San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-10-21
The Making Of
a Husband
Ann Lisle's N e 10
Phase of Jim and
Amme's Marital
Adventure
By ANN Isle
By ANN LIsLE
Chapter SO.


Copyright. 1895. King Feature Syn. Inc
Going to bed was ono matter. Get
ding to sleep was quite another. The
raging Of the storm and the fury of
the blizzard kept me awake and made
me 50 nervous that I could only toss
and tumble and try to figure out
every problem that had gone through
my mind during the day. Jeanie's
insulting suggestion that I drive Jim
to seek consolation elsewhere" in
famed my Imagination.
The house was full Of the crenk-
Ing sounds of the night. And the
outdoor world was "A veritable bedlam
OF soughing sleet, cracking icicles and
the thuddings Of little ayalanches of
snow sliding from breaking branches.
The night seemed to get ever darker
and more storm wracked. Ny heart
was in tumult Of fear and resentment.
But at last slept from sheer exhaus-
ton. Suddenly I awoke. 1t was still
dark, but the world was wrapped in
that hush that precedes the dawn.
The wind had died down. And then
! heard a faint noise which seemed
to come from far away. 1t grew louder
and louder. 1t appeared to have
some human quality. For a minute
/ huddled under the blankets hating
to drag myself outside their warmth.
dreading the cold and the effort it
would take to rouse myself and 20
find what IL was that summoned me.
At last could not bear to lie there
hearing faint, faraway sounds whose
source could not trace. ! got up.
put on my warm blanket robe and
tip-toed to my door. The sound SEEM
ed to call me to the hall. and so at
last to the front door. When / got
there, the noise had ceased. / listen
ed for a moment, put the whole thing
down. to my imagination and started
to 20 upstairs and back to bed.
I was already near the top step
when something called me back. j
rushed down the stairs, seized the
front door, pulled back the bolt and
threw open the top Of the door, which
is made to swing open in two sections.
For n minute / saw nothing. Then
a faint scratching made me look
down. There was mound OF snow
on the porch. 1t looked as IL it had
drifted across the door.
Perhaps I should not have guessed
what lay beneath that mound OF snow
IL had not seen several tins Of coup
and sundry boxes and bags scattered
about on the porch and on the path
leading to the house. But at the sight
of the provisions he had gone to fetch
from the village / realized what lay
beneath that snow drift against the
door.
"Tarasov / cried.
Not a sound answered me. 1 tried
to open the lower section of the door
but il was frozen fast and would not
move easily. I did not dare push
against it too hard lest 1t lurch back
and strike whatever was left to lie
there so inert under the snow. L
rushed upstairs, flung on breeches.
sweater, mitten and boots-Jims
hunting outfit-and so equipped 1
hurried down again and vaulted out
to the side of the silent mound when
filled my heart with terror and al,
miration for the loyalty that had
brought Tarasov to The Birches car
rying his pack Of provisions through
the blizzard.
/ leaned down and began brushing
the snow back carefully and with
sense of terror that is indescribable.
In a moment or two I had uncovered
an arm lying across a face.
The face was flushed and pink. 1t
was warm. The hand was stiff in
side its mitten. A sudden instinct
made me realize that Tarasov had
been half frozen when he dragged
himself up to the porch, and that
when he couldn't arouse me he had
covered himself with a protective
blanket of snow to keep from freezing
before help came. -.
In furry of desperate activity ]
rushed upstairs, woke Jeanne, gave
her n breathless explanation and some
protective clothes. and together we
vent downstairs, melted the slot OF
ice that was keeping the lower half
of the door from swinging open, and
then dragged Tarasov in.
Ito Be C0ntinued)