The Sky Line of Spruce

ck and saddle animals, he learned, were to be hired of Sandy McClurg, the owner of the gener

met in the rear of the general store, "but if you can get along with thr

o of them, and maybe all three-to save the hire and the bother of taking care

pruce forests. They're good plugs, so of course I don't want to rent 'em to any one who'l

ass and down into

, considering it never was anything but a pocket country. By startin

. Ben

t the Ben Darby that took all the

he brilliancy of his smile.

wn who you was, 'Wolf' Darby, I'd have known you knew how to take care of cayuses. Ta

hing to-

oad, too. There is another party that is going up that way

erfoot. That must be a pretty thick

one. These three are some men that went up that way prospecting some time ago, and this other party will make four." He paused, smili

l be here before dawn to-morrow and get the horses. And now will yo

te engulfed him by now, and he chuckled again. "And if I was you, I'd stop

is name?"

y is name

no memories. He had read the letter the copy of which he carried but once, and evidently th

Maybe I'll l

that marked the village street. A few moments later he was standing in the M

he had been designated to take care of Fenris and such other belongings as Hiram

ns of identific

was merely a copy without Hiram's signature; besides, he had no desire to reveal its

pt his old gun and his pet. Lord knows, I'd let anybody take that pet of his that's fool enou

is,-something

you don't turn out to be the right man, I'll dig up for the gun-and feel lucky at that. I won't be able to furnish anoth

h the door. It was as if both of them were struck motionless, frozen in odd, fixed attitud

distress and terror. It rose surprisingly high, hovered a ghastly instant, and then was almost d

avage and ferocious simply beyond power of words to tell. Ben's first thought was of some enormous, vicious dog, and yet his wood's sense told him that t

is muscles gathered with that mysterious power that had always sustained him in h

heard the man say. "He

A girl's terrified voice still called for help. And deeply appalled by the sounds, Ben wished that

woodshed that stood behind her house a girl stood at bay,-a dark-eyed girl whose beautiful face was drawn and stark-white with horror

e not characteristic of the soft, brown orbs of the dog, ancient friend to man, but are ever the mark of the wild beast of the forest. The fangs were bared, gleaming in foam, the hair stood erect on the powerful shoulders; and instantly Ben recognized its bree

ake that had been freshly pulled from the ground. This beast was Fenr

fawn, across the young grass. Already he was almost near enough to leap, and the girl's young, strong body could be no defense against the hundred and fifty pounds of wire sinew and lightning

had had a more inscrutable origin. The realization seemed to spring from some cool, sequestered knowledge hid

ch. He had something in common with the breed, knowing their blood-lusts and their mighty moods; and dim, dreamlike memory reminded him that he had mastered them in a

e here!" His voice was commanding

ood tense, wholly motionless. Morris, who had drawn his knife and had prepared to leap with magnificent daring upon the wolf,

," Ben said a

fierce eyes begin to lose their fire. The stiff hair on the shoulders fell into pl

. "Down, down," he cautioned quietly. Sudde