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THE FAYETTE FALCON. EOMERVLLLE. TENNESSEE est Of THE iiw.i : mt mm mm m n i ' mi -aiya a- . CHAPTER II Continued. 19 The thought sobered and halted her. She glunced once at the dark face of her cornpunlon. Dnn couldn't under Ktand the strange light that suddenly leaped to her eye. Perhaps she her self couldn't have explained the wave of tenderness that swept over her with no cause except the look In Dan's earnest gray eyes and the line that cut so deep. Since the world was new, It has been the boast of the boldest ot men that thpy looked their Fate In the face. And this Is no mean looking. For fate Is a sword from the darkness, a power that reaches out of the mystery, and cannot be classed with sights of liuninn origin. It burns out the eyes of all but the strongest men. Yet Ian was looking at his fate now, and his eye held straight. They walked together down to the ruined house, and the three of them nt silent while the Are burned red. Then Lennox turned to thera with a half-smile. "You're wasting time, you two," he ald. "Ilemeniber, all our fowl Is gone. If you start now, and walk hard, may be you can make It out" "There are several things to do fifst," Dan answered simply. "I don't know what they are. It Isn't going to be any picnic, Dan. A man ?an travel only so far without food to keep up his strength, particularly over nuch ridges as you have to cross. It will he easy to give up and die. It's the test, man ; It's the test." "And what about you?" his daugh ter asked. "Oh, I'll be all right. Besides It's the only thing that can be done. I nn't walk, and you can't carry me on your backs. What else remains? I'll stay here and I'll scrape together enough wood to keep rf fire. Then you can bring help." He kept his eyes averted when he talked. He was afraid for Dan to see them, knowing that he could read the He In them. "How do you expect to find wood In this snow?" Dan asked him. "It will take four days to get out; do you think you could lie here and battle with a Are for four days, and then four days more that It will take to come back? You'd have two choices: to burn green wood that I'd cut for you before I left, or the rain-soaked dead wood under the snow. You couldn't keep either one of them burning, and you'd die In a night. Besides this Is no time for an unarmed man to be alone In the hills." Lennox's voice grew pleading. "Be nensible, Dan!" he cried. "That Cranston's got us, and got us right. I've only one thing more I care about and that Is that you pay the debt I I can't hope to get out myself. I say that I can't even hope to. But If you bring my daughter through -and when spring comes, pay what we owe to Cranston I'll be content. Heavens, on I've lived my life. The old pack lender dies wheu his time comes, and so does a man." Ills daughter crept to him and shel tered his gray head against her breast. "I'll stay with you, then." she rried. "Don't be a little fool. Snowbird," be urged. "My clothes are wet al ready from the melted snow. It's too long a way It will be too hard a fight, and children I'm old and tired out. I don't want to make the try hunger and rold;'and even If you'd stay here and grub wood, Snowbird, they'd find ua both dead when they came back In a week. We can't live without food, and work and keep warm and there Isn't a riving creature In Ihe hills." "Except the wolves, Dan reminded blm. "Except the wolves," Lennox echoed. "Remember, we're unarmed and they'd find It out You're young. Snowbird, and so Is Dan and you two will be happy. I know how things are, you two more than you know yourselves and In the end youH be bappy. But me I'm too t!red to make the try. I don't care about It enough. Tm going to wave yon good by. and smile, and lie here and let the cold come down. You feel warm In a little while" But she stopped his lips with her band. And he bent and kled It "If anybodv's going to stay with you." Dan told them In a clear. Arm voice, "it's going to be me. But aren't any of the cabins occuptedf "You know they aren't" I.ennox an swered. "Not even the house beyond the North Fork, even if we could get crosa. The nearest help Is over sev enty miles." -And Snowbird, think! Haven't any supplies been left In the ranger sta tion?" "Not one thing." the girl told him. Toil know Crcnston nnd hi crowd robbed tne p'nee last winter. And the telephone lines were d'u connected when the ranker !eft." Tfcer the o&iv war !s for me to Mi j 1 1 if i stay here. You can take the pistol, and you'll have a fair chance of get ting through. I'll grub wood for our camp meanwhile, and you can bring help." "And If the wolves come, or If help didn't come In time," Lennox whis pered, passion-drawn for the first time, "who would pay what we owe to Cranston?" "But her life counts first of all." "I know It does but mine doesn't count at all. Believe me, you two. I'm speaking from my own desires when I say I don't want to make the light Snowbird would never make It through alone. There are the wolves, and maybe Cranston too the worst wolf of all. A woman can't mush across those ridges four days without food, without some one who loves her and forces her on ! Neither can she stay here with me and try to make green branches burn In a fire. She's got three little pistol bnlls and we'd all die for a whim. Oh, please, please " But Dan leaped for his hand with glowing eyes. "Listen, man !" he cried. "I know another way yet. I know more than one way ; but one. If we've got the strength, Is almost sure. There Is an ax in the kitchen, and the blade will still be good." "Likely dulled with the fire" "I'll cut a limb with my Jackknlfe for the handle. There will he nails In the ashes, plenty of them. We'll make a rude sledge, and we'll get you out too." Lennox seemed to be studying hla wasted hands. "It's chance, but It Isn't worth it." he said at last. "You'll have fight enough without tugging at a heavy sled. It will take all night 1 "Tha Thing, Bert Cranston Burned the House Down to Destroy." to build It and It would cut down your chances of getting out by pretty near half. Remember the ridges, Dan" , "But we'll climb every ridge be sides. Its a slow, down grade most of the way. Snowbird tell him he must do it" Snowbird told him, overpowering him with her enthusiasm. And Dan shook his shoulders with rough hands. "You're hurting, boy!" Lennox warned. "I'm a bag of broken bones." "I'll tote you down there If I have to tie you In," Dan Failing replied. "Before, Pve bowed to your will ; but this time you have to bow to mine. I'm not going to let you stay here and die. no matter if you beg on your knees! It's the test and I'm going to bring you through." He meant hat he said. If mortal strength and sinew could surTive such a test, he would succeed. There was nothing In these words to suggest the physical weakling that both of them had known a few months before. The ejes were earnest, the dark face In tuit, the determined voice did not waver at nil. "Dan Failing speak.'" Len iox re plied with glowing eyes. He was re calling another Dan Falling of the dead years, a boyhood hero, and his remembered voire had never been :ore determined, more masterful than this he had Just heard. "And Cranston didnt get bis pur pose, after all." To prove his words, Dnn thirst bis hand Into his Inner coat rclet He drew forth a little, flat package, half as thick as a pack of cord. He held It up for them to see. The thing Bert Cranstwi burned the bouse down to destroy." he ex plained. "Fta learning to know this mountain breed. Lennox. I kept U to tay pocket wbert I could fight for It, at uny minute." Crcnstou had been mistaken, after all. In thinking that In fear of himself an would be afraid to keep the mcket on his person, and would crav enly conceal It In the house. He would have been even more surprised to kuow that Dan had lived in constant hope of meeting Cranston on the ri'tges. showing him what it coutained, aiM fighting hlin for It, hands to hands. And even yet, perhaps the day would come when Cranston would know at last that Snowbird's words, after the fight of long ago, were true. The twilight was falling over the snow, so Snowbird and Dan turned to the toil of building a sb'd. The snow was steel-gray in the moonlight when the little rarty made their start down the long trail. Their preparations, simple and crude as they were, had taken hours of ceaseless latior on the part of the three. The ax, Its edge dulled by the flume and Us handle burned away, had been cooled In the snow, and with one ound arm, Lennox bad driven the hot nails that Snowbird gathered from the ashes of one of the outbuildings. The embers of the house Itself still Slowed red In the darkness. Dan had cut the green limbs of the irees and planed them with his ax. 'Itie sled had been completed, handles Attached for pushing It, and a piece of fence wire fastened with nails as a rope to pull It. The worm macklnaws of both of them as well as the one blanket that Lennox had saved from the fire were wrapped about the old frontiersman's wasted body Dan and Snowbird hoping to keep warm by the exercise of propelling the sled. Ex cept for the dull ax and the half empty pistol, their only equipment was a single charred pot for melting snow that Dan had recovered from the ashes of the kitchen. The three had worked almost In silence. Words didn't help now. They wasted no sorely needed breath. But they did have one minute to talk when they got to the top of the little ridge that had overlooked the house. "We'll travel mostly at night," Dan told them. "We can see In the snow, nnd by taking our rest In the daytime, when the sun Is br'ght and warm, we con save our strength. We won't have to keep such big fires then and at night our exertion will keep us as warm as we can hope for. Getting up all night to cut green wood with this dull ax In the snow would break us to pieces very soon, for remember that we haven't any food. I know how to build a fire even In the snow es pecially If I can find the (lend, dry heart of a rotten log but It Isn't nnv fun to keep It going with green wood We don't want to have to spend any more of our strength stripping off wet bark and hacking at saplings than we can help; and thnt means we'd better do our resting In the heat of the day. After all, It's a fight against starva tion more than anything else." "Just think," the girl told them, re proaching herself, "If I had shot straight at thnt wolf today, we could have gone bark and got his body. It might have carried us through." Neither of the others as much as looked surprised at these amazing re gret over the lost, unsavory flesh of a wolf. They were up against reali ties, nnd they didn't mince words. Dnn smiled at her gently, and his great shoulder leaned against the traces. They moved through a dead world. The ever-present manifestations of wild life that had been such a delight to Dan in the summer and fall were quite lacking now. The snow was trackless. Once they thought they snw a snowshoe rabbit, a strange shadow on the snow, but he was too far away for Snowbird to risk a pis tol shot. The pound or two of flesh would be sorely needed before the Journey was over, but the pistol car tridges might be needed still more, she didn't let her mind rest on certain possibilities wherein they might be needed. Such thought, stole the cour age from the spirit and courage was essential beyond all things else to b'lng them through. As the dawn came out. they all stood stlli and listened to the wolf pack, singing cn the ridge somewhere behind them. It was a large pari;. They couldn't mak-j out Individual voices neither the more shrill cry of he females, the yapping of the cubs, or the low, clear O-helow-mlddle-C note of the males. ")f they should cros our tracks " Lennox suggested. "No use worrying e,Nut trst now not nntll we come It" Dun told him. The morning broke," the sun rose bright In a clear ski. But still they trut god on. In spite cf the fact that the -ded was heavy afl broke through the mow crust as try tugged at It, they had made good "me since their depirture. But now fvery step was a pronounced effort. 1 was the dread ful beginning of fa'Wrue that only food and warmth rd rest could rectify. (TO BE CONTRIVED.) Oldtiie Sleeplrf Couches. The ancients slept on skin, but later beds were mate of rushes. heather and straw. Tr-e Romans were the first to use feathere to make their bed more comfortable, neliogabalns, 218 B. C Is credited with having em ployed air cushions, and air beds were used generally In the Sixteenth cen tury. Some Very Old Trees Yew trees grow to a great age. Tboe at Torentaln's abbey, Yorkshire. England, were old In 1132. California las trers thousand of years old In the: Mariposa grove, and baobab tree in Africa ore over four ceUurles lc 500 Idle in James River Problem of Disposal Probably Reach Congress Early in the Session. HAVE VALUABLE MACHINERY Marina Men Say Engines Could Be Taken Out and Installed In Other Vessels Skeleton Crews Have Little to Do. Norfolk, Va. What to do with about 500 wooden and steel ships ly ing Idle In Juiue river Is a question that will probably reach the floor of congress within a short time. The wooden ships are mostly an chored in the vicinity of Claremont. There are as many as six moored to gether, side by side, so close that It Is possible to step from the deck of one ship to another without any dan ger of falling overboard. Skeleton crews are employed and the only work they are required to do Is to keep the decks and fixtures clean and stand watches. They are called upon some times to daub a little paint on the sides of the ships, but five hours out of the day they have nothing to do but play checkers, cards or Indulge In any other pastime they see fit There Is valuable machinery In the ships that marine men say could be taken out and put to use In other ves sels. Most of the ships are equipped with the best of engines, ami the gov ernment, It Is claimed, could realize considerable money out of their sale Shipbuilders say the engines could be Installed In barges that could be used to transport freight between Balti more and Philadelphia and Norfolk via the Inland waterway, or in freight carriers operating between New York, Providence, Boston nnd Norfolk. Constructive Plan Offered. One shipbuilder mukes this sugges tion : "Strip the mnchlnery from the wooden ships, then organize a cor poration, or several corporations to build steel hulls or barges on a com paratively Inexpensive plan and In stall the engines in them. These barges would be Invaluable for coast wise trade or even for trade with Cuba and could be operated at a cost much less tlinn the present steamships. "Of course It will take money to put such a plan In operation, but it does not require a lurge financial outlay. The steel hulls can be built In any one of a half dozen shipyards on Hampton Roads and with the pros pective reduction In the cost of labor and the decrease In the cost of ma terial, competition would be keen for the building of these craft." There Is little chance of any of the wooden fihlps ever being of any ma terial service again, because only a Jew of them would be worth the ex pense of repairing of sea trade. A good many of the ships are already beginning to show decay and it would not be surprising If several of them were abandoned altogether within a year or bo. It Is the opinion of marine men that when the govern ment begins to discard the wooden ships completely they will be blown up with dynamite, as if they were a menace to navigation. The people of Claremont nre divided on the benefit the town has derived by the location of the fleet near that town. The anchorage occupied by the ships Is referred to as the "boneyard." "Many go In but none come but" Is the way Robert Minter, a veteran river man who has resided near Claremont since a few days after the Civil war, refers to the "boneyard." Last Days of the Monitors. Mlnter's opinion Is shared by oth ers, becnuse all the old Inhabitants of Claremont City Point and other James river landings remember the Lieut. Langdon's Body Brought Home mm mm ix -iv The body of Lieutenant Langdoa, who was killed by a Japanese sentry at Vladivostok, being removed from the t. 9. A. tranirt Sherman at Han I ran dsco. His death caused serious diplenairlc exchanges between this country and Japan. ShiD fate of seven monitors that the govern ment decided to discard 25 years ago. Among these monitors were the Cat skill, Muhopac, AJax aud Cucoulcus. In their day they were looked upon with the same respect as the preseut day dreadnaught. They were the back bone of the American navy. There came a day, however, when the government found It a burden to keep these ships in active service, so they were sent up to the James river. For seven years they lay at anchor off City Point. Then they were sent further up the Jumes river to a point about five miles below Richmond. There they almost rotted to pieces, and when they began to leak the govern ment ordered them to Norfolk to be thrown on the Junk pile. The newest pluce for "laying up" Idle ships Is the York river. This his Fake Fire Alarm Brought 44,000-Word Sentence For turning In a false fire alarm, a fourteen-year old boy of Houston, Tex., was sentenced In Juvenile court to write 1,000 times before April 21 the follow ing: "I realize that It is against the law to turn In a false alarm and understand why. It costs the city a large sura every time fire engines respond to a call. More over, every time there Is danger that some one may be hurt" His accomplice got a similar task. Each must write 44,000 words as his punishment. 43 WfseSNeffy Justice Swift in New Jersey Trials of Bandits and Major Criminals Rushed on the Day of Arrest. IS FOUNDED ON GALVANISM Wheels of Court Move Quickly Famed Not Only for Accuracy and Relentlessness, but for Fair nets and Efficiency. Trenton, N. ..interesting light has been thrown on the operation and speed "of Jersey Justice," as a result ot recent convictions for murder and other crimes. While misdemeanors and felonies have Increased In New Jersey, as elsewhere In the country In the last year or so, state records show that there have been few disagree ments of Juries, and prison sentences have been extended to maximum lim its in order to discourage violations of the law. One feature of New Jersey law that few, if any, of the other states have, and which Is suld to have been a prime factor In giving the state Its tra ditional reputation for lightninglike court procedure, Is a provision that a Jury In a first degree murder trial may designate life Imprisonment instead of the death penalty for the convicted person. This has resulted In many quick convictions for life imprison ment where, otherwise, there might have been Jury disagreements. Quick Bandit Trials. Cases like that of the Union county bandits, Charles and John Krebs nnd Martin Shannon, who were sentenced to serve from 50 to 75 years each, and toric stream, like tha James, empties) into Hampton Roads, and during tb last six weeks at least 100 vessel that came Into Hamjton Boa da did not go out again. Instead they steamed slowly up York river and anchored at a point a few miles beyond Hampton. Like their sister ships In the James, they will remain until old Father Time, the tides, fishes and crab puno ture holes In their bottoms. JOAN OF ARCS ARMOR Joan of Arc's breastplate and sword, from the collection of M. Regnier da Bourbon of Merton, Surrey, England, which are to be sent to America for exhibition. The relics of Saint Joan were exhibited In Westminster Abbey last year where they were kissed by fifteen thousand people. who were tried, convicted and wera beginning to serve their sentences within 143 hours of their cupture, ar occurring daily in New Jersey, tha present so-called "crime wave" appar ently furnishing an excellent test for the eftlciency of Its courts. "Jersey Justice," famed from Mnlna to Florida, from the Atlantic to the Pa cific, and even overseas, not only be cause of Its speed, its accuracy and lta relentlessness, but also because of lta fairness and efficiency, was not estab Hshed overnight It Is scarcely a tan gible thing. It may be best described as "a state of mind," the people de mandlng that their law officers be effi cient above everything else. Thus prosecutors, grand Juries, Judges, petit Juries and all other branches of the ad ministration of Justice, which lead tha criminal to prison and the murderer ta the death chair, are Just so many; wheels nnd gears and belts In an al most perfectly working "machine" whose motive power Is the people. Tradition has had much to do with making "Jersey Justice." Beginning with the early days of the settlement of the state, when many crimes were punishable by death, the Calvlnlstt brought Into enst Jersey distinctive views of religious and civil matters which probably were the roots of "Jer sey Justice." New Jersey differs in no great re spect from other states as to the gen eral legal procedure for the punish ment of crime. Lynchlngs and crlraa against accused persons, however, ara rare. Officers of 'the law, from tha highest judges down, are well paid, and every effort Is made to keep politics out of the courts. At present thera are more than three-score life pris oners in the state prison here and eight out of every ten convicts are la for long terms. Safeguards for Innocent. While "Jersey Justice" Is swift tha Innocent are safeguarded through a system of appeals, reprieves and stays, the latter sometimes operating to save convicted persons from the death chair. The case of Frank P. James and Raymond W. Schuck, convicted of killing David S. Paul, a Camden bank -messenger, Is an illustration. After their arrest the trials of the murder ers were expedited and the same day; they were sentenced they were In tha deathhouse here "candidates" for tha chair. In July, 1WH, tfiree young negroes, Aaron Timbers, William Austlu and Jonas Slmms, entered the tiome of a farmer named lilddle, near Rurlington. bound Mrs. Riddle and attacked her. Within a few days all three were cap tured, tried, convicted and had begun sentences of 49 years each In stata prison. "Bill" Framer. a Camden holdunt man. who terrorized women, waa re cently captured and tried and con victed the next day. The evening ot that day he was on his way to prlaosj to begin a long term. Woman Kills Big Wolf. Grotton. S. D.Mrt. Bert Fetters, a farmer's wife, armed with an ax. won a fight with a large gray wolf her one Sunday, when she cornered tha onSmsil In ho house and killed It. A dog pack bad been fatlrried wbe tha woman joined tha chase. ' pi I i , I k U ( r