Gilpin observer., 1911-07-06

out Q dark object lying there upon
the snow. His heart felt like lead as
he dropped close beside 1t. and scram-
bled clear Of his wings.
It was Jeanne: and for moment
he thought she was dead. She
seemed a. white and cold a. the snow
itself. And yet she was not dead; not
even frozen. The hands he chafed %
rantcally were inert, but not rigid ;
and. a. he drew her up In his arms
and pressed his head down against
her breast he could hear.very family
and slowly, the beating Of her heart.
He picked her up in his arms and
carried her into the pilot house. The
air here was still warmer than that
out Of doors. but 1t was NO longer ex,
hausted and poisonous.
He laid her down for long enough
to light the lamp. to throw on his stiff
leather Jacket and to get . little
brandy out Of the keg. This he mixed
with little water and, with the aid
of a small ivory spoon. he succeeded
in getting q little of It between her
lips.
He took OF her heavy seal coat, and
the woolen Jacket she wore under 1t.
and. as well a. he could, loosened the
other clothing about her waist. Last
Of all, he gathered her up in his arms
again. wrapped the great sheep-skin
bag about them both and, with the
brandy and water within arms 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 eyelids
were huttering little, too. and pres
emily she sighed.
He was thrilling all over with q
tremendous sense of power. He felt
he could have brought her back from
the very dead. His arteries seemed to
be 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 back-Philip. It's
80 much-easier to go-this way
His only reply to that was to hold
her little closer
She did not resist when he held
the drink to her lips again; but, after
she had taken two or three sips Of it,
she said:
| Il sha'n't need any more. I'm get
ting quite beautifully warm again"
He knew 1t was true. She no longer
felt lifeless In his arms, though she
still lay there quite relaxed. He
knew he could let her go now, safely
enough. And yet he held her fast.
Il thought you we're dead when 1
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 contradicted him with a sharp
negative gesture.
| You left me well enough wrapped
up to have resisted the cold for any
length Of time. Besides, II I'd wanted
to 1 could have come back in here.
But-but, Philip Oh. 1t seems q
dreadful thing to confess, now you
are here with mel didn't want to. l
just lay down on the snow, thinking
could go to sleep and-and that
would be the end-such an easy end."
She felt him shudder all over as
she said it. and she clasped his shoul-
ders and held them tight, in a desire
to reassure and comfort him.
did you mean to do that.
Was that why you asked me to fly
away for while?"
mo! No! 1t was something / saw
while you were gone. something that
terrified me- Philip. do you remem-
ber how many of the people of the
Phoenix died of what father called
the ice madness?"
He nodded gravely.
We'll. what saw made me think
that was going that way. too. Philip,
I was watching the moon go down.
and gradually 1t 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 1t.
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.
tlon tnat plays such strange tricks
with the daylight colors. No, you're
a long way from ice madness. Jean
me-"
But that wasn't all 1 saw, Philip
1t wasn't the worst saw a ship
against the moon. only It seemed toe
high above the horizon, somehow
That's the crownlng impossibility. And
then the moons began to dance, that
wicked. witchlike dance OF mockery
So lay down in the snow and hid my
face in my arms to to 20 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 I came IN tima," oba