Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1895-11-06
CHAPTER VIM.

less than ten minutes. When she opened
the outer door, q gust of cold wind and
alittle cloud of fine powdery snow came
in with her. Indeed it was frozen ON
her eyelids and cheeks, and for a mo-
ment she was scarcely recognizable.
''The drifting snow stings and pricks
ones face like so many needle points,
she exclaimed breathlessly.
"Pray come to the light, i" said Harry
Yorke, taking her by the arm gently
and leading her to the window. lone
of your ears looks as if it had been
nipped by the frost. :"
And truly enough the lower lobe of
one of her small shell-like ears was
frozen; it was as white as the snow it
self. Two minutes exposure to sharp
wind will often suffice to accomplish
this not uncommon accident in these
ATTITUDES.
He took off her beaver cap gently,
caught up a small handful of snow
which had crusted one side of her buff
falo coat, and, with one hand among the
soft, cleaning tre5ses of her shapely
the nipped ear with snow. She submit
ted to the ordeal, as most people sooner
or later learn to do in the northwest, as
a matter of course, but with a some
what heightened color. Luckily the
frost bite was a slight one, and perhaps
the pain occasioned by the thawing out
process was inconsiderable, if indeed
it panied at all. His prompt manipula-
ton of the frozen lobe had minimized
the unpleasant consequences usually at
tending such accidents.
But it was remarkable thing that
the operation took so much longer to
perform than such operations usually
do. Long after the ear had become a
natural and healthy pink again-and
she must have known very we'll that the
frost had been driven out of it and the
circulation of the blood restored-he
continued clasping that beautiful head
with one hand and rubbing that ear
with the other. Her delicately flushed
face and those bright eyes were danger
ously near his then. Surely such pal
pable dallying was a most reprehensible
thing, but such things will be as long
ais human nature is human nature-as
long as pretty girls will freeze their
ears and there are accommodating young
men handy to restore the suspended cir
culation.
Perhaps he had not thought himself
capable of the emotions that thrilled
him when he felt the touch of that
silky hair and that cool, soft skin of
hers. What with that great pity with
which he had begun to regard her, and
what with the knowledge Of the misery
that he knew he must unwillingly have
share in bringing upon her, she was
exercising G dangerous influence over
him. Perhaps-and who knows?-if
old Jeanette had not been there he
might-for such things not infrequently
happen-in a moment Of unreasoning
and irresisti pie impulse have caught her
to him and told her how dear she hao
become to MIN. He could remember
how, when putting on the skates of the
heiress in the old country, the only feel
ings that he experienced when he had
handled her dainty little feet were that
her boots were uncommonly cold and
clammy and that the steel sent an ire
sistible shiver through him. But then
steel is not beautiful thing like
pretty girls dainty ear. 1t was jean
nette that came to the rescue Of these
two forgetful mortals just then.
'Allons-nous- en- !" she cried Here is
cup of beautiful tea with the best of
cream in it. Bless my heart, Marie you
must have had your ear very badly fro
zen indeed, it takes such long time to
thaw out !''
And the old lady chuckled grimly.
In her youth her own ears had been fro
zen many time and thawed out too
1t was significant thing that the
rubbing should cease so suddenly and
that the pair should start apart so guilt
lily.
"Thank you very much,'' said the
girl. ''How it must have bored you to
rub such long time" She really
meant nothing by this embarrassing
speech; it was the only thing she could
think Of saying just then People some
how will say things that they woul,7
like to have expressed differently OIL
such occasions
"Don t mention it, - he replied sheep
ishly 1T was an uncommonly badly
frozen earl mean, don't think that
it was of much account after all -
.Oh, none whatever, she rejoined
simply and without thinking this speech
in any way remarkable. But their eyes
met, and there was half serious,
laughing light in hers, and such a con-
scious stricken look in his that they
both broke into somewhat foolish and
shamefaced laugh.
Then they sat in the early twilight
and enjoyed Jeannette's tea. They did
not drink it out of transparent china
cups or chaste sevres, but out OF plain,
dead white porcelain that is associated
with the Hudson Bay company hard
ware department.. And Jeanette poured
it out of little brown earthenware pot,
Of which the spout could hardly be said
to be intact; but, SO far as Harry Yorke
was concerned, he only knew that it was
most delicious tea and that he could
NOT helm saving So They sat round the