tho way of ot the dogs for a whole day maywell may maywell well wen crawl into hl his sleeping bag with witha a clear conscience and a 0 pride which all understanding and he who travels twenty sleeps on the long trail is a man mun whom the gods may envy The afternoon wore on and aDd with the awe born of ot the white silence the vol voiceless eless travelers bent to their ir work Nature has many tricks wherewith she convinces man of or his the the ceaseless flow of ot the tides the fury tury of or the storm the shock of or the earthquake earthquake earth earth- quake the long roll roU of ot hea heavens heaven's vens ven's artillery artil lery but lery-but but the most tremendous the tho most stupefying of ot all nU Is the passive phase of or the white silence All movement movement movement move move- ment ceases the sky clears the heavens heavens heavens ens are a as brass The slightest whisper whisper whis whis- per seems sacrilege e and man ninn becomes timid affrighted at the sound of ot his own voice Sole speck of life Ute JourneyIng Journey- Journey In Ing across the ghostly wastes of ot a n dead world Vorel he be trembles at his audacity realizes that his hs is a maggots maggot's life lite nothing more Strange thoughts arise and the mystery of all nIl Wings things strives staves for tor utterance And tile tie fear tear of ot death of God of ot the Ule universe comes com over him the him the hope of ot the e resurrection resurrection resurrection res res- and the life lite the yearning for tor Immortality the vain nm striving of the Imprisoned d essence nc It is in then If it ever man walks alone with God So wore the day a away way The river took n a great bend nd and Mason headed his team for tor the cut cut- cut off arrow across tho the narrow neck of ot land But the dogs doss balked at the high bank Again and again ogain though Ruth and Malemute Kid were shoving on the sled Bled they slipped back Then came the concerted effort I The Tho miserable creatures weak from hunger exerted d their last a t strength Up up the Bled sled poised on the top of ot the bank but the leader swung the I string of ot dogs dOiS behind him to the right fouling Masons Mason's snowshoes The result re rew suit sult was grievous Mason was Wal whipped whipped whIpped whip whIp- ped pe-d off ott his t feet One of ot the dogs fell tell fellIn fellIn I In 10 the traces and the sled toppled back dragging everything to the bottom bot hot bottom tom ag again Slash The whip fell teU among the dogs savagely especially upon the one which had hod fallen Dont Mason entreated Malemute Kid Hid The poor devils devil's on Its ita last legs Walt and well we'll put my mT team tam on Mason Matlon deliberately withheld the whip till the last word had bad fallen then out ont flashed the long lash lush completely curling curl curl- lug ing about the offending creatures creature's body Carmen for tor for It was Carmen cowered Carmen-cowered cowered In the snow cried piteously then rolled rolled roll roUe ed cd over on her side It was a moment a pitiful In In- of ot the trail trail trail-a a dying dog two comrades In anger Ruth glanced solicitously so so- from man to man IDan but Mol Mol- mute Kid Hid r restrained himself though there w was s a n world of ot reproach in his eyes and bending over the dog cut the the traces No word was spoken The teams ware double spanned and the difficulty overcome the were un- un Continued on Page Six The fe Silence c 1 Continued from third page pager I cr r way Ray again t e lying dying dog dragging en pelf nelt elf along In the rear A L lon long at as ata I E a animal can travel It 1 la is not shot ad d this last chance is ls accorded it- it its tt- crawling Into camp If U It can In Inte t jizo te hope of or a moose be being killed Already penitent tor for his bis angry acmon neon ac ac- mon on b but t too stubborn to make amends on toned tolled on at the head hend of or the Cavalcade little 1 dreaming reaming that danger vered In the air The timber clus- clus thick In the sheltered bottom and nd through this they t threaded their iway vay Fifty feet teet or more from the trail troll towered cowered a lofty pine For generations lit fit had stood there and for tor generations destiny had hod bad had this one end In view Perhaps the same had been decreed of or I r I He stooped stooped to fasten the loosened thong of ot his moccasin The sleds came cameto cameto ito to a 8 halt and the dogs lay down In is the mow without a n whIm whimper r. r The stillness stillness stillness still- still ness was weird Not a breath rustled the the frost encrusted forest The cold end land silence allence of ot outer space hud had chilled the heart beart and smote the trembling Ups of ot nature A sigh pulsed through the Ithe aIr aJr They did not seem to actually hear tear hear it but rather felt It like the premonition premonition of ot movement In a n motionless motionless motion motion- less void Then the great tree burdened burdened bur bur- ened with Its w weight of ot years and wow snow now played Its last part In the tragedy tragedy trag trag- edy of ot life lite Mason beard the warning crash and attempted to spring up but almost erect caught the blow squarely on the shoulder The sudden danger the ilie quick death bow bow often bad had Malemute Kid faced fit r The pine needles were were still quivering quI ering ai as be he gave gaye his commands and sprang prang Into action Nor did the pI faint or raise her voice In Idle walling wailing as might many of ot her ber whito liters At his order she threw throw her eight on th the end of or a quickly extemporized bands handspike pike easing the pressure Hure and listening to her bet husbands husband's groans While Malemute Kid attack attacked the tree witH his bis ax ar The steel rang raul merrily as It bit Into the frozen trunk trenk each stroke being accompanied c by a forced audible respiration the Ili Huh h I Huh of ct the woodsman At t last lost the Kid laid th the pitiable thing that was 1 once a 8 man In the snow nom the nips ana and the or Internal Injuries was large An occasional occa occa- n- n atonal lonal moan was WM his only sign of life No hope Nothing to be done The pitiless night ht crept slowly by Ruths Ruth's portion the despairing stoicism of ot her race and Malemute Kid adding new lines JInes to his face faco of ot bronze In fact tact Mason Iason suffered Buffered least of or all for tor ho he spent his time timo in eastern castern Tennessee In the Great Smoky mountains living over the scenes senes of ot his childhood And most pathetic was the melody of ot his long forgotten southern vernacular as asbe asbe be raved of ot swimming holes and coon bunts hunts and watermelon raids It was wasas BS as Greek to Ruth but the Kid understood understood understood under under- stood and felt felt felt-felt felt as only one can canteel feel teel who has bas been shut out for tor years from all that civilization means menne Morning brought consciousness 88 to the stricken man and Malemute KId Hid butt bent closer to catch his whispers you Yon remember when we eyed ered ere on the Tanana four years come next Ice run I didn't care so much for tor her then It was more like she was pretty and there was a smack of ot excitement about it I think But d' d ye know Ive I've come to think a heap of ot her She's been a good wife wite to me me alwa always 8 at my shoulder In the pinch And nd when It comes conies to tra trading you know there isn't her ber equal D' D D D' ye recollect recollect rec ree- ct the time she shot the Moosehorn l rapids to pull you and me we off Iff that rock the bullets bulle whipping the water like Uke halls hailstones tones and aud the time of or the famine at nt l or when she raced the ice run ron to bring the news Yes es she's been n a good wife e t to me me I L i H f 1 V. V II e r r U TT r e I ry t I J I Is I I I s t j j 1 i y I The White Silence Seemed to Sneer Ho He Ho Stooped to Fasten the tho Loosened Throng But worse than his comrades comrade's pain was vas the dumb anguish in the womans woman's face tace the blended look of ot hopeful hopeless i luery was said Those of ot the Northland are early taught the futility of words and the inestimable value of or deeds With tb th temperature at 05 OG below zero a man annot lie He many minutes mIn mIn- utes jutes In the snow and live So the sled lashings were cut and the sufferer Trolled |