Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1911-08-04

his eyes. - he lowered, seeking N
exact spot to alight, certainly mad
out a dark object lying there upol
the snow. His heart felt like lead q
he dropped close beside It, and scram
bled clear of his wings.
It was Jeanne; and for a momen
he thought she was dead. sh<
seemed as white and cold as the snov
itself. And yet she was not dead; no
even frozen. The hands he chafed *
frantically were inert, but not rigid
and. as he drew her up In his ARM
M pressed his head down agains
her breast, he could heal, very family
and slowly. the beating Of her heart
He picked her up in his arms ant
carried her into the pilot house. The
air here was still warmer than thai
out of doors, but it was no longer ex
hausted and poisonous.
He laid her down for long enough
to light the lamp, to throw OF his stiff
leather jacket and to get . little
brandy out OF the key. This he mixed
with q little water and, with the aid
Of a small ivory spoon. he succeeded
in getting q little OF 1t between her
lips.
He took of her heavy seal coat, and
the wooden Jacket she wore under 1t.
and, as well as be 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 RAJ not fully unconscious now.
for the next time he offered her
brandy she swallowed It. Her eyelids
were futtering a little. too, and pres
emily she sighed.
He was thrilling all over with .
tremendous 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
SO much-easier to go-this way"
His only reply to hat vas to hold
her a 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 n 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 60 now. safely
enough. And yet he held her fast.
II thought you were dead when l
saw you lying there o. the snow" he
said at last, not very steadily. IF
you had been. it would have been my
own doing"
She contradicted him with q 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 l could have come back in here.
But-but, Philip Oh, it seems .
dreadful thing to confess, now you
are here with mel didn't want to. l
just lay down on tho snow, thinking
I could 60 to sleep and-and that
WYNN 10 SA0 0AA O0SA 0A 00oJ OA0S
She felt him shudder all over a
she said 1t, and she clasped his shoul-
ders and held them tight, in a desire
to reassure and comfort him.
did you "a to do that /.
Was that why o asked me to ny
away for q while"
mo! Mol It was something I saw
while you 9 gone. something that
terrified me. Philip, do you remem-
Der how many Of the people Of the
Phoenix died Of what father called
the ice madness?"
He nodded gravely.
well. what I law made me think
that l was going that way, too. Philip,
I was watching the moon 90 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 q sob mixed up In Il
"You poor child! No wonder Il
frightened you. But that's the ortho-
dox way for the moon to set In the
arctic. It's part of the same rsffac-
ton that plays such strange tricks
with the daylight colors. No. you're
Q long way from Ice madness, Jean
ne"
'But that wasn't all I saw, Philip.
It wasn't the worst I law . ship
against the moon, only II seemed too
high above the horizon, somehow.
That's the browning im~possibility. And
then the moons began to dance, that
wicked, witchlike dance Of mockery.
So I lay down In the snow and hid my
faoo In my arms to . to 60 to
sleep. It seemed 90 easy and, some
how. seemed right, too: not wicked
any way"
She felt him shuddering again. and
his clasDing arms strained her %
close they almost hurt
Thank God. I came In tims!" sho
heard him whisper.
But you did come in time" abe re-
minded him. for she could still feel
him shuddering with the horror OF the
thing. You brought me back. and I'm
not Won afraid IN more" She
paused. and there was . little silence.
Then she added: and I'm quite warm
now"
His arms slackened for q moment,
and then once more they claspsd her
close.
T-I-don't want to let you CO." he
aa}A and hia vofcA had = nnta IN II