Rocky Ford enterprise. (Rocky Ford, Colo.) 1887-1950, 1911-06-30
CHAPTER Xxx.

The midday moon had changed the
somber purple Of the snow to silver.
The snow lay everywhere. save upon
the vertical face of the cliff itself. an
unrent, immaculate mantle over all
this arctic world. The valley. the
hills. the beach and the frozen sea
all lay at peace beneath It. as II asleep
or dead. -
To cayley, where he lay. suspended
in midsky, the moonlight cleaning
upon the sensitive fabric Of his
planes. as It CLEANS upon the faint
ripples on a mill pond in the dead Of
some June night-to Cayley this white.
sleeping. frozen world looked very
far away. He was awning for the
first time since that eternity ago when
he had descended upon the beach be-
side Jeanne to warn her Of the ap-
proach of the bear.
How long ago that was, by the
measure of hours and days and veaka,
he did not know. He had no data for
an estimate that would be better than
guess He remembered how des-
perately they had worked that night.
saving what they could from the burn
ing hut and carrying II back into the
cave; remembered with what labor he
and Jeanne had climbed the Ice chin
ney to the only shelter that now re-
NAMED to them, the little pilot house
observatory upon the clin-head: re-
membered the unremitting labor Of
uncounted hours while they adjusted
their way OF life to the conditions i'm
posed by the calamitous loss OF the
hut.
But after that there were lapses OF
time which memory did not cover
During that time he knew the ut
most fury OF the arctic winter had
been raging over them. without cessa-
ton. They had been sheltered from
II down in the heart Of the great drift
OF snow which the storm had heaped
about them. But, even In this security
the shock OF those successive paroI-
ysms OF natures titanic rage reached
down and benumbed them. body and
soul
But at last the rage OF the svm
had spent itself and had become still.
The bitterness Of the cold relaxed and
became milder. Cayiey had felt the
blood stirring in his veins again the
power Of consecutive thought and the
ambition to live. coming once more
into his possession He had gone TO
work, feebly and drovsily at frst. but
with constantly increasing energy and
strength. At the task Of opening up
once more. the tunnel through The
drift which the great storm had
choked
When he had broken through the
outer crust OF the drift. and the white
radiance Of the midday moon shone
into the black tunnel where he had
been working. he stood for a moment
drawing deep breAths and gazing over
the scene which lay beneath his eyes
He hastened back into the little pilot
house.
Jeanne was doing upon . heap OF
bear-skins He reused her with some
difficulty: really waking up had been
h hard matter lately. almost as hard
as really getting Of 10 sleep She
was still drowsy when he led her
along the tunnel to the elin-head-
Breathe deep" he told her We
were half poisoned In there This air
will bring you back 10 life again. II
and the moonlight
He had been supporting her with
his arm about her waist, but nov. as
she held herself little straighter and
he could feel her lungs eKpan7srE
with the pure air she breathedS1e
withdrew the arm and let her and
alone Even the white moonligE re-
veaIed the color that WAS coming
back into her cheeks
he
ali: then. as II replying TO . com
ment Of his. she said:
Yes. it's beautiful But
Philip. it's dead. Dead"
Not this air that has ozone spar
king all through It II il alive enough
10 make your blood dance It's doing
that now"
He tried to persuade her to take
little exercise along the length OF the
tunnel. but she demurred TO that In
stead, she asked him TO bring out
some bear-skins and let her sit there
at the clir-head looking out
And" she supplemented. IF you
want to know what ! should like most
of all. 1t would be to have you bring
your wings so that can see you ny
ing again. and a neld-glAss that can
watch you through.
He felt some hesitation. partly out
OF a fear OF leaving her and partly
from a doubt concerning his own
strength: but neither Of these reasons
was one he cared 10 avow. So he un-
furied the bundle that bad lain dis
used SO long. spread and frightened
and tested It. and at last, with . nod
of farewell TO the girl. dived on the
cliff head.
Any doubt he may have bad COO
corning his strength disappeared at
once. The mere touch Of those grest
wings OF his seemed to bring Il 81