Show yo y caste CC haxo assy WD ti Z SYNOPSIS warned by hla his physician that he ha luis has not more than six months to I 1 live ve railing falling tits bits despondently on a parit paric bench wondering where lie he should spend those six months A friendly squirrel practically decides the matter for him ills blood Is pioneer blood and lie ho decides to end hla his days in the forests of 0 oregon memories 0 of hla his grandfather giand father and a deep love for or all things ot of the wild help him la in reaching a decision in a large southern oregon city he meets people who had known and loved his grandfather a famous frontiersman ile ha n makes akes his homo home with silas lennox a typical westerner the only other members ot of the household are lennous Len noKs son bon bill and daughter snowbird their abode Is in many ny miles front from civilization in the umpqua divide and there I 1 failing plans to live out the short span of life which he ha has been told la Is his ills extreme weakness in the face of even a slight exertion convinces him that the doctor had made a correct diagnosis of his case from the first tailings fallings health shows a marked improvement I 1 and in the companionship of lennox and his son and daughter he ha tits into the woods wooda ufa life as if 1 ho he had been born to it dy by quick thinking and a remarkable remark ablo display of nerve ho sivea saves lennous Len life and his own when they are attacked by a anad coyote lennox declares aies lie he Is a reincarnation of his grandfather dan railing failing 1 I fame faine as a woodsman Is a household word CHAPTER I 1 Ill I 1 I Continued 11 of course but sit down now anyway ini im sorry that snowbird here ISnow snowbird hIrd Is my daughter my boy ho sho she can intake it biscuit not tier name of courso course but weve always culled called tier lier that ali it she got tired tire of keeping house and 1 Is 13 3 working tills this sui summer timer poor ioor mil bill tins hns to keep heep house fur for tier her and no wonder lies hes eager to take tho the stock down to the lower levels I 1 only wish lio lie brought em cm up lip this spring sit lit nil le ive lost dozens from the coyotes coot cs nut but a coyote cant kill cattle it can ann if it tins ims hydrophobia 11 common coalmon thing lit in the varni hits this time thue of year sear nut bill ns as I 1 sn rill bill will take the stock flown down next and then snowbirds Snow birds work will be through and shell come hack back hero here thou then ashes down lit in the valley alle par front from it sties n mountain girl if ono one ever eer lived perhaps you ou dont know the recent policy of tile the forest service to hire women when they licy can call he be obtained it wits was a policy started in war times tin and kept up tip now because it Is economical and efficient slie she and n girl front from collage lillye wc a not five miles front from here on old bald mountain and doing lookout fluty dan wondered intensely what lookout duty might he be you see dnn lennox said in explanation tile the gov RO crin nent loses choti sands of dollars every car benr by forest fire A nie fire call he be stopped easily if it Is seen soot soon titter it starts but let it burn nahl labile ia in till ills try dry season tind its a terror error a wait all of flame that races through the forests antl can hardly bo a stopped and maybe you dont realize how this region Is literally hundreds of nilles miles across were the lust last outpost there ate ale four cabins if you can find then in the first seventy miles isick to town so they the have to put pitt lookouts on tile the high points and now iio coming coining to the use of airplanes so they cnn keep even n better watch antl snowbird and a girl friend front from college got jeths tills this summer as Ino lookouts look outi kouts nil all through the lie forest st service irv they tire nrc hiring women for foil the work ork they tire are more vigilant than linn nien men less Inell inclined ned to take clit chance inces lit and work cheaper these two to girls lieve a cabin near a spring and they rook cook their own oui food and are making what Is big wages lit in the mountains im rather hoping she shell 11 ll drop over for kiev lill tonight C good ond lord does slip she arnvel over these little hills in tile the darkness abe mountaineer laughed a delighted sound flint cattle came curiously front from the hoarded bearded lips of the stern lark dark iann nan dan ill swear aies ashes afraid of nothing that lint walks tile the face of the earth carth and it 1 tit because lie had and experience either ashes n dead shot with n pistol for one thing ashes physically strong and every is hard ng nail she used to have sling slin too the best dog in all these sties n mountain girl 1 I all you ion whoever wins wine tier her lias has got to to be able to tc tattle hert crt the mountaineer laughty laught 1 ngali the c cill LII to sill ir ar came then and dan poi got Is first sight of food bilier were potatoes potato newly dug mountain vegetables that lint crisp and cold n steak tit of peculiar ar nn nn i great howl bowl of purple her rits to tio 1 eaten with sugar aud and creim dati duns s appetite was not ns as a rule particularly ticul arly good but evidently the long ride had affected d him lie he simply have tile the moral courage to I 1 refuse c vh illi it the elder lennox heaped his plate I 1 good heavens I 1 cant cat nil that I 1 lie ho said lis as it was passed to him but tile others laughed and told lim atil to take heart lie took heart it was a singular thing hut but tit at that first bite tits his sudden confidence in tits his gustatory ability almost overwhelmed him film go 0 o lie he cut himself a bite of the tender steak fully half as generous as tile the bites that was consuming across tile the table and its first flavor simply filled him hilll with delight what Is tills ment meat lie asked 11 ive certainly tasted it before ill hot bet it a few dollars that you 1 if youve lived till all your life in the middle west lennox answered maho laybe youve got what the scientists call an all inherited memory of it its the kind of meat your grandfather used to live on venison soon after dinner lennox let led him it I 1 in out of the house for tits his first glimpse of tit the hills in the darkness they walked together out to the gate across aar m the first of the lie wide pa pastures s tures where at ascertain certain seasons lou nox kept ills his cattle and at last they cattle came out upon tile the trev tree covered ridge the moon was just rising they rould could see it casting a curious glint over the very tips of nf the pines iut but it get down don between them they stood too close cloie too tall and thick for that alint and for or it moment dans only sensa if ion WAS ns one of silence you have to stand still it a moment to really know anns ati thing athing lennox told him they both stood still dan was as ns as motionless ng as that day in th the e park long beeks weeks before when the squirrel find ellin climbed bed on ills shoulder tile the first effect was mas a sensation tion that the silence standing in the shadows he simply watched her was deepening around them it really true it was vas sh simply ply that lip lind hod Ie become colne aware of the little continuous sounds dounda of which alch usually lie ho was ft as unconscious and they the tended to accent accentuate the lie hush hash of the night ile he knew just as nil all mountaineers know that hint the wilderness about illin was ns stirring rind ind pulsing with ft ath lite life some of the sounds were quite little c ebli an all occasional stir of n pebble or tile the crack of a twig and some like the faintest twitching of leaves leases in the brush not ton ten feet distant could only be 1 guessed lit it t what Is making the sounds pounds lie he asked ilia ile know it at the time but lennox turned toward inward him it flint th tle question had surprised tile the mountaineer lluther it was as alue tone in which mn dan had spoken it was perfectly cool perfectly self con coll bained tile the ne lie right close Is a chipmunk I 1 dont know what the lie others ore are tin no one ever eer does know perhaps ground squirrels or rabbits or birds nil and mayew nin li one of those harmless old hinck blak bears who Is im burlous cur loua about tile house and tell nit ine can you ou smell anything I 1 I 1 good lord lennox I 1 I 1 can smell till all 1 kinds of things thing q im rind plad some men faint ant no ono one can call enjoy lie he woods moods it if lit cant smell aart of the smells tire of flo flower wels and part of bal balsam sarn and sod god only knows what lite others rs tire nrc they nrc are just tho dm wild ernt ot dun dan could not ot only perceive the smells slid and sounds but he u feu felt that I 1 they wore were leaving in an imprint on thea th very fiber of tits ills soul lie he knew one thing ile he know knew lie could never tor for j vet pt tills arst to the amin enin night the whole scene mooil 11 him ili in sin i inge deep wilys v ns lit in which lie lind imil manei been stirred before it loft left him and in devil deep wells of ills for far below tile the usual cur rents of excitement a little excited too then both of them thein were startled out of their by the clear unmistakable able sound of footsteps on the ridge hatli of thorn thein turned tinned and icino laughed softly in ili the darkness M my daughter daug liter lie said 1 I knew slip site lie be abrald to colim dim dan could sic see only snowbirds Snow birds oitt line tit at hist first just tier her shadow ngtAI against nat the ho moonlit hillside ills glasses tere none too good tit nt long range and possibly when sho cattle came within range tile list first thing that lie ho noticed notice about tier her was its tier her stride the girls lie know knew walk lit in quite that free strong wily she took almost a man lillin size step ellid yet ft it was curious flint slip she did not spoil ungraceful dan hall had 11 distinct impression that slit she was floating down to 1111 him u on tile moonlight 00 site she scented to como with such 1 smoothness and then he heard he aid lier liar call lightly through the dark darkness iless the sound gave him a distinct sense of surprise sin prise some rome way lie he associated socia ted a voice like tills this with it mountain girl lio lie lind had suppo supposed qed that there would lie he so ninni harshening influences in tills this wild ald place yet the tone was mas as clear and full ns as a trained singers it was MIS not a high voice olce and yet ct it seemed simply brIn brimming imin g ns as a cut cup hilins arling will alth lii the rapture of life it was ns a self confident vo olac lee too wholly ald sincere and wholly without embarrass anent then site she cattle came close and dan saw tile the moonlight on her face and so it cattle came about whether in dreams or wakefulness lie could see nothing else for ninny many hours to conie come the girl who stood in the moonlight lind in health she was simply vibrant with health it brought a light to her eyes mid n color to tier her cheeks checks and life find shimmer to tier her moonlit cintr it bro light curves cunes to tier her body and ati bength and firmness to tier her limbs 1111 lbs and the grace of a leer deer to her lie car ringe whether sho had regular fen fea dues tildes or not dnn dan would you have am e been tin phie to UP ile even cen notice alie they important when henith health was present yet there was nothing of the coarse or bold or voluptuous about tier her she was just it a slender girl perhaps twenty years ears of age and weighing even less lehs than thy the figure occasionally casio casion nally tilly to le be read in the health alnes for girls of her height and ale he w js fresh lind and cool beyond nil all word to tell and dan had no delus lorts about tier her toward tow aid him for a 0 long instant she turned tier her keen jiing young eyes to ills white thin face and nt at once it became abundantly evident that beyond a few girlish girlis li speculations she felt no interest in him after a single moment of rather strained ned polite conversation with dan just enough to satisfy tier her iden idea of the conventions vent ions she bogan began a thrilling girlhood tale to tier her fattier father and sh ahn wits was still telling it when they readied the house dnn dan held a chair for tier her lit in front of it alio I 1 a fireplace and site she took it with en ell tire lie ile was vas careful to put plit it where the firelight was tit nt list its height ile HD wonted to see sec its effect on the hushed checks the soft alark hair hilr and then standing lit in tile shadows lie he watched tier her with the cyc of an artist lie he delighted lit in tier her gestures tier her rippling enthusiasm tier utter lr ir girlis liness flint nil all of time lind not years sears enough to kill 11 hlll stood watching tier her ills hands deep in ili ills his pockets packets evidently n companion lif lillon of the best tier her father gazed tit at tier her with amused tolerance and dan lic he know in just what way lip ho did took look tit nt tier her and nil lie he have time to it decide in less than fifteen minutes and wholly without warning slie she sprang up till front from tier her chair tind started toward the door good lord I 1 dan brenthel brei bren thed it if N sou a it lillice such sudden il motions lotions as that ill have heart failure where are you going now nawl hack back to nty my watch ale answered tier tone wholly locking lacking the alto note which men lime have beamed to expect in the voices of women and an instant later the lie three of nt thero tier retreating shadow ns as she vanished among tit lie pines dan lind had to he be helped to bed tile the lobik longa ride had been too liard hard on oil ills his shattered lungs and nerves tin and body collapsed nil mi instant after the door closed behind the departing girl lie ile laughed weakly and begged their par pardon doti anil and tho the two men were really very cai gentle they told him it was their own fault for permitting him to overdo lennox himself hie blew nut tile the candle in the lie big cold bedroom tho the next installment of the voice of the h pack ion im P parti arts to dan failing the existence e of an organized band of aso outlaw flaws I 1 TO ITO CK BE CONTINUED |