The daily Alaskan., 1922-03-30

| Ills eyes grew earnest anu tue ""'N fire went out of them. "lt's almost as if you were a queen. a real queen of some great kingdom" he told her, tremulous with great awe that was stealing over him. as a mist steals over water. And because had kissed your fingers for ever and ever ] was your subject, living only TO fight your 1 fghts-maybe with a dream tn the end to kiss your fingers again. When you bent and kissed me on that hilI- side-for him to see-it was the same: ! tbpt I was sworn 10 you. and nothing martered In my life except the service and love I could give you. And Ifs more than you ever dream. Snowhird. It's all yours, for your battles and your happiness"
 The great pines were silent above them. shadowed and dark. Perhaps they were listening to an ace-old story. those VOWS of service and self gained worth by which the race has struggled upward from the darkness. | But kissed vou-Once before. she reminded him. The voice was Iust whisper. hardly louder rhan the stir Of the leaves Tn the wind. "Rut that kiss didn't count" he told her. "It wasn't al all the same. ] loved you then, think. but lt didn't mean what jt did today"
 aAnd what" she leaned toward him. her eyes full on hls, "does it mean now?"
 "An rhar's worth while in life. all tbet matters when everything Is said that can he said. and all Is done thai can he done. And it means, please God when the dehtS are paid. that ! may have such a kiss again.
 "Nof untll then" she told him. whispering.
 "Unrn then. make oath that | won't even ask It. or receive ir If von should give it. It goes too deep. dear es,-and II means foo much"
 This was their pact. Not unr'l rh" dphts were paid and her word made good would those lips he his again. There was no need for further words Both of them knew.
 I In fhe skies. rhe gray clouds were gathering swiftly. as always tn 'hr mountains The rnlndrons were fall ing one and one. over The forest. The summer was done and fall bad come In earnest.
 The rains fell increasingly for seven ldavs. nor a dOwnpour hut a constant drlzzIe that made rhP distant ridges smoke The parChpd earth seemed to smack It's lips and little rlvuletS be gan to Fan and rumble over the hcdS of fhe dry streams. All danger Of for est fire was at once removed. and SnowhIrd was no longer needed as a l0okouf on old Bald mountain. She went tr her own home. her companion hack to the valley: and now that his sister had taken his place as house keeper, Rnl had gone down to the lower foothills with @ great part of thp live stock. Dan spent these rainy days in toU on rhe hillSIdes. building himself physically so that he might puy his debts.
 If was no great pleasure. these rainy days. He would have greatly liked 10 have fingered in the square mountain house. listening tn the quiet | mprmur of thp rain on The roof and watching Snnwhird at her household tasks. She could. as her father had said make a biscuit She could also rou up sleeves over trim brown arms and with entire good humOr do a weeks laundry for three hard-work' lnr men. He would have liked 10 Sit with her. through fhe long afternoons as she knitted beside the fireplace tO watch the play of her graceful hn' gers and perhaps now and then. to tnuch her hands when he held fhe skqins. But none nf these things trnn. snired. He drove himself from day Ilight in dark. developing hIs body fJT the tests that were sure 10 come.
 The first few days nearly killed him
 He over-exercised In rhe chill rain and one anxious night he developed all the symptoms of pneumonia. Such n sickness would have been the one thing needed 10 make the dortor's ( prnnhprv come true. But with Snow birds aid. and numerous hot drinks
 he fought II of.
 She had made him % to bed. and DO human memory could be so dull as to forget the little, whispered message that she gave him with his last spoun- fuI Of medicine. She said she'd pray for him. and she meant 1t tOO-li'eral entreating prayer thnt could not go un' heard. She was a mountain girl, and her beliefs were those Of her anceS' tors-simple and true and wholly without affectatiOn. But he hadn't relaxed thereafter. He knew the time had come to make the test. Night after night he would go to bed half sick from fatigue. but the mornings would find him fresh. And after two weeks. he knew he had passed the crisis and was on the direct road to complete recovery.
 Sometimes he cui wood in the for