Argosy, Vol. 111, No. 1 — page 28: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

18 with staggering force like separate blows, twisting him a little from side to side. Coming from the direction of Morgan- town, it seemed as if the vengeance for’ Diaz was following the slayer. Once he turned and laughed hard and short in the teeth of the wind, and shook his fist back at Morgantown and all the avenging powers of the law. Yet he was glad to turn away from the face of the storm and stride on down-wind. Even traveling with the gale grew more and more impossible. The snowdrifts which the wind picked up and hurried across the hills pressed against Pierre’s back like a great, invisible hand, bowing him as if be- neath a burden. In the hollows the labor was not so great, but when he approached a summit the gale screamed in his ear and struck him savagely. For all his optimism, for all his young, undrained strength, a doubt began to grow in the mind of Pierre le Rouge. At length, remembering how that weight of gold came in his pockets, he slipped his left hand into the bosom of his shirt and touched the icy metal of the cross. Almost at once he heard, or thought he heard, a faint, sweet sound of singing. The heart of Red Pierre stopped. For he knew the visions which cdme to men perishing with cold; but his grew calmer again in a moment. This touch of cold was nothing compared with whole months of hard exposure which he had endured in the northland. It had not the edge. If it were not for the wind it was scarcely a threat to life. Moreover, the singing sounded no more. It had been hardly more than a phrase of music, and it must have been a deceptive murmur of the wind. After all, a gale brought wilder decep- tions than that. Some men had actually heard voices declaiming words in such a wind. He himself had heard them tell their stories. So he leaned forward again and gave his stanch heart to the task. Yet once more he stopped, for this time the singing came clearly, sweetly to him. There was no doubt of it now. Of course it was wildly impossible, absurd; but be- yond all question he heard the voice of a THE ARGOSY. woman, high and tender, come whistling down the wind. He could almost catch the words. For a little moment he lingered still. Then he turned and fought his way into the strong arms of the storm. Every now and then he paused and crouched to the snow. Usually there was only the shriek of the wind in his ears, but a few times the singing came to him and urged him on. If he had allowed the idea of failure to enter his mind, he must have given up the struggle, but failure was a stranger to his thoughts. He lowered his head against the storm. Sometimes it caught under him and nearly lifted him from his feet. But he clung against the slope of the hill, sometimes gripping hard with his hands. So he worked his way to the right, the sound of the sing- ing coming moré and more frequently and louder and louder. When he was almost upon the source of the music it ceased abruptly. He waited a moment, but no sound came. He struggled forward a few more yards and pitched down exhausted, panting. Still he heard the singing no longer. With a falling heart he rose and resigned himself to wander on his original course with the wind, but as he started he placed bis hand once more against the cross, and it was then that he saw her. For he had simply gone past her, and the yelling of the storm had cut off the sound of her voice. Now he saw her lying, a spot of bright color on the snow. He read the story at a glance. e However, the woman happened to be wandering over the snow on such a night; as she passed this steep-sided hill the loose- ly piled snow had slid down and carriéd with it the dead trunk of a fallen tree. Pierre came from behind and stood over her unnoticed. He saw that the oncoming tree, by a strange chance, had knocked down the girl and pinned her legs to the ground. His strength and the strength of a dozen men would not be sufficient to re- lease her. This he saw at the first glance, and saw the bright gold of her hair against the snow. Then he dropped on his knees beside her. 3 (To be continued NEXT WEEK.) GOMIIGIOO S (CO