The Huron Expositor, 1933-12-29, Page 71 1 '
DEd E ,:. 9. 1/4 +11 3M
LEGAL
Phone No. 91
JOHN J. HUG4ARD
Barrister, Solicitor,
Notary Public, Eto.
Beattie Block - - Seaforth, Ont.
HAYS &
Saccee
Barristers,
and Notaries
the Dominion
the Dominion
ding R. Sr Hays
Solicitors,, r . •=yaneers
Public. .elicitors for
Bank. Office in rear of
Bank, Seaforth. Money
bo loan.
BEST & BET
Barristers, Solicitors, Conveyan-
cers and Notaries Public, Etc. Office
in the Edge Building, opposite The
Expositor Office.
f l .
VETERINARY
JOHN GRIEVE, V.S.
Honor graduate of Ontario Veterin-
ary College. All diseases of domestic
animals treated. Calls promptly at-
tended to and charges moderate. Vet-
erinary Dentistry a specialty. Office
and residence on Goderich Street, one
door east of Dr. Mackay's office, Sea -
forth.
A. R. CAMPBELL, V.S.
Graduate of Ontario Veterinary
College, University. of Toronto. All
diseases . of domestic animals treated
by the most modern principles.
Charges reasonable. Day . or night•
calls promptly attended to. Office on
Main Street, Hensall, opposite Town
Hall. Phone 116. Breeder of Scot-
tish .terriers. Inverness Kennels,
Henson..
MEDICAL
DR. F. J. R. FORSTER
Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat
Graduate in Medicine, University of
Toronto.
Late assistant New York Opthal-
mei and Aural Institute, Moorefield's
Eye and Golden Square Throat J os-
pitals, London, Eng. At Commercial
Hotel, Seaforth, third Wednesday in
each month, from 1.30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
58 Waterloo Street, South, Stratford.
DR. W. C. SPROAT
Graduate of Faculty of Medicine,
University of Western Ontario, Lon-
don. Member of College of Physic-
ian and Surgeons of Ontario. Office
in Aberhart's Drug Store, Main St.,
Seaforth. Phone 90.
DR. F. J. BURROWS
Office and residence Goderich Street,
east of the United Church, Sea -
forth. Phone 46. Coroner for the
County of Huron.
DR. C. MACKAY
C. Mackay, honor graduate of Trin-
ity University, and gold medalist of
Trinity Medical College; member of
the College of Physicians and Sur-
geons of Ontario.
DR. H. HUGH ROSS
Graduate of University of Toronto
, Faculty of 'Medicine, member of Col-
lege. of Physicians and Surgeons of
Ontario; pass graduate course in
Chicago Clinical School of OHcago;
Royal Ophthalmie Hospital, London,
England; University Hospital, Lon-
, don, England. Office -Back of Do-
minion Bank, Seaforth. Phone No. 5.
Night calls answered from residence,
Victoria Street, Seaforth.
s
DR. S. R. COLLYER
Graduate Faculty of Medicine, Uni-
versity of Western Ontario. Member
College of Physicians and Surgeons
of Ontario. Post graduate work at
New York City Hospital and Victoria
Hospital, London. Phone: Hensall,
56. Office, King Street, Hensall:
DR. J. A. MUNN
Graduate of Northwestern Univers-
ity, Chicago, I11. Licentiate Royal
College of Dental Surgeons, 'Toronto.
Office over 'Sills' Hardware, Main St.,
Seaforth. Phone 151. • ,
DR. F. J. BECHELY '
Graduate Royal College of Dental
Snrgeona, Toronto. Office over W. R.
Smith's Grocery, Main Street, Sea -
forth. Phone: Office, 185 W j 'resi-
dence, 186J.
+:
ifs
A WESTERN ROMANCE
BY CHARLES H. SNOW
Now he walked boldly, but had
barely rounded the corner when he
stopped. His jaw dropped. A wild
light came into 'his eyes.
"He's dead!" he lar tiered slowly.
"And Uncle Sim Knight, ye're to
blame fer ibringin' ,him to it. I shore
hope yer old soul simmers' in hell!"
CHAPTER XIV
Harper's bullet had came so close
that Nancy had heard the hiss of it.
It told her that one of the men had
survived the terrible fight; which one
she did not know, for as she had
rounded the cabin her mind had beep
too turbulent for her to recognize the
man in the "snow. Her one thought
now was to get away.
Up the canyon she forced the sor-
rel. The sun behind her was her
only compass to guide her through
the white forest. By it she managed
to keep her face toward the west.
Somewhere in that direction was sal,
ety.
Tennessee, the thoroughbred, was
not a horse 'to plod through two feet
of snorw, but what he lacked in ex-
perience he evade up in spirit. They
were at the ridge when Nancy heard
a• -•shout. She .glanced back to see a
horsemen emerging from the canyon.
"Tennessee, for the Lo'd's sake,
run!" she called. How •she wished
for bare ground undernea. th! There
was not a horse in all the country
that could show his heels to the sor-
t
;From the ridge the caught a white
glimpse of the narrow pass where
camp had been made two mornings
before. She headed for it, not in a
straight line, for straight going was
impossible. There were gullies, heads
of canyons, clumps of timber and
brush to be avoided. She knew that
her pursuer had the advantage of
following in a somewhat beaten
track.
Behind her, Harper was raking the
My with cruel rowels, determined
that she sh tidd not escape. He would
kill her first. She must not reach
Columbia and tell the location of the
rendezvous. Harper reeled in his
saddle, and the blood that dripped
from his left hand made a red trail
in the snow. Tiwice within the next
mule he came within a hundred yards
of the fleeing girl, but each time he
shouted for her to halt she managed
to get a little more speed out of the
valiant sorrel. Once he flopped• off,
whipped the rifle to his shoulder and
fired. It seemed that he could not
miss, yet he did. He flung the rifle
away and pulled himself into the sad-
dle. •
They were in the narrow pass now.
The towering pines had protected the
earth to some extent here, and lean-
ing lbw, the, girl forced the' sorrel to
the limit of his stride. •Behind her
she could hear her 'pursuer thunder-
ing. They struck a long level where,
amid scattered timi' e'r, the snow lay
deep and untrammelled, like a sheet
of alabaster. Across it she went, the
soft snow flying before the sorrel's
hoofs. Twice the animal slipped and
would have 'pitched forward but for
the girl's steadying pull on the jaci-
mo. ' At times she was sorely put to
keep her seat on the back of the
horse, but though she did not think
of .ft, her lighter weight partially off-
set the advantage Harper had in fol-
lowing in the trail she w!as breaking.
Her face was grim, at times sav-
age with the detern ination to es-
cape. ,She' would :have turned and
fought if she had had a weapon. She
did not feel the cold, the snow, as
she scraped against boughs and re-
leased it down upon her. Brush
scratched her face, tore at her habit,
raked her legs. She flogged the sor-
rel with the heels of her slim boots,
beat him with the dangling rope end.
;Her thumping heartg rew heavy as
clouds shut out the sun. ••--The......, ind:-
ing glare of the snow was gone. 'She
must get her direction, and keep on
into the west. She came to the brink
of a mighty canyon, and for a"few
'mk-
t her
eland,
She
ovally
plung-
forc,ed
him on. Behind her she coulld still
see the relentless pursuer. Ile was
leaning over the horn of his saddle
and swaying from side to side as he
plied the spurs.
"If I can only lose him!" she whis-
pered again and again. "Tennessee,
run, run!"
Running was impossible. The best
the valiant horse could do was a
rearing, plunging gait through the
snow. Down a long ridge they went,
the girl almost unseated many times
as the horse swerved around great
pines that blocked their 'way. Once
the sorrel's hoofs almost flew from
under' him. Not long after that he
-went to -his knees, pitching the girl
over his head, but she managed to
cling to the reins. She had buried
her face in the snow and for a mom-
ent was half blinded. As she tried
to clamber to the back of the sorrel
she saw that her pursuer was com-
ing down the ridge less than two
hundred yards behind..
Uncle ;Site was...iiot, a man to al-
low 'self -condemnation ""to keep him
long inactive. He made a mess of
things, but pow it was time to see
what could be reclaimed from the
chaos. He glanced into the cabin:
s
AUCTIONEERS
Y
HAROLD DALE
Licensed Auctioneer
'Specialist in farm . and household
sales. Prices reasonable. For dates
and information, write or phone Har-
old Dale, phone 149, Seatorbh, or ap-
plyi at The Expositor Office.
OSCAIIt HLOPP
Honor Graduate Carey Jones' a-
tional School for Auetioneering Chi-
cago. Special course taken in Pure
Bred Lime Stock, Real Estate, Mer-
chandise and Farm; Sales. Rates in
• ° keeping with prevailing markets. Sat-
istaction assured. Write or wire
t, Oscar Klopp, Zurich, Ont. PhQ'ne:
15-91. .
•
moments she was frantically
cided as to which way to go.
right was a rolling white tab
peopled only by towering trees
reined about and headed diad
across it, the sorrel pitching,
ing, leaping,. slipping as she
IWjtih fear gripping his old heart
Uncle Sim turned Ellery over. The
face was white and cold where it was
not smeared with blood. The breast
of the shirt was caked with clotting
blood. Uncle Sim ripped open the
shirt, and with a handful of snow
cleaned the flesh. ale saw an omin-
ous puncture in the right breast. He
bent his ear close and grinned sav-
agely.
"al, he ain't daid yit," he mutter-
ed, 4"+bu't she's shore a bad stab."
!He scooped iip handfulls of snow
and plastered it upon the wound to
chill it and stop,the flow of blood if
poss.ib1e. Then, as if he were at hog-
btitehering, he dragged the dead men
out .of the cabin and left them in the
snow, all the time with the full re-
alizpticrnekhat Harper might reap-
pear.
By half dragging, half carrying
the wounded man, he managed to get
hint' into the cabin and on to one of
the rude bunks. Bloody bubbles
formed and broke on Ellery's lips as
his almost indiscernible breath came
and went.
"Thar ain't one chanct iri a hun-
dred he'll pull through, but I got to
do my dangdest fer him," the old•'man,.,
soliloquized grimly. "I got him into
this hyar, and I got to git hint out,
Uncle Sim Knight, ye allus war a
damned old fool. Ye orter hang from
the tallest danged tree in the woods
if he dies."
Perhaps he was an old fool in some
ways, ;but not in the ways of the
woods, and• he was resourceful.
Moreover, the knowledge that if El-
lery died his death would be upon
his head spurred the old man's brain
to redoubled activity and his old body
to new strength. 'He cursed vehem-
ently as he worked.
IHe knew that the outer wound was
too clean and too small to 'bleed pro-
fusely. The danger was inside, :where
the keen blade had passed through
the lung. He managed to apply a
rough bandage to Ellery's breast as
all the time the wounded man lay in-
ert, limp. (It was this limpness that
gave the old man hope, though that
hope was faint enough.
Uncle San barred the door lest
Harper should return. He flung fuel
upon the embers. Then he began a
systematic search of the cabin, and
'presently rose from his knees holding
a bottle of whiskey in each hand. To
Uncle Sim this find was like manna
from the skies. He smacked his
hairy lips.
"Never in all my wuthless old life
did I need a dram like now!" he de-
clared. "Uncle • .Sim; Knight from
Turkey Track Holler, ye're jest 'bout
in."
He set one bottle upon the .table,
and with the blade of his bowie drew
the cork of the other. Meanwhile his
eyes were glowing with anticipation,
and his tongue was running over his
dry lips. He raised the battle, mark-
ing with his eyes an imaginary line
down to which he would drink.
"Wal, by 'Gawd!" he muttered. "It
ain't so danged bad after a11, two fer
one." He knew now that it was Har -
'per who was after the girl, and this
gave him no comfort.
Quickly -he scanned the snow. The
blood spots told their own story.
"Wal, he didn't git away onterhed
It war knife work. 'I shore wish to
hell 'I'd been hyar." .
"'Sim Knight, if thar war ever a
time when ye needed a stiff snort it's
right now." He touched the neck of
the bottle to his lips, jerked it a-
way.
"Ye danged old fool!" he growled.
"If ye tech a drap o' it yell be rob -
bin' hire o' a chanct fer life. Air ye
that lowdown?" He held the bottle
so the flames would shine amber -like
through it.
'Ye orter be 'titled to jest a dram.
It'll brace ye up, and drat dast ye, ye
shore need a !bracer: I wish to hell
I had a bar'l o' it."
Again he put the bottle to his lips.
With his tongue he tasted the liquor,
;but jerked the bottle away as if the
whiskey were liquid fire. With a
curse he set it upon the table, insert-
ed the torn cork.
"Tar, by Gawd, Uncle Sim Knight
from Turkey Track Holler, ye old. he -
hellion, I whupped ye!
Ye ain't to
teach one drap o' that li•kker till that
than boy gits well -if he does git
well! Ye onnerstand that?"
He poured a little of the whiskey
into a tin cup, added warm water,
and managed to trickle the toddy be-
tween 'Ellery's colorless lips. '
Crouched upon his knees, the end
of -his 'beard upon the bunk, he gazed
at the white face, at the tiny red
'bubbles forming and (breaking upon
the lips, and shook his head.
"Jim, if ye git well• ye're goin' to
have a hell o' a 'fight. I'll have to ask
Gawd 'A"mighty to do what he kin,"
Two tears rolled down and were lost
in his grey beard.
He went outside. The sky was a-
gain leaden, and vagrant snowflakes
were drifting 'before the southeast
wind that bent the pines. Across the
brow 'of the mountain's the cloud -line
was drawn again.
"Knowed this hyar storm warn't
half over," he declared pridefully.
"Thar ain't no denyin' them sun-
dawgs."
He looked at the trampled, gory
snow. He followed Harper's bloody
trail to where the remaining horses
were. The trail told hint a story.that
made his 'heavy heart a little lighter,
for he knew that Harper was wound-
ed.
"I'm shorts glad Jim didn't let him
git away onched," he muttered. "I
knowed that boy war a fighter the
eyes on him. Showed
the way he killea them
minute I s
it, didn't h
other two?�
(By the ;'time he had loosed the
horses that were left and started
them along the trail Nancy and her
pursuer lied'' broken, snow was falling
fast. Ile watched the eager animals
'disappear into the white murk, and
muttered:
"I shore hate to treat that thor-
er(bre$' o' Jim's like that, but he'll
head fer his home range. 'Sides, next
time .Tim needs a hose it'll likely be
one with wings."
'He kicked some snow over the bod-
ies of Tex and !Hlailey, telling himself
he would bury ahem, later. He went
back into the cabin and for a long
time gazed down. Ellery lay as if
dead, except for the soft rising and
failing of his broad. breast.
'The convietion that the storm would
last for days spurred Uncle Sim to
fresh effort. The - Wood supply was
about exhausted, but before he ,began
to replenish it he stripped the cloth-
ing from the two !bodies.
"Melbbe we'll have to wear daid
mien's (boots afore spring," he told
himself grimily as he scraped snow
Over the bodies. He noticed for the
first time that his moccasins and
trouser legs were soaked with snow
water. ,Hie removed the moccasins
and pulled on the boots he had strip-
ped from Tex's feet, took up the axe,
and tramped to a dead tree.
Each time he brought in a load of
wood he went to look down at Ellery.
Each time he found that the wound-
ed man had not stirred.
'For hours the snow fell, and in it
Unele Sim worked until at last fuel
was 'banked high against the walls of
the cabin. Then he 'bethought, Him-
self of the hied-quarteo£ the deer,
and after ma'kt:rg certain that Ellery
needed nothing further, he took up
his rifle and trudged into the storm.
It was twilight when he returned
to the cabin, but he approached it
warily, lest Harper should have come
back. Harper was not there. Until
now the girl and the (bandit chief
had been little in Uncle Sim's
thoughts. Now they took hold with
renewed fear.
"I orter set out and track that red -
4 '
trk} t1►' imp}'r
t' el.44/10l*,rtaQ,
;d�!gbi a ,h, e Co�,4tz r fer
(Wadi a wage, tlia!t ,al.]truoet 3• Jeate4
'1,1Taney I 'tdo the s� }; slid}?1tf, lurfg
ing, 41111e'gg1ing icelkxs balane!s,.
•:One ciut'g :?nautically -tg• the • thick
"Mane and leaned far back to beep
from falling. Before she vias aware"
that The perilous, descent lead Mere
than started-tIiey' were amid brush
and the ber on flatter ground. Albout
them the storm closed in -anew: Nan-
cy •glanced back up.-the...preeip tons
.slope, and groaned:
•flr
"The po' devil! 'I can't',get back
up there to help him now!"
CHAPTER XV •
It was the horning instinct in the
sorrel -horses that took Nancy Beaue
fort safely down the 'mountain. Ten-
nessee, bred of the 'finest blood on
Colonel Beaufort's plantation in the
state for which he had been named,
had been nurtured by the best oats
and hay until he was four years old,
but on, the long journey ,across the
plains he had learned to fend for
himself.
The only pauses he made on the
perilous descent were when he flung
his head aside to browse upon hazel
and mountain lilac. He was always
sensitive to theefold now almost
s°trengbhless burden ;ma his (back. As
.for Nancy, all she could do wasto
cling to the mane and let Tennessee
pick his own way. She was drenched
to the skin and chilled to the mar-
row of her bones.
It was in the late afternoon when
the snow gave way to a slushy sleet,
and early twilight when Naney dis-
covered that they were following a
trail that looked familiar. With all
her strength she reined in the sorrel
and stared. They were at the very
spot on whirji she had encountered.
JimEllery, whotn she now knew as
Jim 'Cato; the notorious lone bandit
of the Northern Mines.
The trail was as slippery as soap,
but carefully, yet with his swinging
walk, Tennessee trod it, very consc-
ious that a misstep might dislodge
held' hellion down," he swore, "and 1 the rider: The sleet ceased, but was
I'd shore do it if it warn't fer Jim replaced by a chilling ,drizzle. Nancy
,hv'ar." He looked down at "Ellery.
The wounded man was occasionally
moaning softly, and the 'bloody bub-
bles were still forming and breaking
on his.mouth.
"Even if ye got to die, Jim, I shore
wish ye'd come back long 'nough fer
me to tell ye how danged sorry I am
fer gettin' ye into this hyar scrape,"
the old man said with a wag of his
head. He dropped to a stool and for
a long time stared into the fire, while
outside the snow sifted down and the
forest bent under the force of the
south -easter.
Time after time Nancy tried to
clamber to the smooth back of the
snorting, prancing sorrel, but each
time she siippeci 'back into the snow.
It seemed that ner muscles had turn-
ed to useless jelly. Gnly her mind
seemed clear, ana' it was filled with
fear.
he saw Harper round a tree a
'r.r ndeed yards up the ridge, heard
his cruel, triumphant shout. Again
she grasped the mane., of the sorrel
and tried to mount. The horse shied
away, and Nancy was dragged a-
long. Like a baffled animal at bay
she turned now to face the inevitable.
She saw that unless the man had a
knife he was unarmgel.. She would
die, but she would sell her life as
dearly as her strength would per-
mit.
+Harper was fifty yards away when
she saw his horse stumble, go down.
Then the rider was sprawled in the
snow. Harper, however, managed to
clutch the reins and pull them over
the animal's head. '
;Snorting wildly, the horse scramlb-
led and plunged to its feet, shied a-
way, but Harper clung to the bridle
and was dragged for several yards
before he could stop the horse. From
where she stood "Nancy saw the red
track in the snow where the man had
slid. ;Harper tried to scramble to
his feet. It was then she noticed
that his left breast and sleeve were
red. She knew now that the man
she had seen in the snow in front of
the cabin was . Bronco Jim Cato.
"Stop, woman, for • God's sake,
stop!" ;Harper shouted. "Can't you
see I'm hard hit? I won't hurt-",
'She stopped, turned to look. 'Grim
determination gripped her. It was
the manifestation of the law of self-
preservation.
!"If you are hurt," she shouted back
"I am not to blame:"
(She dragged the sorrel to a mound,
scraped the snow from it, Then.
standing upon the 'boulder and lead-
ing her horse close, she managed to
mount.
'Snarlin'g, cursing, baffled, Harper
watched her ride away. Then he
struggled to a sitting position, strip-
ped off his bloody shirt, tore it into
ribbons and began trying to stem the
flow of blood from the deep gaoh a-
cross' his upper left arum, and breast.
He had only half finished when the
storm broke in all its fury of wind
and flyieg snow. •
crouched as she clung to the mane.
"We'll be home 'before dark, Ten-
nessee," she said through chattering
teeth. "It won't be long till we reach
the Woods Creek trail. Won't Father
be glad to see us? He must have
:been mightily worried."
Tennessee, however, was soon to
show that he had another idea. He
resolutely left the trail and entered
a little meadow, pulling down his head
to crop at the wet grass. • Hazily
Nancy realized that the horse was
famished, and for what seemed like
hours she allowed him to feed.
"You po'. devil," she whispered.
"You haven't had anything to eat
for days except leaves and snow. Just
you 'wait till I get you in the stable,
Tennessee.'
When she tried to pull up his head
and rein him !back to- the trail, the
horse paid her no attention. He meant
to feed where there was feed. Nancy
hauled on the pacimo with all her
feeble strength, hauled until the ex-
ertion sent a little warmth through
her exhausted body. She kicked. She
cajoled. She even cursed a little, but
Tennessee continued to feed. At last
in sheer 'vexation, the girl slid down
the sorrel's neck. The animal muz-
zled her gently aside that he might.
finish a good tuft of grass.
"Dahn you, Tennessee," she cried
as she scrambled to her feet, "this
isn't any wa-way to treat a lady!"
Tennessee; however, must have
figured that for the present he had
done his part. He ..'moved quickly
from tuft of grass to tuft of grass,
snipping them off viciously. With cold
fingers Nancy managed to untie the
knots of the j'acimo. Then she fasten-
ed the end of the rope to a sapling,
and looked about.
•'A little log cabin was the only in-
viting thing. Gathering up the torn,
'bedraggled skirt of her 'habit, Nancy
tottered toward it. She rapped upon
the door, pounded, called. There was
no answer.
"There's no -nobody ho -home," she
cried in fear, for darkness was set-
tling. "Pre -I've just go to find
somebody!"
(Resolutely she drew the latch
string. The interior of the cabin was
;black and gloomy, and smelled
strongly of smoke and of food some-
time since cooked.' Nancy called a-
gain. • Again there was no answer.
"I d -don't think anybody will care
if I go in," she faltered. "I'm so
cold I just can't go any farther."
;She looked back at the feeding sor-
rel, then entered the cabin;;..timidly,
yet with a certain .resolve to fight
for possession of this shelter in case
the owner appeared from some dark
corner to challenge her.
Nancy did not know that she was
in the eabin of "Hedgehog DavIs."
She only knew that there, were w,allt
about her, and a roof over heir''dii•ip-
pin'g head.
"If I. only had a m' -in -match!" she
stammered, white teeth chattering.
"I'll just have to go to 'b -b -bed." Her
innate appreciation of all ,that was
clean and refined made her draw
back as she touched the blankets.
"I wonder if there are bugs in it!"
she queried, not without a little hum-
orous note. Uncle Sim Knight's bed
was not clean, but had he been there
he would have told her:
"It shore may smell like a pet
b'ar's nest, but thar ain't" nothin' ig
11 lest it's •a scorpeen or a rattler."
Nancy's desire to rest was no
greater than her cold and hunger.
She decided to sec whether or' not
she could make a fire. There was
plenty of wood piled against the
wall.
'Dropping to her knees, she began
scraping away the ashes from the
green • oak hack -log Uncle Sim had
banked two days before. She uttered
a glad little cry as she felt the
warmth.
"It's ,fire! It's coals!"
Within a few minutes she had a
growing ablaze, and sitting Turk"fa-
shion before it, she spread out her
numbed hands.
"U-rrr-u-rrr!" she shivered. "I
didn't know I was so cold!"
Swiftly her determination to r ch
Columbia this night became a va ne
•fid hazy thought. She wanted only
to warrn end warm, then eat and eat
sides of the sorrel .and dragging o'n then sleep and sleep. Like a roast
'Into the stinging murk Nancy rode.,
not knowing where she was bound,
Hazily she tried to keep the biting
wind on,her left cheek. For hours,
days''it seemed,, the horse plunged,
plodded through the deepening drift,
while all about her the great trees
loomed spectral, and the wind howled
through their • tops like a dirge of
doom.
When it seemed that she could not
cling to the back of 'the horse another
minute, so cold were her 'body and
brain, the sorrel stopped. They had
come out on the top of a precipitous
slope, bare of timber, but white and
smooth. There was' a m!om,entary
break in the storm, and from far be-
low' flashed a glimpse of bare, 'brown
hills.
I'It,' s the foothill country!" Nancy
whispered....
'The realization that far down there
stere friends, fires, houses, warmed
'her chilled mind and body, but with
the warmth there returned a vision
of the wounded man she had left back
in the storm.
"Oven if he did try to --4o kill me,"
she whispered, "I 'can't leave him. I
wouldn't desert a dog like th!'s. I'll
,have to go back!"
(Pressing her heels against the
3n t
rude ii';,
ea kwh le Ilig1d
*out the to
eta, >,Behln4 it ibe dGr�
m04 and nakf5 til
St °s aiggangs, eutti g
graye1; Nolan mewing til.
to leave shining nuggets on
reek and. ire the sluices,
Warmed at last, Nancy i3 Bap 0d
search for food, She fgt#nd it, t4&
remnant of a hauire'h! df ►venison, some
coffee, a pot :of (beans which she dis-
carded after examining• the a outs y
film on them, a piedq gf--fale sonrt
dough bread. There was a dirty knife
and without pausing to clean it she
s -laced off some venison and plaeed it
in the black frying pan. She put
some coffee in the srnake-blaekened
pot and from the partially' 'filled buck-
et poured water upon it.
flier escape, her warm shelter, the
certainty that before long she would
be telling her harrowing experiences
to her father, made life much bright-
er. She even smiled es she smoothed
the wrinkles out of her tattered hab-
it and tried to put her soft brown
hair into some semblance of form.
"Coffee, meat; bread," -she mused.
It did • not sound like a 'banquet that'
would allay the hunger she felt. -She
began to search for mini'e food, but
the only thing she found was Uncle
Sim, Knight's jug of "eawn-juice."
Sitting.' cross-legged before the fire,
she drew the cork and sniffed. Her
straight little nose wrinkled.
"If Daddd�ere here," she decided,
"he'd teak take a good toddy."
The only way Nancy had tasted
whiskey had been in mild, sweet tod-
dies and delicately flavoured juleps;
so when she laboriously lifted the
jug and took a stiff drink it made her
cough and turn red in the face. If
had been hours since she .had eaten,
and the raw liquor struck with such
shock that it set her !blood to rac-
ing and her head 'became light, even
seemed to detach itself from her
body.
"Imust have taken a little too.
much," she said, eyes squinted hum-
orously, "but it makes me feel so
good and warm. I know Daddy
wouldn't care. Why, it -it seems as
if there was the warmest fire all in-
side me!" Apparently reasoning that
if one drink had made her feel. so
wonderfully at peace with the world,
two would do proportionately, she
took another. •
!Then she ate rare meat from_ the
frying pan with her • delicate, dirt-
smiidged fingers; drank coffee from a
black cup. She bit off chunks of dry
bread as if she were a hungry dog.
As the coffee and the food began to
allay the startling effect of the whis-•
key, Nancy became impressed with
.the humour of her situation. She
was alternately serious, smiling.
SI've been through such terrible
things tat I reckon it won't hurt if
'I did tae a little of that whiskey,"
she drawled softly. "Besides, Daddy
wouldn't care if he were here, and
'nobody'll ever know." She sighed
wearily and stretched her tired arms.
They seemed unreal, without sensa-
tion, as,,.,if they were, and were not
attached to her weary body. "I'm so
tired I could just curl, up here and
sleep like a dog."
Dominated by the tiny mandatory
part of her senses, she Laid a piece
of green oak on the coals and man-
aged to scrape some embers and ash-
es over it. Then she tumbled down
on the bed and wrapped herself in
Uncle Sim's smoke -scented blankets.
In that delicious interval before un-
consciousness she hazily compared the
present with that to which she had
been accustomed.
Was she Nancy Beaufort, descend-
ant of as old and aristocratic strains
as ever trod the soil of the' South,
'pampered, waited upon by darky
servants, 'motherless at twelve, but
taking from her indulgent father not
only his love but that which a loving
mother had left? The only hard-
ships Nancy had ever known previous
to those of the past two days had
had: been on the covered -wagon jour-
ney across the plains, and in the min-
ing camps, and these had been min-
imized by all that love and money
could provide. Now she was going to
deep in a miner's cubiti, •the,.:o5vner
of which she • could not guess. Nor
did she care greatly.
About the time Nancy 3ropped into
oblivion in the little cabin below snow
line Uncle Sint Knight was mixing a
hot toddy. He smacked his lips as
the bouquet of the whiskey wafted up
into his nostrils.
"Aain't it , jest hell when a
feller cain't tech it when he needs 'er,
so danged bad?" he demanded fierce-
ly. He took the' cup to the bunk
and slowly trickled the stimulant be-
tween Ellery's colorless lips. The old
man was sorely worried, for Ellery
had not cone back to consciousness.
The drawn whiteness of his face told
its own story of the Mold he had
lost. - The only encouragement Uncle
Sim had was the fact that the wound-
ed man was breathing a little more
strongly.
"If somethin' or other don't set in,
he rust' pull through. I shore wish
to hell, Uncle Sim Knight, -ye hadn't
hrung him in 'hyar to git stuck like
he war a hawg. If that feller Har-
per comes back I'm gain' to slit his
throat from one ear to t'other!"
Uncle Sim prepared for a long
siege. He had taken stock of the
pl•ovisions and found that,. by con-
serving them, and killing meat occa-
sionally, he and Ellery could exist
for months if they had to. The 'open-
ings between the logs had 'been left
unchinked. For half the night, while
the forest bent under the gale and
snow whirled around the cabin, Uncle
Sim dug dirt from the floor, mixed it
to a sticky mortar with melted snow.
and plastered at the chinks.
As he worked he kept his ears
"cocked" for a sound that would tell
him of Harper's return, for he was
determined not to be surprised. Ex-
hausted till every nerve in his, wiry
body tingled, he sqmw teed before the
fire and broiled a slab of meat.
dr
ank a cup of black coffee as he
munched the meat. By this time he
had decided that the (bandit chief
would not come back.
"Nobody could find their way back
in this hyar storm. I shore hope he's
done froze long afore now. That pore
•
t.
IV/PPMk� •',v
Brr Aeid.
' ..
t hnten. . t 1 raond
1 J esboro,... ...trr.... r+,•
Ielgrave
Wlinghaurn
C. N. R. .
East.
Goderich
Clinton
Seaforth
Dublin
Mitchell
Dublin
;Seaforth
Clinton
Goderieh
C.
ii
A
6,s.45
7.08
u 7.22
7,38•
7:42
.e West,
2.S:0
$.Q#1
318
3.31
3.43
11.19• 9.32
11.34 9.45.
11.50....:,9,59
12.10 -1016.
P. R. TI -ME TABLE
East.
A.M.
Goderich 5.50
Menset 5.55,
McGaw 6.04
Auburn 6.11
Blyth.- . 6.25
Walton ' 6.40
McNaught 6.52
Toronto 10.26
• West.
A.M.
Toronto 7.40
McNaught ... 11.48
Walton 12.01
Blyth 12.12
Auburn 12.23
McGaw 12.34
Menset 12.41
Goderich • 12.46
leetle gal, than ain't one chanct in a
million she ever got away. If Buck
Harper didn't ketch up with her, the
storm got her shore."
.Most of his thoughts, however,
were for Ellery. Never once did U'n-
c1e Sim think of himself except as
the instrument of salvation. Weeks,
'months here in the deep snow meant
no more to him than if he were down
in the foothills.
(Continued next week.)
A Word to Farmers
on Export Bacon Trade
Mr. S. E. Todd, secretary of the
Industrial and Development Conn)(,
Canadian Meat Packers, wild was re-
cently in England investigating con-
ditions in the bacon trade, in an op-
en letter to farmers and all interest-
ed in developing Canada's export ba-
con trade, makes some interesting
comment. He states that the great-
est complaint he heard with respect
to Canadian bacon was lack of finish
and light weights, and he adds: "It
would appear that .farmers do not
understand the seriousness of this
condition. At present it is impos-
sible to get enough properly -finished
hogs of the right weights to make
the required quantities of export ba-
con and of best bacon for home use.
A part of these unfinshed and light
weight hogs 'may be due to lack of
feed, but probably a great deal of
it is due to the fact that producers
do not quite understand the im'port-
an•ce of proper weight and finish.
"The 'bulk of good bacon comes
from the bacon and select grades of
hogs. There is a range of weights
in these two grades of from 180 to
230 pounds at the farm. It is prob-
ably natural for farmers to assume
that when a hog has attained a
weight of 180 pounds in the bacon
grade or 190 in the select grade, that
this is as useful a weight for ex-
port or domestic purposesas any
P T"P
weight up to 230 pounds.
"Such is not the case. The low
weights are the minimum and the
high weights are the maximum that
can be accepted, But it is very un-
desirable that the bulk of the hogs
should be either, in the low or the
high weights. The bulk of the hog
should be from 200 to 220 pounds at
the farm when not too full of feed.
"Hiogs are now coming in quanti-
ties at from 180 to 200 pounds."'".At
these lcw weights many are unfinish-
ed and even, a part of the heavier
weights lack finish. his is disastrous
to good prices for bacon both in the
export and domestic market and, of
course, equally disastrous to good
prices for hogs.
"The difficulty of scarce feed sup-
plies in some sections is fully recog-
nized. But it will pay to finish the
hogs that are on hand on the farm
rather than flood the market with
poor hogs. At from 180 to 230 lbs.
hogs gain rapidly and make very
economical use of feed. Hogs that
pre finished so as to make •baoon.aor
• elect grade, 'bring grom fifty cents
to a dollar per hundred more than
unfinished hogs. This will pay for
purchased feed. At the same time
the market will he strengthened in-
stead of hein?g• weakened.
"Some weeks ago on account of
an extra supply of bacon 'being per -
matted to be shipped to the British
•market by Denmark, the price slump-
ed. Sind that time •further restric-
tions of imports have been imposed
by Britain on foreign countries and
currency exchange has improved. The
markets have strengthened in conse-
quence. Por the weleks o+f October
20th, November 2nd and NoverelIier
9th, the price of bacon hogs at To-
rohto .has 'beep $'5.60, 35.75 and 36.00,
showing a steady advance.
"It is believed that' if farmers
fully understand' the need for carry.
ing .their hogs until from 200 ;to 220
pounds and havinlg. them • i'roperriy
finished, they will co-eperate•for the
good of all."