VOICE
OF THE
i>
Mli
MJ!
h
7* b
M
CHAPTER III—Continued.
made in utter silence. The reason was
Just that both breath nnd nervous
force are needed to shout; and Dun
Failing could afford to waste neither
of these vital forces. He had dropped
to hls knee, and was firing again and
again, his gray eyes looking clear nnd
straight along the barrel, hls finger*
without Jerk or tremor pressing again
and again at the trigger, his hands
holding the rifle as in a vise. Every
nerve and muscle were completely in
hls command. The distance was far.
yet he shot with deadly, amazing ac
curacy. The wolves were within a few
feet of the girl, and a fraction's waver
in the gun barrel might have sped hls
bullet toward her.
“It's Dan Falling," Lennox shouted
as the fourth wolf died.
Then Snowbird snatched her pistol
from her father’s hand and opened fire.
The two shells were no longer needed
to free herself and her father from the
agony of fangs. She took careful alm,
and although a pistol is never as ac
curate or as powerful as a rifle, she
killed one wolf and wounded another.
Frenzied in their savagery, three or
four of the remaining wolves leaped
at the body of one of the wounded;
but the others scattered in all direc
tions. Still Dan fired with the same un
believable accuracy, and still the
wolves died In the snow. The girl
and the man were screaming now in
the frenzied Joy of deliverance. The
wolves scurried frantically among the
trees; and some of them unknowingly
ran full in the face of their enemy, to
be shot down without mercy. And
few indeed were those that escaped—
to collect on a distant ridge, and, per
haps, to be haunted in dream by a
death that came out of the shadows to
blast the pack.
Again the pack song would be de
spairing and strange in the winter
nights—that age old chant of Famine
and Fear and the Jong war of exlst-
lie was rlsKtng everything for the
take of speed. He gave no heed to the
fallen timber that might have torn the
web of hls snow shoes to shreds. Re-
muse he shut out all thought of it. he
»ad no feeling of fatigue. The fight
»ith Cranston had been a frightful
strain on muscle and nerve; but he
scarcely remembered it now. Hls
slide pun>ose was to return to Snow
bird before the wolves lost the last of
their cowardice.
The Jerked venison that he had
munched had brought him back much
»f his strength. He was wholly uncon
scious of his heavy pack. Never did
be glide so swiftly, so softly, with
such unerring step; and it was noth
ing more or less than a perfect expres
sion of the iron-clad control that his
steel nerves had over hls muscles.
Then, through the silence, he heard
the shout of the pack as the wolf had
leaped at Snowbird. He knew what it
meant. The wolves were attacking
then, and a great flood of black, hating
bitterness poured over him at the
thought he had been too late. It had
all been in vain, and before the thought
could fully go home, he heard the dim,
far-off crack of a pistol.
Was that the first of the three shots,
the one she might expend on the
wolves, or had the first two already
been spent and was she taking the last
gateway of escape? Perhaps even now
Lennox was lying still on the sled, and
she was standing before the ruin of
her fire, praying that her soul might
have wings. He shouted with all the
power of his lungs across the snow.
. But Snowbird only heard the soft
glide of the wolves in the snow. The
wind was blowing toward Dan; ami
while be had heard the loud chorus of
the pack, one of the most far-carrying
cries, and the penetrating crack of a
pistol, she couldn’t hear his answering
shout In fact the wilderness seemed
preternaturally still. All was breath
less, heavy with suspense, and she
stood, Just as Dan had thought be
tween the ruin of her fire and the sled,
and she looked with straight eyes to
the oncoming wolves.
“Hurry, Snowbird,” Lennox was
whispering. “Give me the pistol—for
that last work. We have only a mo
ment more.”
He looked very calm and brave, half-
raised as he was on the sled, and per
haps a half-smile lingered at his beard
ed lips. And the bravest thing of all
was that to spare her, he was willing
to take the little weapon from her
hand to use It In its last service. She
tried to smile at him, then crept over
to his side.
The strain was over. They knew
what they had to face. She put the
pistol In hls steady hand.
His hand lowered to his side and he
sat waiting. The moments passed. The
wolves seemed to be waiting, too, for
the last flickering tongue of the little
fire to die away. The last of her fuel
was ignited and burning out; they
were crouched and ready to spring if
she should venture forth after more.
The darkness closed down deeper, and
at last only a column of smoke re
mained.
It was nothing to be afraid of. The
great, gray leader of the pack, a wolf
that weighed nearly 100 pounds, be
gan slowly and deliberately to set hls “We Will Take It Easy From Now On.”
muscles for the spring. It was the
same as when the great bull elk comes ence with only Death and Darkness in
to bay at the base of the cliffs; usual the end. And because It Is the voice
ly some one wolf, often the great pack of the wilderness Itself, the tender
leader, wishing to remind his followers foot that camps In the evergreen for
of his might, or else some full-grown est will listen, and his talk will die at
male proud in his strength, will attack his lips, and he will have the begin
alone. Because this was the noblest nings of knowledge. And perhaps he
game that the pack had ever faced, will wonder if God has given him the
the leader chose to make the first leap thews and fiber to meet the wilderness
himself. It was true that these two breast to breast as Dan had met it;
had neither such horns nor razor- to remain and to fight and to conquer.
edged hoofs as the elk, yet they had And thereby hls metal will be tested In
eyes that chilled his heart ■when he the eyes of the Red Gods.
tried to look at them. But one was
Snowbird stood waiting In the snow,
lying almost prone, and the fire was arms stretched to her forester as Dan
out. Besides, the madness of starva- came running through the wood. But
tlon, intensified ten times by their ter- hls arms were wider yet, and she went
rlble realization of the wound at her softly Into them.
hip, ^as upon the pack as never be-
fore. The muscles bunched at lils
“We will take It easy from now on,"
lean flanks.
Dan Falling told them, after the cam;
But as Snowbird and her father was cleared of Its dead and the fire
gazed at him in fascinated horror, the was built high. “We have plenty of
great wolf suddenly smashed down In food; and we will travel a little while
the snow. She was aware of its curi each day and make warm camps at
ous, utter collapse actually before the night. We'll have friendship fires, Just
sound of the rifle shot that occasioned as sometimes we used to build on the
it had penetrated her consciousness. ridge"
It was a perfect shot at long tange;
“But after you get down In the val
and for a long instant her to tured leys?” Lennox asked anxiously, “Are
faculties refused to accept the truth.
you and Snowbird coming up here to
Then the rifle spoke again, and a sec live?”
ond wolf—a large male that crouched
The silence fell over their camp; and
on the other side of the sled—fell kick a wounded wolf whined In the dark
ing in the snow. The pack had leaped ness. “Do you think I could leave it
forward at the first death; but they now?” Dan asked. By no gift of words
halted at the second. And then ter could he have explained why; yet he
ror came to them when the third wolf knew that by token of his conquest,
suddenly opened its savage lips and his spirit was wedded to the dark for
screamed in the death agony.
ests forever. “But heaven knows what
Up to this time, except for the re I'll do for a living.”
port of the rifle, the attack had been
Snowbird crept near him, and her
eye* shone tn the bright nre light.
"I’ve solved that," she mild,
know you studied forestry—ami I told
the mi|H>rvinor at the station how much
you knew about It. I wasn't going to
tell you until—until certain thing* hap
pened—and now they have happened,
I can't wait another instant. He said
that with a little more study you could
get into the forest service--take an
examination and become a ranger.
You're a natural forester If one ever
lived, and you’d love the work."
"Besides." Lennox added, “it would
dip my Snow bird's wings to make her
live on the plains. My big house will
be rebuilt, children. There will l>e
tires in the fire place on the full
nights. There Is no use of think Ing
of the plains."
“And there’s going to he n suin lier
house—Just a cottage at first—right
beside It," Dan replied. He could go
back to hls forc
after nti.
wouldn’t have to throw away ids birth
right, fought for so hard; and It
seemed to him no other occupation
could offer so much as that of (he for
es! rangers—those silent, cool-nerved
guardians of the forest and keepers of
For a long time Snowbird and he
stood together at the edge of the fire
light. their bodies warm from the
glow, their hearts brimming with words
they could not utter. Words always
come hard to the mountain people.
They are folk of action, and Dan. Hith
er than to words, trusted to the yearn
ing of his arms.
“We’re made for each other. Snow
bird, darling," be told her breathlessly
at last. “And at last I can claim what
I’ve been waiting for all these months."
He claimed it; and in open defiance
to all civil law, he collected fully 100
times In the next few minutes. But it
didn't particularly matter, and Snow
bird didn’t even turn her face. “May
be you’ve forgotten you claimed It
when you first came back, too,” site
said.
So he had. It had completely slipped
hls mind. In the excitement of Ids tight
with the wolf pack. And then while
Lennox pretended to be asleep, they
sat, breathless with happiness, on the
edge of th<- sled and watched the duwn
come out
They had never seen the snow so
lovely in the sunlight.
[THE END.]
OLI) TABBY’S LESSON
HANDMA TABBY had hnd her
day nt catching mice and ruts,
nnd now she wus gelling old, pud
an her kind mistress gave her plenty of
milk nnd cream, she did not need to
hunt for her fmnl.
Grandma Tabby's eyes were bright
and lier wits sharp, aven if she did not
hunt, nnd she decided she would give
good advice to nil the young kittens
in the neighborhood about hunting
mice and ruts.
So nil the Mother Pussies brought
their children to Grnndnui Tabby to
The riee of this bewitching Euro-
pean “movie” »tar was •pectacular
and interesting.
Born In Posen,
Poland, 28 years ago, and formerly a
•hopgirl In a German department
store, »he craved the stage. She could
dance and play the violin. She joined
the Russian Imperial Ballet. Later
she was discovered by a film director.
Fame and fortune now are her*. Pola
Negri is married to a Polish nobleman
and bear* the title of “Ccunte**.1
learn wisdom from her In the art of
mice catching ami hunting.
"You first of all,” said Grandma
Tabby, “must not ent too much. When
I wan young I seldom hud nny milk
or cream. I hnd to work for my food.
There I* nothing better for young kit
tens than exercise. Just look at me at
my age, my dears."
All the kittens looked at Grandma's
fine, soft coat of fur nn<l hoped some
day they would have one like It.
"There Is another rule you must fol
low, too,” she raid. "Never give up
when you see u mouse until you have
caught It. You must not exiwct your
tnlztreNN to feed you. She Kiven you n
home, mid you should pay fur this by
keeping her house free from mice.
"If It Is the burn you have to care
for, Instead of the house, Just keep a
sharp eye on I he bags of corn nnd
gridìi, mid remember that watchful
uniting Ims Its reward."
All the little kittens listened with
upstanding ears nnd wide-open eyes
to nil tluit tlriuiilinn Tabby was any-
Ing,, for well they knew that such wls-
dum ns hors was hard to find.
"Now, there are the rnt*," «lie said;
“nil pusule* cannot cutch ruts, but the
big one« enn If they are brave, mid
my advice to you | h till»: When you
nee n rat look for a trap, there 1« «tire
to be one around; then all you have
to do I n to keep that nit from getting
back to hl« hole.
“Chaae him toward the trap, nnd
when he finds he cannot get homo he
will run Into the trap, yon muy be
sure, nnd there you have him.
“Chasing rats Into traps Is just ns
clever ns cntchlng them, but never let
a mouse go into a trap. Itemember
ttinl It I m a disgrace to nny I'm«* to
have n moune caught in a trap In the
house where It Ilves.
“I have heard the saying, 'Mind your
I”« mid Q' n ,' but that 1« not for Pun-
•lea; you must mind your M's nnd It's,
nnd If you do thia you will become
good niounern and rat hunters, which
I n the nmbltlon of nil well-brought-up
kittens.”
A n all the kittens trotted home be
hind their mothers they looked no wise
that tiny moune or rut would have run
for Its life, I am sure, but he would
never have escaped, so well dill they
Ien hi from Grandma Tabby hVw to
hunt.
THE RIGHT THING
“What’s in a Name?
at the
ECSTASY IN THE SALESROOM
(Copyright.)
By MILDRED MARSHALL
RIGHT TIME
Goaded “Prospect” Finally Forced, In
Self-Defense, to Rise to the
Occasion Herself.
mg; wMn.
By MARY MARSHALL DUFFEB
Word» are the ahadowa of actlona.—
“But this Is such a sweet little
DemocrRua.
model, honey. Perfect on you. Look
) THE average person, Antoinette
at the quality of this duvetyn, dearie.
HEY, (JOBS!
and Annette are regarded ns
Now, honey, did you ever see such
closely related—the former I*
Unes?”
EETLE while ago I feel Jusa Ilka
ERHAPS In nothing else nre the thought to be merely an elaboration
There may have been heroes of
wanta shoota one guy. But 1
fashion anil cuHtom of the age of the latter. Hut such I n not the
grand opera who could make love with
changa da mind so can mnkn five
so distinctly characterized ns In case. Annette, which will be dis
the fluency and Intensity of a sales tousand dolla preety easy, I decida
girl drawing near to a sale, but no no shoota anybody for dat moocha the use of words. Any student of the cussed later, comes from the Hebrew,
language—any language, in fact—can while Antoinette Is of Roman extrac
expert exists whose ardor can thus money.
flame when the actual moment of de
Da guy wot I no gotta use for was tell the approximate date of the au tion. It means “inestimable" nnd la
cision between the higher and the low da Insurance man. Every day he thorship of any writing by the choice said to have originated with Antlua,
er comes, writes Marian Storm In the come veeslt my houre and wnnta sella of the words it contains. You know a son of Hercules.
New York Evening Post
Several distinguished Roman fami
me somatlng. He nska me eef I carry yourself how easy It is to recognize
“Lots of little girls that buy these da insurance. I tella heem my friend Shnkes|)eare from his word choice—or lies bore the name of Antonius mid Its
little suits Just leave off their little Gulssepl curry da hod ami I ani gonna nt least, how differently Shakespeare first famous exponent was Mark An
blouses and wear them like little one carry da gun eef he no queeta geeva and hls contemporaries wrote from the thony, avenger of Caesar mid lover
piece dresses. Now, this little style, me trouble.
way Sir Walter Scott and O. Hen- of Cleopatra, it received n reputa
dearie, was made for you. Look, honey,
tion for sanctity through St. Anthony,
I no wanta carry somatlng anyway. ry, respectively, wrote.
not a wrinkle in back. Isn't it love I carry too moocha load home one
the great hermit of the Fourth century.
Now, the words we choora to
ly on her?”—appeals to another enrap night before ria prohlblsh and I fall press our thought* are, to a large
The feminine form Antonin made Its
tured creature—“Isn’t she Just the lit down and almosta broka da head.
tent, chosen because they nro the appearance In Italy, also, mid In Spain,
tle girl to wear this little model? Of
Dat guy tella me eef I carry da In correct words to use. There are where it still is popular. The Ger
course, not every one can wear this surance and go dead somntlme I gotta styles nnd fashions In word usage, mans adopted It ns Antonie, but the
little suit, dearie. It takes a figure, pientä money. But eef I go dead I as there are in the method of writing French nre responsible for the chnrm-
honey. Just like yon'va goL I wear the no gotta use for da money. I askn letters nnd holding the knife, and, we Ing Antoinette which is forever pity
same suit myself.
heern eef can getta lottie bit eef I reflect the fashion of our own day.
ingly recorded In history through the
“Dearie, In two weeks you couldn't keepn da health nnd he telia me no.
fate of lovely Marie Antoinette, queen
Our grandmothers and grandfathers of Louis XVI.
buy this little suit for half the price So I say I no wanta insurance.
again. Isn't It lovely on her? I said,
"Eef you buy ten tousnnd ilolla In used a far more stilted form than we
The French later contracted An
honey, when you came In: There’s surance, Pietro, and you go dead you do. Not only does It sound stilted, lie-
toinette to Tolnette, n popular form
cause
It
is
out
of
date,
but
it
actually
the girl that can wear that little spe leava pientä money," he say.
But
cial we got today.' Now turn around, dunno for sure eef can spend eef I was a more fonnal and stilted usage. throughout the country. Tolnon Is also
dear. You won't have to do a thing go dead. I say I am gonna leeve Slang, In those days, was not Indulged sometimes used as a diminutive. Itnly .
In by the well bred. Today, say what has an Antoinette and nn Antonies.
to It.
Length—Just right. honey longa time anyway.
Sleeves—just right, honey.
we
win against the use of slang, It Is Antonia and Antonetta nre the favor-
“But you no can tella for aure," he
“Sweetness, she urged, at passton- say. “Mebbe somaday you getta shot not a sign of bad breeding. And, al ite equivalents in Sweden.
The garnet is Antoinette’s tallsmnnlc
ate climax, “ ‘don
< ’t let a little chance by surprise and den you getta ten though we may caution our sweet
like this go by ! Dearie, If you only tousand dolla.”
young daughters against using slang, stone, it possesses many of the powers
of (he ruby, whose flaming heart It
Rigida queeck I getta greata Idee. still we cannot keep them from rec so closely imitates. It promises Its
oh,
my
beloved,
”
returned
the
"But,
ognizing it as part nnd parcel of the
wearer courage, a dauntless heart,
goaded customer half fiercely. “The So I tella heern I taka da Insurance. present-day English tongue.
Juna
between
you
and
no
for
«premia
and success In every ambition. Friday
price ! The price!”
Not long ago, some big billboards Is her lucky day and 5 her lucky num
round I no expect to getta shot. But
Inviting the sailors anchored In the ber.
mebbe
somaday
I
getta
half
shot
and
Barnstable’s Old Bell.
Hudson river to the various festivals
(Copyright.)
In the courthouse at Barnstable, maka five tousand dolln. Eef I getta In the way of fiances and feasts which
ten
tousnnd
I
am
dead
for
longn
tline.
------ o----
Mass., Is nn old bell, cracked and
New York city hnd prepared for them,
silent, which may be, and probably Is, And eef I getta Ave tousand I no began with the words, "Hey, Gobs I"
gotta
.work
for
longa
time.
I
tlnk
J
the oldest bell In the United States.
The posters went on to specify time
So thinks Mr. Alfred Crocker, clerk of maka preety goods proposi sh.
and
place apd variety of the enter
Wot
you
tlnk?
courts of Barnstable county. The du te
tainments.
(Copyright.)
How to Read Your Characteristics
1675 Is still plainly visible In the pho-
-------- ()--------
and Tendencies—the Capabilities or
Now, can anybody Imagine a Civil
tograph recently printed In the Bos-
Weaknesses That Make for Success
war bulletin of Invitation to the blue
ton Evening Transcript.
or
Failure as Shown in Your Palm.
jackets
of
the
day
beginning
with
the
By this date, however, the old hell
A LINEO’CHEER
words, “Hey, Gobs?" No; that was
had seen nearly a quarter of a cen
a
day of more stilted language, and ILLNESS SHOWN IN THE HAND.
tury of life in England before It catne
By John Kendrick Bangs.
a slangy address to the sailors would
to America and began calling wor
shipers together In the church at
Lave been quite undignified.
HRONIO Indigestion, or digestive
Sandwich town. Gratitude bought the
There are times today, of course,
troubles, are marked in the hand
THE TEST
bell in England, for It came as a gift
when we should avoid slang. Slang
by a wavy line of health. Tills
from Mrs. Peter Adolph, whose.hus
V’E found ns I have run along
does sound cheap from a dignified ma sign Is Intensified by a poor and nar
The highways of my life,
band. Captain Adolph, was lost In the
tron. Too much slang shows a cer row line of the head, and an Island on
Sometimes amid a wealth of song,
wreck of tils vessel on the Massachu
Sometimes In storm and strife,
tain lack of Imagination on the part the line of life shows at which period
setts coast In 1GD7 despite the effort*
That trouble hath a power blest
of the user, anyway. But a stilted of life the trouble may be feared.
When clouds loom black above
of the people of Sandwich.
usage of words Is quite unnecessary.
Since on the anvil 'tls the test
Kidney troubles nre shown by puf
Of Friendship and of Love.
Of course, If you are writing to the fy, wntery-looklng skin, with a star
(Copyright.)
Drawing an Audience.
diplomatic representative of a foreign .on the mount of the moon, nnd ail
Professor Letterkink—I'm delighted
government,
for Instance, asking what ments of the liver by a livid or yellow
to see so large a gathering tn the
D
openings exist in hls country for work line of the heart, with a wavy or dis
house. I never spoke to nn audience
ers in some Industry, you should colored line of the head having a
of more than 40 before. Your towns
couch your letter of Inquiry In digni bluish spot, nnd a wavy line of health.
men are Interested In science?
fied language—even formal language. T»anger to be feared In matern
The Local Editor—Not much. But
(fM
If you nre making an address bestow ity is seen in a line running
my compositor In setting up the nd of
your lecture on the “Cosmic Forces,
ing n gift, you would likewise use from the upper part of the mount of
left the “s” out of "Cosmic.”
formal phraseology that might almost of Venus (or ball of the thumb) to the
be termed stiff. And you wouldn’t mount of Saturn, underlying the mid
Her Suspicion.
think, of course, In sending out invi dle finger.
Mr. Gotham—1 see a Brooklyn wom
tations for n dinner party, of starting
Chronic melancholia is threatened If
an has applied to the courts for help
them off: “Hey, friend I" But the there Is n grill or gridiron on the
from being loved to death by ter bus
day
of
stilted
language
for
nny
save
mount of the moon, which Iles toward
band, who. she says, kisses her 800
the purely formal, almost document the outside of the palm, near the
times a day.
ary, communication, is gone. We talk wrist. If the line of the head is hrok-
S-HAKei
Mrs. Gotham—Can’t understand how
easily nnd naturally, nowadays, and en In small sections, having the np-
a man can do so many wron? thing»
the fewer verbal flourishes we In- pearnnce of small squares, tiiere Is
that he has to apologize as much a<
dule in the bettor.
that
peril of loss of memory.
P
YOUR HAND
*
C
I
(Copyright.)
tC n n vr I »h » »