Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1911-11-24
CHAPTER XXX
A MoonIit pay.

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 1t, as II asleep
or dead.
To Cayley, where he lay, suspended
in midsky the moonlight cleaning
upon the sensitive fabric OF his
planes, az 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 tbs
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 weeks,
| 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 he burn
ing hut and carrying IT 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
it 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 parox-
ysms of natures titanic rage reached
down and benumbed them. body and
soul
But at last the rage Of the storm
had spent itself and had become sta-
The bitterness OF the cold relaxed and
became milder. Cayley had felt the
blood stirring in his veins again, the
power of consecutive thought AID the
ambition to live, coming once more
into his possession He had gone to
work. feebly and drovsily at first, 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
chcked.
When he had broken through the
outer crust OF the drift, and the whats
radiance OF the midday moon shoHe
into the black tunnel where he had
been working, he stood for moment
drawing deep breaths and gazing over
the scene which lay beneath his eyes
He fastened back into the little pnot
house.
Jeanne was doing upon a heap OF
bear-skins He reused her with soz1e
difficulty; really waking up had Setn
hard matter lately, almost as hard
as really getting off to sleep She
was still drowsy when he led her
along the tunnel to the clif-head
Breathe deep, he told her We
were half poisoned in there This ar
will bring you back to life again. It
and the moonlight,
He had been supporting her with
his arm about her waist, but now. as
she held herself little straighteT and
ne could feel her lungs expanding
with the pure air she breathed. he
withdrew the arm and let her stand
alone. Even the white moonlight re-
vealed the color that was coming
back into her cheeks
For a while she did not speak at
all: then, as if replying to com
ment of his. she said:
Yes. it's beautiful. =. But
Philip. it's dead. Dead"
Not this air that ms ozone spar
ding all through it. It Is alive enough
20 make your blood dance It's doing
hat now"
He tried to persuade her TO take
little exercise along the length Of the
unnel but she demurred to that In
stead. she asked him to bring ON
iome bear-skins and let her sit the
It the cliff-head looking eut-
And she supplemented. IF
want to know what should Hike m
II all, it would be to have yeu Or
our wings so that J can see yeu
ng again. and feld-glass that
watch you through"
He felt some hesitation, partly
L fear OF leaving her and pan
rom a doubt concerning his
trength; but neither of these reaso
ras one he cared to avow- So he
urled the bundle that had lain a
sed SO long. spread and tightene
nd tested it, and at last, with nos
{ farewell to the girl. dived on the
liff-head-
Any doubt he may have nad cop
ernsng his strength disappeared ~
nee. The mere touch OF those great
-ings Of his seemed to bring it All
ack. and hope and joy and cnnadence
long with It
49, ~ CONVENIENTLY f3