Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-02-13
CHAPTER XIV.
The Moman,n Heart

ct OF snow. The lakes and pools were
frozen from shore to shore. The
mountain brooks, II they flowed at all,
!. ran under thick arches OF ice. The
deepest canons were well nigh impas-
sible from huge drifts that sometimes
almost rose level with the tops Of the
walls. In every sheltered spot great
banks OF white were massed. The
spreading branches OF the tall pine
trees in the valleys dropped under
heavy burdens OF snow. Only here
and there sharp gaunt peaks were
swept clean by the fierce winter
winds and thrust themselves upward
IN ic- air. naked and bare. The cold
was polar in its bitter intensity
The little shelf or plateau jutting
out from the mountain side upon
which the lonely cabin stood was shell
tered from the prevailing winds, but
the house itself was almost covered
7 with the drifts. The constant fire
roaring up the huge stone chimney
Z had melted some Of the snow at the
top and 1t had run down the slanting
roof and formed huge icicles on what
had been the caves Of the house. The
man had cut away the drifts from
doors and windows for light and lib
erty. AT nrst every stormy night
s would fill his laboriou5 clearings with
drifting snow, but as 1t became pack
, ed down and frozen solid he was able
: TO keep his various ways open without
q great deal Of difficulty. A little
work every morning and evening suf-
feed.
Every day he had to go down the
mountain stairway 70 the bottom of
the pocket to feed and water the bur-
} ros. What was a quick and simple
< task in milder, warmer seasons some
( times took him half day under the
Z present rigorous conditions. And the
/. woman never saw him start out in
( the storm without a sinking heart and
& grave apprehension. On his return to
( the cabin half frozen, almost spent
and exhausted, she ever welcomed him
with eager gratitude and satisfaction
which would shine in her eyes, throb
IN her heart and tremble upon her
: lips, control it as she might. And he
thought it was well worth all the trou-
: greeted when he came back to her.
& Winter had set in unusually early
: and with unprecedented severity. Any
+ kind of winter in the mountains
< would have amazed the girl. but even
the man with his larger experience
declared he had never before known
such sharp and sudden cold, or such
deep and lasting SHOWS. His daily
records had never shown such low
} temperatures nor had his observation
ever noted such wild and furious
: storms as ragged then and there. II
seemed as if Nature were in a con
spiracy TO seal up the mountains and
all they contained. to make ingress
and egress alike impossible.
A month had elapsed and Ends
foot was now quite we'll The mar
had managed TO sew up her boo
where the knife had cut IL and al
though the job was a clumsy one the
result was q disable shoe. It Is as
tonishing the comfort she took wheI
she first put II on and discarded To-
good the shapeless wooden stocking
which had covered the clumsy band
age happily no longer necessary. Al
though the torn and bruised membe
had healed and she could use II witt
care, her foot was still very tende
and capable of sustaining no yiolen
or long continued strain. or neces
sity she had been largely confined Z
the house, but whenever II had bee
possible he had wrapped her in hi
great bear skin coat and had helpe.
her out 70 the edge of the cliff 20
breath Of fresh air.
Sometimes he would leave he
there alone. would perhaps have LEI
her alone there always had she nc
imperiously required his company.
Insensibly she had acquired the hal
it-not a difficult one for a woman {
fall into-of taking the lead in III
small affairs OF their circumscribe
existence. and he had acquiesced
her dominance without hesitation c
remonstrance. It was she who o
dered their daily walk and converts
ton Her wishes were consulte
about everything; to be sure no grei
range OF choice was allowed them, {
liberty OF action o. freedom IN Ii
CONSTANTS with which nature boun
them, but whenever there was an
selection she made #
The man yielded everything for b.
and yet he did Il without m any We
deTogating from his self-respect {
without surrendering his natural &
dependence. The woman instinctiv
~ realized that IN any great crisis
any large matter, the Discriminate
Of which would naturally effect the
present or their future, their happi
ess. welfare life, he would assert hi1
self, and his assertion would be u
questioned and unquestionable by he
There was q delightful satisfactiC
20 the woman IN the whole situatio
She had q woman's desire to lead
the smaller things in life, and Y
c-aved the woman's consciousne
that IN the great emergencies s.
. would be led, in the great battles 81
would be fought for. In the great da
gers she you'd be protected, In q
great per Is abe would be cave
There was rest comfort Joy and sat