The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1911-07-20

~ lro0pa1 close bssils IL and seranr
NJ clear Of Ais vinsA
II vas Jean.S: end fer . noDsot
- 0ouGAt shs vas 1sal- ohs
ssansA - white and cold - tAs saev
itssM. And yet she vas not AeaA: BOT
even frossn. The hands he ehsSed %
hantcally we're insrt. but not rigi1:
aaA. - ~ drew her up IN his arnAs
~ pressed his head down against
hss brsast he could hssr.vss family
and slowly. the beating Of hsr heart
He picked her uD In his aims and
carried her into the pilot house. Ths
air here was still warner thaa that
out of doors. but II vas % lonssr s1-
haustsd and poisonous.
He laid her down for long snoagh
to light the lamp. to throw Oh his stiR
leather Jacket and to gst . little
brandy out Of the keg This hs mixed
with little water aAd. with ths aid
Of . small ivory spoon. he succeeded
In getting . little ef II betwsen hss
Lips
He took oR her heavy seal coat, and
the woolsn Jacket she wors under II.
and. - well q he could, loossned the
other clothing about her waist. Last
Of all. he gathered her up In his arms
again. wrapped the great shesp-skin
bag about them both and. with the
brandy and water within asm's reach.
settled down to attempt to get some
OF the warmth and vitality Of his own
body into hers.
She was not fully unconscious now.
for the next time he offered her
brandy she swallowed It Her syslids
were duttering . little. too, and pres
entity she sighed.
He was thrilling all over with .
tremendous sense Of power. He felt
he could have brought her back from
the very dead. His arteries seemed to
b running with electricity. not blood.
Her lips were moving now. and he
bent close to catch the whisper that
barely succeeded in passing them
"Don't-bring me baek-Philip. It's
80 much-sasisr to so-this way"
His only reply to that was to hold
her little closer.
She did not resist vhsa he held
the drink to her lips again: but, after
she had taken two or three sips ot II.
shs said:
Il sha'n't need any mora. I'm get
ting quite beautifully warm again"
He knew It was true. She NO longer
felt lifeless in his arms. though she
still lay there quite relaxed. He
knew he could let her 90 now, safely
enough. And yet he held her fast.
II thought you were dead when
saw you lying there on the snow" he
said at last, not very steadily. IF
you had been. It would have been my
own doing"
She contradictsd him with . sharp
negative gesture.
You left me we'll enough wrapped
up to have resisted the cold for any
length Of time. Besides. II I'd wanted
to l could have come back in here
But-but, Philip Oh. It seems .
dreadful thing to confess. now you
are here with me-I didn't want to. l
Just lay down on the snow. thinking
I could 60 to sleep and-and that
would bs the snd-such an easy snd!"
she felt him shuddsr all over a.
she said 1t. and she clasped his shoul-
ders and held them tight. in . desire
to rsassurs and comfort him.
did you mean to do that e.
Was that why you asked me to hy
away for . while?"
mo! No! It was something saw
while you were gone. something that
terrified me. Philip. do you rsmem-
ber how many Of the people of the
Phoenix died of what father called
the ice madness?"
He nodded gravely.
well. what l saw made me think
that was going that way. too. Philip,
was watching the moon 60 down.
and gradually It spread out into three.
quite far apart, and then they changed
into strange colors. and stranger
shapes, and began to dance like
witches"
He laughed. but the laugh had some
thing very like a sob mixed up in It.
You poor child! No wonder it
frightened you. But that's the ortho-
dox way for the moon to set in the
arctic. It's part of the same refrac-
ton that plays such strange tricks
with the daylight colors. No, you're
a long way from Ice madness. Jean
me-"
But that wasn't all l saw. Philip.
It wasn't the worst. saw ship
against the moon, only II seemed too
high above the horizon, somehow
That's the crowning impossibility. And
then the moons began to dance, that
wicked, witch-like dance Of mockery.
So lay down In the snow and hid my
face In my arms to to 60 to
sleep. 1t seemed SO easy and. some
how, seemed right. too: not wicked
any way"
She felt him shuddering again. and
his clasping arms strained her SO
close they almost hurt.
Thank God. came in time!" she
heard him whisper.
But you did come in ume," she re-