Argosy, Vol. 1 (December 9, 1882) — page 109: what you’re looking at

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

102 | | THE ARGOSY. Her father noticed her uneasiness and asked the girl what ailed her. Only then did she take up the paper and read the old man to sleep. * ¥ x * * * a Hi Chester arrived at the lick he had made about five o'clock in the eve- ning. He swung his pack from his back and took from it a couple of blankets and laid them on the ground. Then he trimmed. the light of his jack and tried the leather cap on his head to see if it fitted properly. Afterwards he ate his cold supper. Finally he slipped a couple of shells into his gun and lay down to wait until it was dark. Only then did he hear the rumblings of the storm. “ No buck for me tonught,” he said to himself, “ but perhaps the rain'll keep off and go to the north.” So he decided to stay. It was the first time since he had left Carrie that he had had a chance to think of what had taken place. Now, while he lay there in the deepening shadows of the woods, he realized the true significance of his loss. Every- thing he had done for the last two years had for its motive the pleasing of Carrie. What if his word was as good as an oath on the Bible, what if he hadn’t been foul mouthed and bad as some fellows he knew, what if he had saved as much as he had been able and had it salted away in the bank at the Falls? There was nothing in life for him now. Never before had he felt lonely in the woods, but now the silence that stole down with the dark seemed to him the silence of eternity, and his heart beat with a fright that he had not known since he was only a little chap, and was lost in the woods. A branch cracked near by, and he looked up and held his breath for fear it would be heard. The buck was coming in. He cocked his gun noiselessly and looked around. There was light enough yet for him to see a mark as near as the lick, and he raised his piece to his shoulder. “ Queer,” he murmured. “ Something moved then. Perhaps it was only a hedgehog,” and he sank back quietly and lit his jack. He put it on his head and waited again. It grew pitch dark. Still Chester sat there, his thoughts occupied com- pletely with the news that Carrie White had told him that day. There was not a breath of air stirring, and every woodsman’s sign por- tended the breaking of a storm. But the thunder had ceased over by Bear Mountain, and Hi could catch a glimpse of a bright star between the leaves of the trees overhead. : At last in the distance came the long expected sound. There was the noise of the crackling of twigs to the right. The buck was surely coming into the lick this time. The watcher put his hand carefully up to his jack to feel if it was burning properly, and loosened the blind so that it would come off easily. The noise grew louder and louder. Then it stopped for a minute, as did Hi’s heart. Old hunter as he was the excitement of jacking always made him tremble until the jack shone forth upon the game and his eye was along the barrel of his gun. Had the buck smelled him? What air there‘-was now was blowing from COMIC OOS ‘SS | oof