■■■
Anita Stewart
The Voice of the Pack
null
M K. MOUSE’S GOOD LUCK
EDISON MARSHALL
T HAD been cold nnd Mr. Mouse
hnd almost starved, for In the house
where he made hln home In the
wall there wna little to ent, the family
having gone away for the winter.
At first Mr. Mouse did not care. He
wns the only mouse In the house, and
there were plenty of crumbs and bits
of food left by the careless cook. Then
when those were gone he found shoes
and ninny other things thnt he could
ent, even though he would not have
chosen to ent them if there hud been
plenty of other things.
But at Inst there came a dny when
there was not one thing he could eat
In that whole house. He wns sure,
for he looked before he started out In
the cold world. The ground was cov-
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Copyright. 1SO\ by Little, Brown A Co.
broken, the law hns been kept. It was
this way now. It wouldn't have been
“Father nud I are to stay here—?" Just a kiss such as boys and girls have
“What else can you do?" He went always had in the moonlight. It meant
back to his traces nnd drew the sled the symbolic renunciation of the debt
100 yards farther. He didn't seem to that Dan owed Cranston—a debt that
see the gaunt wolf that backed off In his mind might possibly go unpaid,
in'o the shadows as he approached. which no weight of circumstance could
He refused to notice that the pack make him renounce.
His longing for her lips pulled at
seemed to be steadily growing bolder.
Human hunters usually had guns that the roots of him. But by the laws of
could blast nnd destroy from a dis his being he couldn't claim them until
tance ; but even nn animal Intelli the debt incurred on the hillside,
gence could perceive that these three months ago, had been paid; to take
seemed to be without this means of them now meant to dull the fine edge
of his resolve to carry the Issue
Inflicting death.
A wolf is ever so much more intelli through to the end. to dim the star
gent than a crow—yet a crow shows that led him, to weaken him, by bend
little fear of an unarmed man and is ing now, for the test to come. He
wholly unapproachable by a boy with didn't know why. It had its fount in
n gun. The ugly truth was simply that the deep wells of the spirit. Common
In their increasing madness and ex sense can’t reveal how the holy man
citement an<I hunger, they were l»ecom- keeps strong the spirit by denying the
ing less and less fearful of these three flesh. It goes too deep for that. Dan
kept to his consecration.
strange humans with the sled.
He did, however, kiss her hands,
It was not a good place for a camp.
They worked a long time before they and he kissed the tears out of her
cleared a little pat< h of ground of its eyes. Then he turned into the dark-
snow mantle. Dan cut a number of ness and broke through the ring of
saplings—laboriously with his ax—and the wolves.
built a tire with the comparatively
CHAPTER III.
dry core of a dead tree. True, it was
feeble and flickering, but as good as
Dan Falling was never more thank
could be hoped for, considering the
ful for his unerring sense of direction.
difficulties under which he worked.
The dead logs under the snow were He struck off at a forty-five-degree
soaked with water from the rains and angle between their late course and a
thaws. The green wood that 1» cut direct road to the river, and he kept
it as if by a surveyor's line. All the
smoked without blazing.
| “No more time to be lost,” Dan told old devices of the wilderness—the
Snowbird. "It lies in your hands to ridge on ridge that looked Just alike.
keep the fire burning. And don't leave Inclines that to the casual eye looked
the circle of the fire light without like downward slopes, streams that
vanished beneath the snow, and the
that pistol in your hand.”
I "You don't mean,” she asked, unbe snow-mist blowing across the face of
landmarks—could
not
avail
lieving, “that you are going to go out the
against him.
there to fight Cranston—unarmed?”
A half dozen of the wolves followed
I “Of course, Snowbird. You must
him at first. But perhaps their fierce
keep the pistol.”
| “But it means death; that’s all It eyes marked his long stride and his
means. What chance would you have powerful body, and decided that their
against a man with a rifle? And as better chance was with the helpless
soon as you get »way from this fire, man and the girl beside the flickering
fire. They turned back, one by one.
the wolves will tear you to pieces.”
‘ "And what would you and your fa Dan kept straight on and In two hours
ther do, if I took it? You can’t get
him into a tree. You can’t build a
big enough fire to frighten them.
Please don't even talk about this mat
ter, Snowbird. My mind’s made up. I
think the pack will stay here. They
usually—God knows how—know who
is helpless and who Isn't. Maybe with
the gun, you will be able to save your
lives.”
“What's the chance of that?”
“You might—with ore cartridge—
kill one of the devils; and the others
—but you know how they devour their
own dead. That might break their
famine enough so that they’d hold off
until I can get back. That’s the prize
I’m playing for.”
t “And what if you don’t get back?”
1 He took her hand in one of his, and
with the other he caressed, for a sin
gle moment, the lovely flesh of her
throat. The love he had for her spoke
from his eyes—such speech as no hu
man vision could possibly mistake.
Both of them were tingling and breath
less with a great, sweet wonder.
“Never let those fangs tear that
softness, while you live,” he told here
gently. “Never let that brave old man
on the sled go to his death with the
pack tearing at him. Cheat ’em,
Snowbird! Beat 'em the last minute,
if no other way remains! Show ’em
who's boss, after all—of all this for
est.”
“You mean—?” Her eyes widened.
“I mean that you must only spend
one of those three shells in fighting
off the wolves. Save that till the mo
Keep the Fire Burning.
ment you need it most, The other
two must be saved—for something crossed Cranston's trail. He didn’t
doubt but that he would find Cran
else.”
She nodded, shuddering an instant ston in his camp, if he found the camp
at a menacing shadow that moved at all. The man had certainly re-
turned to it immediately after setting
within 60 feet of the fire.
“Then goodby, Dan!” she told him. fire to the buildings, If for no other
And she stretched up her arms. “The reason than for food. It Isn’t well
thing I said—that day on the billside to he abroad on the wintry mountains
without a supply of food; and Cran
—doesn’t hold any more.”
His own arms encircled her, but he ston would certainly know this fact.
Dan didn’t know when a rifle bullet
made no effort to claim her lips. Len
nox watched them quietly; in this from some camp In the thickets would
moment of crisis not even pretending put an abrupt end to his advance. The
to look away. Dan shook his head to brush grew high by the river, the ele
her entreating eyes. “It Isn't just a vation was considerably lower, and
kiss, darling,” he told her soberly. "It there might be one hundred camps out
goes deeper than that. It’s a symbol. of the Sight of the casual wayfarer.
It was your word, too, and mine; and If Cranston should see him, mushing
words can't be broken, things being as across the moonlit snow, It would give
they are. Can’t I make you under him the most savage joy to open fire
upon him with his rifle.
stand?”
Dan’s keen eyes searched the thick
She nodded. His eyes burned. Per
haps she didn't understand, as far as ets, and particularly they watched the
actual functioning of the brain wns sky line for a faint glare that might
concerned. But she reached up to mean a camp fire. He tried to walk
him. as women—knowing life in the silently. It wasn’t an ensy thing to
concrete rather than the abstract— do with awkward snowshoes; but the
have always reached up to men; and river drowned the little noise that he
she dimly caught the gleam of some made. He tried to take advantage of
eternal principle nnd right behind his the shelter of the thickets and the
words. This strong mnn of the moun trees. Then, at the base of a little
tains had given his word, hnd been ridge, he came to a sudden halt.
He had estimated Just right, Not
witness to her own promise to him
nnd to herself, and a law that goes two hundred yards distant, a camp
down to the roots of life prevented fire flickered and glowed In the shel-
ter of a groat log. He saw it, by the
him from claiming the kiss.
Many times, since the world was most astounding good fortune, through
pew, comfort—happiness—life itself a little rift In the trees. Ten feet on
have been contingent on the breaking either side, and It was obscured.
He lost no time. He did not know
of a law. Yet in spite of what seemed
common sense, even though no punish when the wolves about Snowbird’s
ment would forthcome If It were camp would lose the last of their
CHAPTER
II—Continued.
cowardice. Yet he knew he must keep
a tight grip on his self-control nnd
not let the necessity of haste cost him
his victory. He crept forward, step
by step, placing his auowahoea with
consummate care. When he was one
hundred yards distant he saw that
Cranston's camp was situated beside
a little stream that flowed Into the
river and that—like the mountaineer
he wns—he had built a large lean-to
reinforced with snowbanks. The fire
burned at Its opening. Cranston was
not In sight; either he wns absent
from camp or asleep In his lean-to.
The latter seemed the more likely.
Dan made a wide detour, coming In
about thirty yards behind the construc
tion. Still he moved with incredible
caution. Never in his life had he poa-
sessed a greater mastery over his own
nerves. His heart leaped somewhat
fast in his own brenst; but this wns
the only wasted motion. It Isn't easy
to advance through such thickets with
out ever n misstep, without the rustle
of n branch or the crack of a twig.
Certain of the wild creatures find It
easy; but men have forgotten how In
too many centuries of cities and farms.
It is hardly a human quality, and a
spectator would have found a rather
ghastly fascination In watching the
lithe motions, the passionless face, the
hands that didn't shake at all. But
there were no spectators—unless the
little band of wolves, stragglers from
the pack that had gathered on the bills
behind—watched with lighted eyes.
Dan went down at full length upon
the snow and softly removed his snow
shoes. They would be only an Impedi
ment In the close work that was sure
to follow. He slid along the snow
crust, clear to the mouth of the lean-to.
The moonlight poured through and
showed the interior with rather re
markable plainness. Cranston was
sprawled, half-sitting, half-lying on a
tree-bough pallet near the rear wall.
There was not the slightest doubt of
the man’s wakefulness. Dan heard
him stir, and once—as if at the mem
ory of his deed of the day before—he
cursed in a savage whisper. Although
he was facing the opening of the lean-
to, he was wholly unaware of Dan's
presence. The latter had thrust hfs
head at the side of the opening, and
it was in shadow. Cranston seemed
to be watching the great, white snow
fields that lay In front, and for a mo
ment Dan was at loss to explain this
seeming vigil. Then he understood.
The white field before him was part
of the long ridge that the three of
them would pass on their way to the
valleys. Cranston had evidently an
ticipated that the girl and the man
would attempt to march out—even if
he hadn’t guessed they would try to
take the helpless Lennox with them—
and he wished to be prepared for
emergencies. There might be sport to
have with Dan, unarmed as he was.
And his eyes were full of strange con
jectures in regard to Snowbird. Both
would be exhausted now and helpless—
Dan's eyes encompassed the room:
the piles of provisions heaped against
the wall, the snow shoes beside the
pallet, but most of all he wished to
locate Cranston's rifle. Success or
failure hung on that. He couldn't
find it at first. Then he saw the glit
ter of its barrel In the moonlight—
leaning against a grub box possibly
six feet from Cranston and 10 from
himself.
His heart leaped. The best he had
hoped for—for the sake of Snowbird,
not himself—was that he would be
nearer to the gun than Cranston and
would be aide to seize it first But
conditions could be greatly worse than
they were. If Cranston had actually
had the weapon in his hands, the odds
of battle would have been frightfully
against Dan. It takes a certain length
of time to seize, swing, and aim a ri
fle; and Dan felt that while he would
be unable to reach It himself, Cran
ston could not procure It either, with
out giving Dan an opportunity to leap
upon him. In all his dreams, through
the months of preparation, he had pic
tured It thus. It was the test at last.
The gun might be loaded, and still—
In these days of safety devices—un
ready to fire; and the loss of a frac
tion of a second might enable Cran
ston to reach his knife. Thus Dan
felt Justified in ignoring the gun alto
gether and trusting—as he had most
desired—to a buttle of hands. And he
wanted both hands free when he made
his attack.
If Dan had been erect upon his feet,
his course would have been an Imme
diate leap on the shoulders of his ad
versary, running the risk of Cranston
reaching his hunting knife In time.
But the second that he would require
to get to his feet would entirely offset
this advantage. Cranston could spring
up, too. So he did I he next most dis
arming thing.
He sprang up and strode Into the
lean-to.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
Falls Excavate 30-Mile Chasm.
The waters of the grand falls of
Labrador have excavated a chasm 30
miles long.
When Satan needs a good man In
the business he picks out a loafer.
It's a big Jump from a career
artist’s model to the top-notch place
held by one of screendom’s most popu-
lar stara, but charming Anita Stewart
made It She was born In Brooklyn
In 1898. At the age of fourteen she
was attracted to the motion picture
studios. Finishing school, her
stardom was rapid. Thio Is one of
her latest pictures.
--------- O---------
THE RIGHT THING
at the
RIGHT TIME
By MARY MARSHALL DUFFEB
WITH THE KNIFE
Finca triflea make the sum of human
things.—Hannah Mora.
ered with snow, but he knew that he
had some cousins that lived near by
and he decided to call on them.
Mr. Mouse was hurrying along. for
the snow was not so comfortable as the
floors of the house where he lived,
when all at once who should he see
right In front of him but Mudam Puss,
There was not n minute to think,
for she had seen him. Mr. Mouse
knew by the switching of her tall, ns
well ns by her big eyes. There was
no place to run for shelter. It wns all
open urountl him, so he dashed off
without knowing where he was going.
But luck was with Mr. Mouse that
dny, as you will nee. He wns on n
pond that wns frozen over—thnt Is,
almost frozen over, for right in the
middle of that pond was one very thin
place.
Mr. Mouse did not know about thia
ON'T hold your knife nt table as
If you contemplated cutting your
way through a bnrbed-wlrc en
tanglement with it. Take It no fur
ther down toward the blade than Is
ne<-cMary to hold It securely. In fact
ft is a mistake to let your fingers rest
anywhere but on the handle, save that
the Index finger may be placed on the
edge of the dull side.
When you have finished with a
course in which a knife Is used place
the knife across the side of the plnte
with the sharp side of the blade to
ward the center. If you are dining
with your family and send your plate
to the carver for a second helping the
knife and fork should be placed In
this way, not removed nnd laid on the
butter plate, much less held In mid
air.
Never hold the knife in the band
“What’s in a Name?
snve when using it. Some persons
By MILDRED MARSHALL
you know forget that they have It in
Feria about four name; Itthlaterr: mean,
their hand and raise It In an awk
ma; wMnrr it wu derived; xfni<icanc«i
ward fashion with the point of the
blade celllngward. We have all seen
humorous pictures of the uncouth man
who sits waiting for his plate with
his knife In his right hand and his
fork In his left, points upward. See
HE quaint old-fashioned name of
that you don’t let yourself look as
Jane hns two equivalents—Joan
ridiculous.
and Jenny. It Is one of the numer
Never use a knife In eating salad.
ous names, both masculine and femi
Do not use a steel knife In eating nine, that come from John and its de
fish. Some persons would sny, never rivatives, and signifies "grace of the
use any knife at all with flsh, but It 1« Lord.” John was originally Johannes
quite all right to use a sliver knife or Joanna.
and small silver knives are especially
The first feminine form to be used
designed for the fish course. In the many years after nil derivatives of
ordlnnry household where fish Is John bad come Into favor was Jonnna,
served as a substitute for the meat the name of a holy woman of the Gos
course it is served with the usual pel, who was never canonized, but re
knife and fork, but this kidfe should ceived her title of sanctity In honor of
not be of steel.
one of the St. Johns. In the Twelfth
Do not use a knife when eating des century, the feminine form sprang to
serts. although In some provincial real prominence In the south of France
hotels the waiter will give you n knife and north of Spain. Jehanne and
A small knife Jeanne were the popular French forms
and fork with pie.
may be served and used with cheese, and Juana was the favorite In Spain.
When this Is done cut off a bit of Many Jeannes and Juanns married In
cheese and place it by means of the to royal families and gave vogue to
knife on the wafer with which It Is their names. A daughter of Edward
served and then convey the wafer to II was so called, and Joan Beaufort, be
your mouth by means of the left hand. loved of James I, was another famous
Never, never use your knife as nn woman of that name.
Implement with which to assist food
It was not until the Tudor period
on your fork or to scout about your that Jane came Into vogue, but straight
plate for Inst morsels. In fact the way it was made famous by Jane Sey
knife should not be used at all for mour and became a courtly title. On
potatoes or other vegetables these be the other hand, Jane was accorded such
ing broken entirely by means of the popular usage that it is said to have
fork.
named Jean as an article of dress.
Jenny seems to have appeared as a
If no butter knives are used it Is
quite all right to use the dinner knife diminutive, or perhaps an endearment,
for buttering bread. Remember, how of Jane. It suggests something much
ever, never to spread more than a gentler and more alluringly feminine
small morsel at a time, and never wipe than uncompromising Jane. Jane to
off gravy or other food on a slice of day summons up a vision of a well-
bread by way of polishing your knife tailored, efficient young person with
feministic tendencies, but Jenny repre
before using ft on the butter.
(Copyright.)
sents the unmistakably domestic type.
It Is she who named the spinning-Jenny
and Jenny Wren of nursery tales. The
most famous woman to bear the name
was the golden-voiced Jenny Lind.
Jane's tailsmanlc gem is the tur
quoise. If set in gold it promises her
good fortune and long life, wIfree
dom frbm dangers and anxieties.
Wednesday is her lucky day and 3 her
lucky number,
(Copyright.)
--------- O---------
Tempted.
Artist (In desjHTatlon)—That, sir, 1
eonslder the finest In iny collection.
You can have it for half the catalogue
price.
The Visitor—Bless my soul I You
don't sny so. By the way, what Is the
price of the catalogue?—Punch (Lon
don).
thin ice, of course, but It wu» his lucky
dny, you Me, so right across the pond
ho run, with Mndnm Puss niter him.
Mr. Mouse was very light und Mndnm
Puss wan plump, for she had been
well fed.
When they came to the thin Ice, over
went Mr. Mouse safely. But, nlns!
poor Mndnm Puss! It was hard enough
anyway trying to chase n mouse over
the Ice, but when she came to the
thin place It cracked nnd In went her
front paws, anil for n minute It looked
very bad for poor Madam Puss.
Mr. Mouse found It hard to run over
the Ice, but he did not atop when he
heard the cracking. He kept right
on und reached the bank on the other
aide nnd up he went.
He was pretty cold, as well ns
scared, and when he came to a plnce
where ho could run in he did not wait
to look It over, and as it was Ms lucky
day he found be wns In a house where
there waa plenty of food,
Mr. Mouse was soon nibbling away
In the pnntry nnd thinking himself
very fortunate to have found such a
nice place for hie new home when a
great disturbance In the kitchen made
him stop und peek through a crock In
the door.
There wns the very Mndnm Puns
who hud chased him and the cook
making n great fuss over her because
she wns so cold nnd wet.
“Poor Puna,” cook wna saying. "How
did you get ao wet nnd cold? You ahull
have some nice, warm milk and I will
tlx a place for you under the stove.”
“All that fuss over a Pus*,'' said Mr.
Mouse, “and she will scratch and drink
up the cream, while I never harm any
one and only eat the crumbs I firn!
lying about.
"But I guess I will stay here until
my family comes back. A well fed cat
Is not dangerous, und If 1 am careful
not to eat anything but crumbs I am
sure they will never know I nm here
and not set a trap for me."
Nd there he lived, nnd when the
nun was shining one day away he
ran to his old home, where he found
plenty to eat and his hole In the wall
still vacant
It was a long trip around the pond,
for the Ice had melted, but Mr Mouse
on the way said he did not mind that,
for the longest way round Is the short
est way home sometimes.
“If I hnd tried to cross that pond
now," said he, “I might have drowned
or some animal might have caught mo,
and though crossing the pond wns the
shortest in distance. If I hnd never
reached my old home, It would hove
been the longest way for me, and I
think I nm a very wise mouse to rea
son It out."
(Copyright.)
WO, tree inoiit ago everybody
maka plants keek bout a hot
weather.
Nobody feela good
and only way can keepa cisti ees go
een da swim or taka da clothes off.
For longa time I losa da umblsh every
day.
But now da weather changa da dees-
poslsh and I gotta more trouble ns een
da summertime.
Someday ces too
cold now and I no feela good yet.
Two, tree mont ngo I buy da summer
suit and he no costn mooch. When I
no wear ver tnoocha clothes he no
costn tnoocha ex|M*nse. Een da sum
mer you no feela so good from da heat,
but da purse he gotta more health as
righta now.
One day lasa week da weend was
preety cold and da rain feel Ilka da
shower bath. Dat weefid he blow da
clothes and mnka me sheever Ilka da
sheemmle dance. One time aes too
cold, other time ees too hot nnd alia
time ees expense.
When da snow he blew nnd a weend
he come down for spend da weenter
only ting can do ees geevn da summer
clothes a vacash. But when I go een
da store for buy da weenter clothes
I getta seeck.
When I go buy da underclothes een
da store da mnn aska me ecf 1 wunta
two piece or da union suit, I dunno
wot’a deefrence and he telln me both
kind costa same ting. He sny da union
suit ees made one piece and da other
ees two piece.
Well, I no care for more dan one
peace eef ees gooda one. But I maka
da mind up no buy da union suit. Kef
he only gotta one pence mebbe soma*
day da union go on da strike and I
losa my clothes. I tlnk ees letter
have two pence as letta da union tnnka
trouble and losa da clothes and da
reputash and getta cold sama time.
Wot you tlnk?
T
(Copyright.)
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Explains Progress.
Let us remember that Just beenuse
Improvement is always and ever wltl*
In the grasp of human effort nt alt
points, progress Is the greatest reality
in the world.—J. L. Garvin.