The Prescott daily news., 1918-04-16

were wet to the touch of her fingers. She unlocked the fastening, and swung the window out. A great gust of damp, warm wind blew strands of hair across her face. She leaned through the case ment, and drops of cold water struck her bare neck. That which she had heard was the dripping caves. The chinook wind droned It's spring song. and the bare boughs of the tree beside the cabin waved and creaked the time
 At dawn the caves had ceased their drip, and the dirt roof lay bare to the cloud-banked sky. From the southwest the wind still blew strong and warm The thick winter garment of the earth softened to slush, and vanished with amazing swiftness. Streams of water poured down every depression. Pools stood between the house and stable. Spring had leaped strong-armed upon old Winter and vanQuished him at the first onslaught.
 All that day the chinook blew, work ing its magic upon the land. When day broke again with a clearing sky, and the sun peered between the cloud rifts, his beams fell upon vast areas of brown and green, where but forty-eight hours gone there was the cold revelry of frost sprites upon far-fiung fields of snow. Patches of earth steamed wherever hillside lay bare to the sun. From some mysterious distance lone crow winged his way, and, perching on nearby treetop. cawed raucous greet ing.
 Hazel cleared away the breakfast things, and stood looking out the kitch- en window. Roaring Bill sat on a log, shirt-sleeved. smoking his pipe. Pres ently he went over to the stable, Led out his horses, and gave them their nb- erty. For twenty minutes or so he stood watching their mad capers as they ran and leaped and pranced back and forth over the clearing Then he walked off Into the timber, his rife over his shoulder
 Hazel washed her dishes and went outside. She did not know why. but all at once terrible feeling of utter forlornness seized her. It was spring and also 1t was spring in other lands. The wilderness suddenly took on the characteristics of a prison, in which she was sentenced to solitary conflne- ment. She rebelled against 1t, rebelled against her surroundings, against the manner of her being there, against everything. She hated the North, she wished to be gone from 1t, and most of all she hated Bill Wagstafr for con- straining her presence there.
 All the heaviness of heart, all the re- sentiment she had felt in the first few days when she followed him perforce away from Cariboo Meadows. came back to her with redoubled force that afternoon. She went back into the house, now gloomy without fire, slumped forlornly into chair, and cried herself into condition approach ing hysteria. And she was sitting there, her head bowed on her hands, when Bill returned from his hunting. The sun sent shaft through the south window, a shaft which rested on her dropping head. Roaring Bill walked slowly up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder.
 What Is it. little person1" he asked gently.
 She refused to answer.
 Say" he bent little lower, you know what the Tentmaker said: Come fill the cup. and in the fire of
 spring
 Your winter garment of repentance fling;
 The Bird of Time has but a little way To fiutter-and the Bird is on the wing"
 ''Life's too short to waste any of 1t in being uselessly miserable Come on out and go for q ride on silk. I'll take you up mountainside. and show you waterfall that leaps three hundred feet in the clear. The woods are walk Ing up and putting on their Easter bon nets. There's beauty everywhere. Come along"
 But she wrenched herself away from him.
 T want to go home" she walled. "T hate you and the North. and every thing in 1t. If you've got spark of manhood left in you, you'll take me out of here"
 Roaring Bill backed away from her. Do you mean that7 Honest Injun ?" he asked incredulously.
 q dol dol" she cried vehemently. Haven't I told you often enough7 I didn't come here willingly, and won't stay. I will not I have right to live my life in my own way. and it's not this way"
 "So," Roaring Bill began evenly, "springtime with you only means get