A Daughter of the Snows

still blew into the stove, unaware of his company. Frona c

ten the flaps and make yourself comfortable

commented to herself, obeying his

the rocks of the shallow alluvial deposit, unlike its arboreal prototype, rarely lifting its head more than a foot from the earth. She looked into the oven,

reath, "Sit down and dry yo

hed about in the grub-box for dishes and eating utensils, she stretched a spare bit of rope between the tent-poles and hung the skirt on it to dry. The dishes were dirty, and, as he bent over and washed them, she turned her back and deftly changed her stockings. Her childhood had taught

utter. His whole bearing conveyed the impression that it was the most ordinary thing under the sun for a young woman to come in out of the storm and night and partake of his hospitality. In one way, she liked this; but in so far as she d

the half of a cold heavy flapjack. He looked at it dubiously, and shot a quick glance at her. Then he threw the sodden thing out of doors and dumped the contents of a sea-bi

ead," he muttered; "but sit down

uple of cups of water and stirred briskly over the fire. When it had sobbed and sighed with the heat for some few minutes, she sliced up the corned be

ancing his plate on his knee and sampling the m

ed curtly, and thereafter

yes and knew the lasting impress of the midnight oil long continued; and his eyes bore the impress. Brown eyes, she concluded, and handsome as the male's should be handsome; but she noted with surprise, when she refilled his plate with slumgullion, th

with the more than slight cheek-hollows under the cheek-bones, but when she measured his well-knit, slenderly muscular figure, with its deep chest and heavy shoulders, she discovered that she preferred the hollows; at least they did not imply lack of nut

pect my Indians back from Lake Linderman till morning, and the beggars have packed over everything except a few

ntied a rubber-covered roll of blankets. Then he drew the two

e artist,

eotyped answer beforehand. But to Frona the question was like a blow in the face. She remembered Neepoosa's philippic against th

en. It's unfortunate, isn't it, the aptitude they display in getting lost from their outfits? Yet somehow I have failed to find any lost o

id he; for whereas she was sure of the steady grip she had on herself,

coolly; "I am not

lying, and made of them the foundation of a bed; and with the remainin

hen," he insisted when he had finished

am not any kind of

anced at her; but now he scrutinized her carefully, every inch of her, from head to heel and bac

spectable, and those who are not respectable. Vaudeville stars and artists, they call themselves for the sake of decency; and out of courtesy we countenance it. Yes, yes, I know. But remember, the women who come over the trail must be one or the other. There is no middle course, and those who a

interrupt him, but he had waved her i

she began; bu

at all, n

d how I passed them-yes I do, too! A boat was blown over to the west shore of Crater Lake this afternoon, and they must have been in it. That is where I missed them and came on. As for my turning back, I appreciate your motive for sug

o one side, sat down on the flour sack

n in the other tents?"

any, but I may

orning. No; there are no other women except-except two

id of their hospitality

id, they a

ng at the straining canvas and listening to the roar of th

they haven't room to turn around. Besides, a dozen other strangers are storm-bound with them. Two or three asked to spread their beds in here

The inevitableness of t

ng herself to sympathize with him, then becoming consc

the dark." He frowned at her levit

e asked with just th

for m

I think I'l

p the fire going," he s

ittle code were saved in the least! We are not in ci

ers in token of surren

o t

swise! Thank you, sir, but I have bones and musc

down the middle; but she smote them flat with the side of the axe, and in the same manner lessened the slope to the walls

. "Now I see why I sle

flung his own

rail," she informed him, spreading t

what do you know about this trail

vocally, pulling out the dried wood fr

" he exclaimed. "It's growing

mish-fire grown into a battle. In the lulls they could hear the water streaming off at the side-walls with the noise of small cataracts. He

on the spot, and, pressing tightly against the canvas, ran it down to the si

you came through from Dyea

e confessed, cand

retching her body luxuriously in the warm blankets. And a

e muffled across the

the shav

ueried, sleepily

morning, of course. S

; but ere he was done sh

hed landscape and in at the wide-spread flaps. Already work had begun, and groups of men were filing past under their packs. Frona turned over on her side.

ning," sh

o his feet and picking up the water-bucket. "I do

a la

vouchsafed. "And when I return I sh

ed a familiar bunch of men rounding the tail of the glaci

re to connect." Turning to the man, and at the same time slinging camera and satchel ov

ll. Pray don't mention it

ville

ent on. "I don't know your na

o harsh, for I do know

he shipping tags, of c

and see me when you ge

else. G

" he called after her as she ran

her head

n their feet on a soft spot," he had consoled himself as he dropped off to sl

plain by your face you had a comfort

orried, were y

n' Crater Lake what I thought of it. I don't like the water. I told you

ing to the Indians. "

man by

ce Corliss was rep

were already out of sight behind a wall of rock. Frona was just rounding the base. The sun was full upon her, and she stood out radian