The Arvada enterprise., 1911-07-06
CHAPTER Xxx.
A Moonlit Day.

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, as It CLEANS upon the faint
ripples on mill pond in the dead of
some June night-to Cayley this white,
sleeping, frozen world looked very
far away. He was a-wing 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 weeks,
he did not know. He had no data for
an estimate that would be better than
a guess. He remembered how des-
perately they had worked that night,
saving what they could from the burn
ing hut and carrying 1t back into the
cave; remembered with what labor he
and Jeanne had climbed the ice chin
ney to the only shelter that now re-
mained to them, the little pilot house
observatory upon the cliff-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
1t 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 still.
The bitterness of the cold relaxed and
became milder. Cayley had felt tho
blood stirring in his veins again, the
power of consecutive thought and tho
ambition to live, coming once more
into his possession. He had gone to
work, feebly and drowsily 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
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 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
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 cliff-head.
Breathe deep" he told her. we
we're half poisoned in there. This air
will bring you back to life again. 1t
and the moonlight.
He had been supporting her with
his arm about her waist, but now, as
| she held herself little straighter ana
he 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 has ozone spar
king all through 1t. 1t is alive enough
TO 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 bearskins and let her sit there
at the cliffhead looking out.
And" she supplemented, "f you
want to know what should like most
| OF all, II would De 10 nave you
your wings so that / can see you ny
ing again, and a field-slass that ! can
watch you through"
He felt some hesitation, partly ou'
of fear OF leaving her and party
from doubt concerning his own
strength; but neither OF these reasons
was one he cared to avow. So he un-
furled the bundle that had IAN dis.
used so long, spread and ushtened
and tested 1t, and at last. with NOD
OF farewell to the girl. dived on The
cliK-head.
ANY doubt he may have had con
eerning his strength disappeared at
once The mere touch OF those great
wings OF his seemed to bring 1t all
back. and hope and 10y and conhdenes
along with It
ITO BE coNr1NunnJ