Hugo to the Rescue
Hugo, the trapper, was late, and he was speeding along with great
swinging strides. He was alone, for he had left his dog fastened in his
little cabin up on the mountain side. He had a reason for this, as his
mission that day had been of extreme importance, and complete silence
had to be maintained. He was in no enviable frame of mind as he strode
through the night, and any enemy, whether man or beast, attempting to
interfere with him would have found in him a desperate opponent. He had
been watching another trail that day and what he had seen filled his
heart with a burning rage, mingled with a nameless fear. He felt as
he did that night when he had bounded from the cabin into the storm.
Notwithstanding his strength and astuteness, he always shrank from the
Police, considering them his bitterest enemies. So that day as he had
watched forms speeding along behind their dogs, he knew who they were,
and surmised the mission upon which they were bent.
He had swung up from the valley and was about to cross the trail, known
as the “Cut-Off,” between Big Chance and The Gap, when a shot arrested
his attention, causing him to stop abruptly. The report came from
the left, and keenly he peered in that direction. Seeing and hearing
nothing more, he moved cautiously forward. Not a sound did he make as
he glided among the trees, keeping a short distance from the trail
above. Ere long he again stopped, for a glimmer of light fell upon
his eyes. Then he heard the snarling of dogs, and at once realised
that trouble of some kind was just ahead. Slowly advancing, the light
became brighter, and a few more steps showed him the women crouching
near the lean-to with the dogs huddled at their feet. In an instant he
grasped the meaning of the situation. His rifle, already in his hands,
he gripped more firmly, and waited. He could not see the wolves but he
knew that they were there. When, however, Zell fired the second and the
third shots, he caught a glimpse of the brutes as they fell back with
yelps and angry snarls.
Who the women were Hugo could not tell, not being able to see their
faces, which were partly hidden by the lean-to. He surmised, however,
that they were Indians, and he wondered what had become of the men.
Noticing that the wolves were becoming bolder, and evidently preparing
for an attack, he moved a little nearer, stepping somewhat to the right
for a better sight. As he did so he gave a start, for at once Marion’s
face was exposed to view. In an instant he recognized her, and the form
of his countenance changed. The defiant light faded from his eyes and
was replaced by an expression of deep concern. For a few seconds he
stood there as still as the trees around him. What he saw stirred his
inmost depths, and brought back memories of other days. She was his own
child, yet he must not go to her. All he could do was to protect her
from those brutes of the forest.
He was aroused by a cry of fear. Glancing to the right he saw a great
wolf advancing within the ring of light, flanked to the right and left
by the rest of the pack. Zell fired another shot, but missed. The
leader drew back with a savage snarl, and was about to spring forward
when Hugo brought his rifle to his shoulder and fired. With a wild
yell the wolf leaped into the air, and dropped upon the ground. Taken
aback, his followers hesitated and one by one they fell before the
unerring shots of the unseen marksman. Not until five had fallen did
the rest retreat, and then slowly and wrathfully they drew away among
the darkness of the forest. But Hugo’s blood was now up and he feared
the wolves as if they were so many kittens. He stepped quickly toward
them, refilling the magazine of his rifle as he did so. He could see
their slinking forms now, and again into their midst he poured messages
of death. Yells of pain and baffled rage followed each shot. The few
remaining wolves faced the trapper, but ere they could spring, they,
too, were rolling in the snow. It was a veritable carnage of death from
which only one brute escaped by leaping aside and dashing off pell-mell
among the trees.
When the fight was over, a grim smile overspread Hugo’s face. Then he
turned toward the surprised and staring women.
He was upon the point of stepping forward and calming their fears by
telling them that the danger was past. He changed his mind, however,
drew back a few paces among the trees, and stood with his eyes fixed
intently upon Marion’s face. A great longing was tugging at his heart
such as he had not known for years. He recalled the days he had played
with her in his old happy home. She had changed since then, but she was
his child. How often he had thought of her during his wanderings and
long lonely night vigils. In fact, she had been seldom out of his mind.
His affection for her had saved him from developing into a brute,
causing him to perform numerous deeds of humanity, the surprise of
many people. So standing there, hidden by the trees and the night, he
feasted his eyes upon her face. After a while he turned away, reached
the trail, and sped rapidly along in the direction of The Gap. At
length he turned aside, plunged through a heavy thicket of firs and
jack-pines, crossed a narrow strip of wild meadow, and climbed a steep
hill until he came to a small cabin tucked away amidst the trees. He
opened the door and entered. He then lighted a couple of candles,
and built a fire in the little sheet-iron camping-stove. The dog was
most profuse in its welcome, leaping upon him, and giving expression
to yelps of delight. Hugo fondled the animal, his eyes beaming with
pleasure.
“Good old Pedro,” he said. “You missed me, eh? And I missed you. But
strange things are afoot these days, old boy, so we must be careful.”
When supper was over and the dog fed, Hugo lighted his pipe, stretched
himself upon the bunk near the fire, and gave himself up to anxious
thought. He reviewed the events of the day, especially his recent
encounter with the wolves. What were the women doing there? he asked
himself over and over again. And where were they going? What could
bring Marion so far into the wilderness? It must be of more than
ordinary importance, for he had never known a white woman to venture
such a distance from Kynox, especially in the dead of winter. The more
he thought about it, the more disturbed he became. Had it been any
other woman it would not have mattered so much to him. But she was his
own daughter, and his heart was deeply stirred.
For over an hour Hugo lay there wrapt in thought. He then rose to his
feet and paced up and down the small room. Several times he went to
the door and looked out in the direction where the women were camped.
An uneasy feeling was tugging at his heart which he could not banish.
He called himself a fool, blew out the candles, and threw himself down
again upon the bunk. But he could not sleep. His thoughts were ever
down the trail as he pictured those two women alone in the night.
Perhaps more wolves had returned, for he knew that several packs were
on the move of late. And if not wolves, there were creatures more to
be feared where helpless women were concerned. It was most unlikely
that men would be prowling around, he reasoned. But who could tell? The
absence of those women must surely be known at Big Chance, and there
were men there capable of any deed of villainy.
At length he sprang to his feet, pulled on his heavy outer jacket
and cap, seized his snow-shoes, and ordering the dog to stay behind,
he left the cabin, and hurried down the trail. It took him but a
few minutes to come near the camping-ground, where he moved most
cautiously, peering keenly ahead. Although he approached most silently,
the dogs scented his presence. They leaped to their feet and growled
ferociously. Hugo paid little heed to the brutes, his attention being
centred upon a lone figure huddled before the fire. Instinctively he
realised that something was the matter, so stepping into the circle of
light he rapidly approached. Marion saw him coming, recognized him at
once, and with a cry of joy sprang to her feet. So overcome was she
that she tottered and would have fallen had not Hugo leaped forward
and caught her in his arms. Just for a few luxurious seconds he held
her close, and then laid her tenderly upon the wolf-skin robe. Marion
was deadly pale, and she was trembling violently. The strain of the
night had unnerved her, and this sudden and unexpected meeting with her
father was more than she could endure. As she lay there, she kept her
eyes fixed upon his face. Then her lips moved as if she would speak.
This Hugo noted, and he bent toward her.
“What is the matter?” he asked. “Why are you alone? Where is that girl?
You seem almost frightened to death.”
“And so I am,” was the low reply. “Oh, this has been a terrible night!
We were attacked by wolves, and when they were about to spring upon us,
somebody shot them, and saved us.”
“I know all about that,” and Hugo nodded his head. “I happened along
just at the right moment.”
“Was it really you?” Marion asked in surprise, drawing herself up with
an effort to a sitting position. “And have you seen Zell? Do you know
where she is?”
“The girl who was with you?” Hugo asked. “Where did she go?”
“She went just a short distance over there after some dry wood,” Marion
explained, motioning to the right. “But she hasn’t come back, and I am
afraid that something has happened to her. Perhaps the wolves caught
her.”
“Didn’t you hear any noise?”
“Not a sound.”
“Did you call to her?”
“Oh, yes. I called to her for a long time, but could get no answer.”
“Four-legged wolves didn’t get her,” Hugo emphatically declared, while
a fierce expression leaped into his eyes. “She would have given a cry
of distress if they had.”
“Why, what could have happened to her, then?”
“That remains to be seen. There are worse creatures than four-legged
wolves prowling around at times, especially where attractive women are
concerned.”
Marion understood the meaning of these words, and her thoughts flashed
at once to Bill, the Slugger. Could it be possible that he had been
following them, and had seized the half-breed girl and carried her
off ere she could give a cry of warning? She recalled what Zell had
told her about Bill, and his hatred to Tim. She felt weaker and more
helpless than ever as she thought of these things.
“What are we to do?” she asked in a despairing voice. Then in a few
words she confessed her fears to her father.
“And it was Bill who shot Tim, you say?” he asked.
“That is what Zell told me. Out of revenge, so I understand.”
“Was there any other reason?”
“I believe so.”
Hugo remained silent for a few minutes, lost in thought. Marion watched
him closely, and tried to see in his face the resemblance she had known
and loved years before. She thought of all that he had meant to her and
to her mother, and how he had provided for them through the years. And
how he must have suffered the long separation from those so dear to
him. What mental agony must have been his. And suppose he had done what
was wrong, he was her father. A sudden rush of affection swept upon her
as she gazed upon that stern, sad face. The deep wrinkles upon his brow
told their own silent tale. No matter what he had done, he had surely
paid the price over and over again.
“Father,” she cried, impetuously reaching out her arms. “I want you as
I used to want you as a child.”
For an instant only did Hugo hesitate. He then stooped and allowed
Marion to encircle his neck with her arms, and impress a kiss upon his
forehead. His great form trembled and his eyes were misty. In another
minute he freed himself, stepped back, and stood erect before his
daughter.
“You should not do that,” he told her.
“Do what?”
“Kiss me. Am I not an outcast? Have I not been hounded from place to
place? Are not the Police always watching to seize me?”
“But you are my father,” Marion reminded, “and no matter what you have
done I can never forget that.”
Hugo was about to reply, but words seemed suddenly to fail him. He
stood staring off into the blackness of the forest as if he beheld
something there.
“Won’t you come with me?” Marion asked, wondering at his silence. “We
can leave this country, go outside, and you can begin life all over
again.”
“No, no!” Hugo fiercely replied. Then his manner changed. “You are
tired, worn out. Come with me to my little cabin, and when you have
rested we will talk about this. I have kept you here too long already.”
“But what about Zell?” Marion asked. “She might come back.”
“Not likely,” was the reply. “Anyway, we can’t help her just now.”