The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1904-04-08
In the Long, Long Night.
Tho Story Of . Soul That Wandered
Far.
ny WILL IRWIN.


HE uOCLOT 1umDleu through la er
/ after layer of furs and woolens. He
brought the one sputtering candle
nearer his work, looked closely, AMI
turned away for a moment toward the
cabin door. The aurora was cracking
and blazing along the northern hori-
zon, making quick stabs in the black
ness. He had pronounced sentence be-
fore, but never such black, hard SEN
tence as this.
"Well?" said the other man, sharply.
He was huddled at the foot of thu bed,
all In heap.
mo, not WE'LL" said the doctor: shes
brace up, Jim-she's-" AMI then
he hesitated. Death and berea, ement
he knew was part if his daily rou-
tine in the past. but never such be-
reavement as this-in the dark, the
three-month night, and they six the
only human beings in a principality OF
darkness and SHOWS.
Its all over, poor old man, she's
dead"
''She ANTI
The doctor turned sharply. lie had
heard that before as reason why SEN
tence should not be pronounced, but
never in that same tone, that quiet,
calm, determined negation.
And so silence for a moment. The
doctor looked out again and watched
the horizon crumpling into Highland
the tears came. He wiped them away
as they froze on his face, ard they
came once more. She had been so
much to them all in the long night,
that one woman of the blithe spirit
and the rough, kindly hands! 1t was
his place to be calm and comforting,
and there he was crying.
He heard a movement behind him
Jim was tearing savagely at the bed
furs, pulling back wrapping after
wrapping.
'She amt dead! She amt dead!"
repeated Jim. Look at her eyes
They never look that way. It's only
one of her spells!" He cast himself full
length on the furs.
Footsteps crunched on the beaten
trail outside. Old man Sacrison came
in at the door, a cloud of steaming
breath before him. DR.. McGrath raised
his hand. The two stepped out together,
dropping the bearskin door.
Its all over" said DR.. McGrath.
Il knowed it." said old man Sacrison
"WhatN Jim do?" Then he swore
softly to himself. Moved as much as
the doctor, he was showing it in his
own way.
Jim won't leave her." said the doc
tor, "says she amt dead"
Let him think it." said old man
Sacrison. Good God. let him! He'll 20
bugs II you don't. After you've been
in the north as long as l have, youth
know enough to leave them alone"
This wisdom of the unwise came
home to the doctor. When he spoke
again, he had resigned the position of
guide, and placed himself in the hands
of old man Sacrison.
You mean" began the doctor.
Let him find it out for himself,
unless you want to take him out clean
crazy. There was never a man fonder
of his woman than Jim. And for that -
he added, "he had a license to be-"
OF the six exiles, caught over the long
winter on their lonely claim, five were
from the same town. To the kinship
loneliness, they added the brotherhood
of past association. And so when DR..
McGrath had passed the news among
them, they fell like sentinels into a
quiet watch over Jim Mastick.
For four days, as the clock reckons
days where there is no sun, Jim Mastick
sat beside his dead and said foolish,
lover things to her. The first night
old man Sacrison, taking his watch
just outside the tent, heard him saying
softly: why don't you wake up,
Mollie! You've SLEPT long enough, dear
heart!t" saying it in the tone of one
+ who wakes a child. The second night,
he called loudly once or twice; but
when the others came he was making
no sound. Next day. the doctor heard