New Britain Herald Newspaper, December 27, 1922, Page 12

1002-Little, rown & Campany gibyiednide I RRM IS, GDMCURAG | OB Bastrios, T KillBim ! white ‘he side. ~ But while Ray and Chan gazed |and softly he moved his body through J d at him as if he were a spectre from [the grass, nlo’i’e‘:l :::'r; &rn&?(}o'b;y..r ‘h.;dm{:; ok };:':r:":i );4- nxlmka his thought went |the grave, Beatrice's only impulse was But his gate to mercy was closed B! dawn followed the night. . Ben's Ii » leaning against a dead 10g |one of immeasurable and unspeakable | before they reached it. A sudden . still flickered, like n‘m;rne e|na ]uffi l:n feet away. The jealousy and |thankfulness, flaring of the fire revealed them—the 9 , n rivalry and hatred between himself| The man was exhausted—helpless | gleam of the blade and Ben's stretch- » I (Continued From Our Last Issue) 8he sat dry-eyed, Incoherent pray- ers at her trembling lips. Mostly she did not touch the man, only sat at wind, in the twilight land between life and death, Yet little could she do these first few days, except, simple faith, to pray. But in the morning of the fourth day he opened his eyes vividly, mut- tered, and fell immediately to sleep. In the days that followed he was conscious to the degree that he could drink broth, yet never realizing Bea- trice nor seming to know where he was. It would be long weeks beiore Ben could hope for sufficient strength to start the journey down to the settle- ments, eyen if the way were open, .As it was, their only chance lay in the fall rains that would flood the ‘Yuga and enable them to journey down to the native village in their canoe. Yet she still waged the fight, strug- fl':,‘ with high courage and tireless lution ' against the frightful odds (that opposed her. But now the real hour of crisis was at hand—not from his illness, but from the depletion of their food sup- plies. g 8he walked to the mouth of the icave; and famine itself stood close. {walting in the shadows. She gazed tout into the gathering gloom. The forest was silent tonight. Not @ twig cracked or a branch rustled. It was hushed, breathless, darkly for him in her isinister. All at once her eyes peerd ‘and strained into the dusk. Far across the valley, beyond the |beaver marsh and on the farther | shore of the lake she saw a little glim- ,mer of light through the rift in the {trees. A gleaem of hope in the dark- inexs of despair, 'dusk . Half running, she hastened itoward the distant camp fire. CHAPTER XVI. The Shot That Warmed Impelled by the excitement under iwhich she advanced, her old agility of motign’ had for the moment returned to heér; and she crept softly as a fawn | betwen the young trees. One misstep, one_rustling branch or cracking twig| "riyely he would come too late to|around his legs and a in his rot-| He saw Chan go down, seemingly WHIT R / might give her away! but she took| ;.nce the girl's fate. Yet evenl!ten mouth!" 4 s in a single instant, and he braced E OSE each step with consummate care, | o }o knew he must not turn back.| They moved toward him simultane- | himself against attack. “Down, Fen- i gently thrusting the tree branches|re ¢ penalty were death, there must fously, and Ben summoned the last|ris!” he shouted. “Down—get down!" Copyright, Mastachusetts Baking Co., 1922 from her path. be no hesitancy in him; he must not |jot of his almost-spent strength. to| The great wolf started at the volce, 1 One of the three men looked up, and she saw his face plainly through th% low spruce boughs. It was with a distinct foreboding of disaster that she saw that the man was Ray Brent. At one side, quite to the edge of the firelight, she saw a kyack—one of ‘those square boxes that are hung pack saddle—which seemed to be heaped with jerked caribou or m flesh. For the time of a breath could not take her eyes from it. — Only too well he knew that this was the test. Affairs were at their crisis at last, “If one of you dares to lay a hand and Ray had reached the crisls, Ray leered, his muscles bunching. “And I say to you you're a dirty traitor too,"” he answered. Nellson leaped forward with all his power and if his blow had gone home, Ray would have been shattered be- neath it like a tree in the lightning blast. But Ray's arms were incred- ibly swift, an hdis rifie leaped in his hands. The barrel gleamed, echoed in the silence. bowed strangely; and for a moment The roar re- he stood swaying, then pitched for- nothing I can do, now. ward in the dew-wet grass, | swiftly, his arms went about her and pinned her own arms to her sides. Ray was alding his confederate now and in an instant more she was help- leas, “You haven't lost all your looks," he told her breathlessly, “That mouth Is still pretty enough to kiss, And I guess you won't slap-—this time—'" Her volce rose shrilly to a scream, “Ben—help me!" And Ray's hands fell from her shoulders as he heard the incredible answey from the shore of the lake, “I'm coming, Beatrice,” some one sald in the coverts. Iier cries, uttered when hr father fell, had not gone un- heard. Ben walked quletly into the circle of firelight and stood at Beatrice's in their hands. All Ray's aims had ben attained. With Ben's death the claim, a fourth of which had been his motive when he had slain Ezram, would pass entirely to him-—except for such as he would have to give Chan. Neilson lay seriously wounded, per- haps dead by now., Whatever his in- Juries, he would not go back with them to share in the gold of the claim, The girl, also, was his prey— Neilson's head [to do with what he liked. “There is You came had Ben's face hardened. too late. But I would have Beatrice's last defense had fallen, [gomething to do if I had my rifle.” seriously wounded; and Ray's arm seized her as, screaming, she tried to[them quietly and distinctly. flee. The shot that wounded Jeffrey Neilson carried far enough through |words. the forest aisles. It came clear as a voice to the cayern where Ben lay. The men started violenely in his cot. His entire nervous system seemed to react. The truth was that the sound acted much as a powerful stimulant to his retarded nervous forces. His mind gave a great leap and remembered its familiar world. The only possible explanation for the shot was that a rifle had been fired by some invader in their valley —in all probability Neilson or one of his men. He looked out of the dvor of the cavern, trying to get some idea of the lateness of the hour. The very qual- ity of the darkness indicated that the night was far advanced. Instantly his keen eyes saw the far- oft gleam of the camp fire on the dis- tant margin of the lake. His strain- sullen light of that distant camp fire, Beatrice had screamed for aid. Swiftly he started down the glade toward her. Yet in a moment he knew that un- less he conserved his strength he could not hope to make a fourth of the distance. At the first steps he swayed, half staggering. withhold one step, He fell again and again as he tried to"make headway in the marsh. Only too plain he saw that the time was even now upon him when he could no longer keep his feet at all. But at that instant he remembered the canoe. He plunged down into the tall tules, ~Yes, the boat was still in place. It took all the strength of his weakened body to push it out from “Oh, you depravéd dogs!" he told “You yellow, mongrel cowards!" Ray straightened, stung by the “And I'll make you wish ycu v | I iy WITH THE FIENDISH MANIAC- AL FURY HE HAD SPRUNG TO AVENGE THE BLOW. was dead before you ever said that,” he threatenéd. Chan—put a rope hurl them off. They did not need deadly weapons for this wasted form. Yet for the duration of one second Ben fought with an incredible * fero- city and valor. But such an unequal battle could last only an instant. Ray focused his attack upon Ben's injured left arm Chan struck once at the girl, hurling her to the ground with a base blow, then lashed brutal blows into Ben's face, The burst of strength ebbed as saw an actual avenue to life safety, “Don't give any sign." “Then hurry,” he urged, may be back any instant, 1% 4 “A way to cheat 'em—to keep them from torturing you—and to save me —when you'ré dead, Oh, Ben—you wont' fail me—you'll do it for me." He smlled, gently and strongly, “Do you think I'd fall you now?" “Then reach your good arm on the other side. There's a knife lying there—your own knife—they knocked out of my hand, You know what to do—first me, in the throat—then yourselt." He turned, groping with his hand. There was no use of waiting longer, The knife lay just beyond his reach and ““They ‘What is ing hand—and Ray left his log in a swift, catlike leap. With a sharp oath Ray crushed the blade into ‘the ground with his heel; then kicked viclously at the prone body of his enemy. His eye fell on a long, heavy club of spruce that had been cut for fuel, He bent and his strong hands seized it. As he swung it high the girl leaped between—with a last, frantic effort, wholly instinctive—to shield Ben's body with her own. Chen had fol- lowed Ben, and sharing Ray's fieldish mood, jerked her aside. Yet it was to be that Ray's murder- ous blow was never to go home, A mighty and terrible ally had come to Ben's aid. He came pouncing from the darkness, a gaunt and dreadful avenger whose cade of death was as remorseless. as Ray’'s own. It was Fenris the wolf, and he had found his master at last. Missing him at the accustomed place in the cave, he had trailed him to the lake margin: a smell on the wind had led him the rest of the way. Like a ghost he had glided almost %o the edge of the firelight, lingering there— until he had made up his brute mind in regard to the strangers in the camp., But he had waited only until he saw' Ray kick the helpless form before him—that of the god that Fen- ris, for aill the wild had claimed him, still worshipped in his inmost heart. With flendish, maniacal fury he had sprung to avenge the blow. And his three followers, trained by the pack laws to follow where he led, and keyed “to the highest pitch by their leader’s fury, leaped like gray demons of the Pit in his wake, the wolves. Before ever Ray fell, Ben had taken what measures of self-defense he could in ¢ase the pack, forgetting its master, might turn on himself and the girl. He had reached the knife hilt and severed the ropes about the girl's wrists, “Stay behind me,” he cau- tioned. “Don’t move a muscle.” then stood beside the fallen, gazing at Ben with flerce, luminous eyes. “Down, down, boy,” Ben cautioned, in a softer voice. ~ ‘“There, old fellow— down—down." Then Fenris whined in answer, and Ben knew that he was no longer to be feared. The three lesser wolves seemed startled, standing in a nervous group, vet growling savagely and eye- ing him across the dying fire. Fen- ris trotted slowly toward Ben, but three brethren had slipped away, per- haps wholly mystified and deeply awed by their madness of a moment before; and from the ridge top they had called for their leader to He had done his had avenged the base blow that had seemed to_strike at his own wild ad received the caress he Cuts without crumblMg’ —thin, firm slices READ that is made of the best materials, that is mixed right, raised right and baked right should cut without crum- bling iin perfect slices, even andy paper thin. Bread that crumbles, or that packs together in soggy rolls when you attempt to cut it, is lacking in the quality of its in- gredients, in the raising or in the way it was baked. 8he hastened into the cave, drew [, 7 g ear caught the faintest, almost im- As a young tree breaks and goes . Ithe blankets higher about Ben's|perceptible vibration in the air—but duwn in the gale Ray Brent went You will notice in cutting of the Six Bakers. {shoulders, then crept out into the|gen recognized it in a flash. In the down before the combined attack of White Rose Bread, the Master Ask for it at your grocer’s to- Loaf of the Six Bakers, that— even when fresh from the oven "The Master Loaf of the Six Bakers enemy's outfit. tally hurt. Jjoin work, he well again. down in some of the blankets of his Neilson was not mor- The bullet had through the region of his shoulder, missing his heart and lungs, and al- though he was all but they had every reason to believe that a few weeks of rest would —it slices to perfection. This is because it is made of just the materials you would use yourself, And becauseitis raised and baked under the scientifically controlled conditions possible only in an up- to-date, model bakery. To give you this perfect bread, six expert bakers in six neigh- boring cities combined their skill, knowledge and experience, This is why it 1s called the Master Loaf day—in the new wrapper with the checked tea-towel pattern. She smiled, with an'infinite tender- ness. Dimly though he spoke, she heard his every word. “T love you,” he told simply. He watched her face, 'as intently as the three Wise Men watched the East, for |a sign. And he saw it, clear and in- see him |effably wonderful, in the stars that came into her eyes. coursed unconscious, | with an and Neilson were seemingly ¥ the reeds. quickly as it had come his legs wilted | with the true instincts of the wild his I i p, and now Ray was knocking but light! thi toir had craved—and there was no law for| Beatrice bathed the wound, ban-| ‘I love you” she answered, h The canoe was strongly but lightly |under him, and he sank to the ground. |followers knew that sHvevuc:;m li‘xrn' R V5 WAV e famate ioalldd bt ' aanoa 1t e Bestiann otha, - thon | euliEs mpiicity, RReTerd the ashes from his pipe. He got up, and removing his outer ; and his 4 comradeship, coat, rolled in his blankets, The ::?:kgeng::;}f%?:l:ugropelle Bt :g;ieceofrt ;:ef:;fnn; éirg;lr;;cae u::t;:.‘- mi a:gno.r't::“;eem}?:;eled cpniaeanip, '°‘;3m’h"§’“"'f on t&e m:,,. |80 t slesp. "And the time came at‘f}?dt tor }hehoth:r. whx;llylfonten; Juls; night hours began their mystic march p . 7 o d the; did en had watche e struggle In||ast long past the midnight hour, al eir hands an ps shoul igh! slowly through the water. tion could be given them soon enough. [mouth of the cavern, an y Nix. flerch b t, and Beatrice’ eyes|that she crept once more to Ben's|touch, i Beatrice crept through the thickets, meanwhile encircling the dying fire, made, so that it could be portaged It was flat and lifeless as dark clay. For a few minutes they took little and trying to forget all things but the fact of each other's presence. His of fangs and death. not understand. They slowly backed tude, went about the shoulders of the wolf. Beatrice, sobbing uncontrol- ticingly; the wild game was running followers on the ridge. It was a|talk. But Ben took her hand in his feebly, and held it against his lips. covered him up warmly and let himlh’ silence, blissful in this wonder each The same miracle was upon them across the face of the wilderness. 'HAPTER XVIIL Their own triumph was beginning to . The fire was a heap of gray ashes e F\Wolf, Back give way to deep fatigue. away into the shadows, fading like | Were soft and wondertully lustrous In glde. o 1 B ey reditiot | onters S trange, still moment Ray's| Ben and Beatrice had talked softly [ghosts. the subdued light as she gave the| There was little indeed for them to |both; and the girl's thought, ranging B o glooth, . Very (aoKly 1 o :msed dfv;:vld of all expression. [at first, accepting their fate at last| Ben's arms, in unspeakable gratl- | Wolf a parting caress. say. The stress of the night had far, sgzmfi upon a deep and mov!ng ace se 4 He could not deny the call of his|taken frout them almost all desire to |discovery, All this belongs to us, she told him, indicating with one movement of her arm the boundless felt the insult of his i e ™ 's close to his lips, | abl; et swept with that infinite|chain, drawing him remorselessly to c y/Now it was almost in reach: now ““.‘.il‘:{' ‘:g,.,g:(fé' around her wrists, ;‘ng;‘ to:;n:h:ehio]:;;s ndrtasa- e thalr'\k};ulnesu of the redesmed, crept to Whining, he had sped away| “We're safe now,” Beatrice told him. |solitudes about them. 'This s our ‘Ner hands were at its loops. bk Chan,” he said “We don't want to|message in its soft pressure. But | his side. Fenris whined and shiv-|into the darkness. her eyes still bright with tears. ov'vn country, lg’nt it Ben? We can't L St e e zakt "chances on her.getting away.” |presently her gaze fastened on some | ered in the arms of his god. The fire had been built up, Beatrice |“We've seen it through, and we're ’—‘f}"‘h—gg fl“i’fll S i Sak disastor stlll dogged her trall She wore Ben's knife at her belt, | object in the grass beside him. Quietude came at last to that camp | had rallied her spent strength by full | safe. e fire burne own. e moon Rt hsa boen too wary of 8% 4 her hand sped toward it., But; “I see a way out—for us both,” she heside the lake, in the far, hidden |fesding of the rich, dried meat, and| Presently she saw that he was try- | Wheeled through the sky. The tall gack, tonight, to sink easlly into deep |Ad "¢ PRI SR e came too [told him. She knew he would not|heart of Back There, had done what she could for Neilson's |ing to speak to her, whispering: try. |SPruce saw the dawn afar and B heard the soft move | F MRG, L ! misunderstand and dream that she| The wolves had gone. Fenris' Ben, exhausted, had lain|ing to draw her ear down to his lips. beckoned. Uriid o - slumber. _ment and with a startled oath sprang |go his feet. , Still trying to hold the kyack of {food that meant life to Ben, she {turned and darted into the shadows. Like a wolf Ray sped after her. "The moonlight showing her fleeing figure in the trees, and shouting aloud ne sprang through the coverts to in- tercept her flight. Emburdened by the heavy box she could not watch her step. She was hurled with stun- ning force to the ground. late. Chan saw it; and leaping p— OF ROOM IN THAT NEW HOUSE OF YOURS, HELEN WE MAY NEED A LITTLE WE'LL HAVE PLENTY) MORE ROOM ,OLIVIA = | SAY THAT BECAUSE IF /TOM WILL OPEN THAT LITTLE CHRISTMAS PACKAGE| THE DUFFS OH,HELEN, ARE YOU GOING * 0 LET HIM GO IN THAT ROOM?P MAY | GO LP AND TAKE A LOOK P PLEASE - a Desperate and intent, but in realiza- | GAVE. HIM, HE WiLL FIND il i@ | tion of Impendlngb trtluhmph, Ray's SOMETHING THAT MAY HELP / "“‘h i i 'ms went about her. i 5 i Iml::fiu;:l and Chan were on their TOVERIFY MY REMARK VYES, GO LI e feet now, and they regarded her in the utter silence of amazement. Breathing fast, Ray came behind her. “Build up the fire, Chan,” he said in a strange, grim voice. “We want | to see what we've caught.” Obediently Chan kicked the coals from under the ashes, ani began to heap on broken pieces of wood. Slowly the fire's glow crept out to her, revealing her wide, frightened eyes and the dark, speculative faces of the men. Then Ray spoke sharp- y: y"Well. why don't you question her?” he demanded of Neilson. “1 suppose you know what she was do- ing. She was trying to steal food. It looks to me iike she's gone over to the opposite camp.” Her father sighed. “Is that so, \;‘?jfi 9 BY ALLMAN | HOPE 1T'S {l daughter?” he asked simply. “I was trying to take some of your food—to Ben,” Beatrice replied softly. 's in need of it.” GREKT SCOTT!! = Hi SAM!! HAVE NoU GONE. CRRZN ?) WHKT DVE “THINK VOU'RE. THAT MUST BB “THEM O — fraN e Ay 'VAH, BOSSN W\t WELL, MAW ToLD ME TO ) SAM TS GETTING DRIWE.'EM W LATE. - YOUR FATHER WON'T BE._BACK FROM TOWN TiLL LEALE \T o Me~ intimate “You see, they're on . terms,” Ray suggested viciously. LATE. SO | WisH YOU DOW é,m; ;\':Efl s “Ben was in need of food—she came WOULD DRIVE. IN THE—. o y here to steal it.” But Neilson acted as if he had not heard. “Why didn’t you speak to us| and tell us you were safe?” he asked. “We've come all the way here to find b, you.” & “Perhaps you did. If you had been here alone, I would have told you. Bt Ray and Chan came all the way here to find Ben. They intend to kill him when they find him. I-—I didn’t want him killed.” Slowly her father shook his head. “But 1 can’t save him now. He brought this on himself.” : “Remember, he was in the right,” " the girl pleaded brokenly. “You won't—you couldn't be a partner to murder.” Neilson straightened, his eyes steely and bright under his grizzled brows. . ;