The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1912-04-11
CHAPTER Xxx.
A MoonIlt Day.

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 II. rs u asleep
or dead
To Cayley, where he lay. suspended
in midsky. the moonlight cleaning
upon the sensitive fabric Of his
planes. as Il 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 awing 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
guess. lie remembered how des-
perately they had worked that night.
saving what they could from the burn
ing hut and carrying Il back into the
cave: remembered with what labor he
and Jeanne had climbed the ice chin
ney 20 the only shelter that now re
| NAMED 10 them. the little pilot house
observatory upon the cllffhead; re-
membered the unremitting labor Of
uncountcd 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 iapses OF
time which memory did not cover.
During that time he knew the NJ.
| most fury Of the arctic winter had
been raging over them. without cessa-
| tlon They had been sheltered from
| Il down in the heart OF the great drift
| OF snow which the storm had heaped
about them. hut. even In this security
the shock of those successive parox'
ysms OF natures titanic rage reached
down and benumbed them. body and
soul
Bu, at last the rage OF the storm
had spent itself and had become stlll
| The bitterness Of the cold relaxed and
became milder Cayley had felt the
blood stirring In his veins again. the
power OF consecutive thought and the
ambition to live. coming once more
| into his possession lie had gone to
work. feebly and drowsily NJ iirst. 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 tho
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 gSzing over
the scene which lay beneath his eyes.
He FASTENED back into the rttle pilot
house.
Jeanne was doing upon = heap OF
bear-skins. lie reused her with some
difficulty: really waking up had been
hard matter lately. almost as hard
as really getting on to sleep She
was still drowsy when he led her
along the tunnel 10 the cliffhead
Breathe deep" he told her. we
| we're half poisoned in there. This air
will bring you back to life again, IL
and the moonlight"
He had been supporting her with
his arm about her waist, but now. as
/ she held herself n little straighter and
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-
yealed the color that was coming
back into her checks.
For n while she did not speak at
all; then. as II 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
Killing all through II. II is alive enough
to make your blood dance. Ito doing
that now"
| lie tried to persuade her To take a
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 cliff-head looking out.
| And" she supplemented, III you
want to know what I should like most
OF all. 1t would be to have you bring
your wings so that can see you fly.
ing again. and a field-glass that ! can
watch you through
He felt some hesitation. partly out
f, OF fear of leaving her and partly
| from a doubt concerning his own
strength; but neither Of these reasons
was one he cared to ayow. So he I'M
furled the bundle that had lain dis
used SO long. spread and frightened
and tested il. and at last. with a nod
of farewell to the girl. dlyed on the
cliif-head.
Any doubt he may have had con
corning his strength disappeared at
once. The mere touch OF those great
wings OF his seemed TO bring Il all
back. and hope and JOY and confidence
along with II.
Cro BE coNTINUED)