Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-01-16
he whispered hopefully. Maybe,

door. Around the latch was n little
space. She put her ear to It, and the
Icy air blew against her cheek. There
It was again! TIE shrek of the gale.
She went back to the bed.
Hack. hack, hack! Then muttered
curses. And again the sound of chop
ping.
When she could bear 1t no longer she
got up and stumbled over to her IA
Their. Dad" she said, "if l break up
the mantel and fix something VIII you
stopw
He sat back on his feet. putting cross
| ~. Light fire." he said. Use these
! chips Anil res" He threw down the
Ratchet and crawled under the blan-
kets. He was glad of the interruption,
| for the duty ahead was assuming an
ugly guse
Dallas had filled the coffee pail with
snow. Now she gathered up the chips,
lit them and pried up the wide board
Of the mantel. This she split with the
Ratchet.
What are you going to make"
asked Marylyn from the bed.
Pepper tea, honey. It'll warm you
up"
ooh. I'm so glad. sla made some
once"
Pepper tea It was. When the snow
had melted and the water was boiling
hot Dallas added pepper and salt.
Then she spread cloth and turned
the wheat and corn sacks out upon It.
She got handful of -four. With this
! she thickened the water. Three cups
were sitting upon the floor. She took
the coffee pail over. poured into two
and handed them to her father and
Marylyn.
Don't spill a drop" she cautioned
you got some?" queried Marylyn,
sitting up.
Dallas went back to the other cup.
"Well. what do you think Pm doing"
she asked and lifted it to her lips.
Soon the three were lying shoulder
to shoulder again, the section boss
drawing little added comfort from
his pipe. Before long he was asleep;
Maryyn too. Then Dallas got up
cautiously and brewed a cup of pep
pcred water for herself. The hot
draft relieved the pangs of her hunger.
She lay down again.
Hours later she was awakened by
hearing faint squeals directly over
head Hastily she lit the lantern and
took down the Sharps, then steple
directly under the sounds and poked
the rifles muzze into the hay of the
roof. Above. storm driven and crowd
ing one another agains, the stones OF
the chimney, were some pigs
In her eacerness she trembled so
violently that she became unsteady on
her feet It lost her the opportunity Of
firing for as she waited. trying to get
a blind aim. the squeals suddenly died
out The pigs had gone over toward
the edge Of the lean-to.
When next she awoke-aWoke from
dream of we'll spread tabes-she
could not guess how much time had
passed or whether it was day or night.
The shack was pitch dark. OF one
thing she could be sure-the storm
had not abated, so there was no hope
of aid.
She knew something must be done.
Simon and the team wrung her heart
with their pleas. Beside her Marylyn
was turning with fretful complaints.
The younger girl rolled her head from
side to side constantly and moistened
her lips. Dallas chopped up the rifle
rack and made a fire Of ii. then piled
Marylyn with more Of the pepper tea.
The section boss refused 10 partake.
The first cup, he said, had burned him.
Tobacco was better solace.
Dallas did not taste the tea either.
A fearful nausea beSet her. Her heart
went like a trip hammer. She wrap
ped up. turning hc7 back t. the blaze.
Oddly enough het father did NOT make
second attack On the log His
perique went far toward helping him
fight the guawing Of hunger He could
afford having to endure little pain, %
let the hours brinS Dallas TO the point
where she would as, the life of the
bull. He knew where she was most
vulnerable. When Marylyn turned from
the tea that now partially oased her
hunger and began a demand for food.
Simon would die
1t came sooner than the section boss
expected. His letharglc sleep was
broken by Dallas shaking him. AS he
opened his eyes she thrust the Ratchet
into his hands.
Dad" she said hurriedly. get up.
. You got to do j, FOR Marylyn-for
Marylyn."
TO him it was a real victory. He