Page:The trail of the golden horn.djvu/108

104 talking, all the time clawing at the snow with her mittened hands. In an instant Hugo knew what was the trouble. The girl’s mind was affected by the experience through which she had recently passed. He stood for a few seconds looking upon her, while an overwhelming rage welled up in his heart against the villain responsible for her sad condition. He longed to track him, and bestow upon him the punishment he rightly deserved. But he had no time to think about such things now, as the girl demanded his immediate attention. He must do something for her welfare. But what could he do? He thought of his cabin on the hillside which he had left but a short time before. That was the place where he should take the girl, for Marion was there to attend to her. But to go back was out of the question. The Police were there. No, he must take the girl to his cabin beyond the valley toward which he was headed. It would be a difficult task, he was well aware, to carry the girl all that distance. But he knew that he could do it, for she was slight while he was very strong.

He was about to stoop and lift her from the snow, when Zell tottered to her feet, and looked wildly around. Her eyes were wide with terror, and she pressed fearfully back from some imaginany foe.

“Keep back! Keep back!” she shrieked. “Oh! Oh!”

“Hush,” Hugo ordered, laying his hand upon her shoulder. “I won’t let anything harm you.”

But the girl shrank aside at his touch, and beat the air with her hands.

“The wolves! The wolves!” she cried. “They are upon me! Don’t let them get me!”

To attempt to reason with the girl Hugo knew would be useless. He must get her to the cabin as speedily