Evening star., 1928-05-27
BIRTHRIGHT
By Kathleen Norris
The Story of an Heiress Breaking Into Society.
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! the table she fed the fire with what
ever was nfiammable.
! Gradually the blessed heat began tC
make itself felt. and to penetrate theil
very bones. Patricia cleared one END
/ of the table and opened 6 great glass
/ jar of soup.
With coffee and soup, we needn't
| penetrate that icy kitchen, she sub
| mitted. open that can of cream; let us
/ eat. l have never, in the course of -
years. been SO hungry"
In the course of IS. l have never
been so happy" he said.
1t it 25?" Patricia, STOPPING over the
coffee-pot turned to ask.
Last August. the tenth"
Dan! But that's my birthday. too, y
She smiled delightedly oveE the coinci-
dence as she poured the smoking coffee.
Isn't this wonderful?" she rejoiced.
Up here III the very heart of the for
est. warm and comfortable and eating
such wonderful food, / feel as If I had
been reduced TOTO lower terms. put in
different gear"
Lets settle this business of--keyS." "
Dan said. when the meal was somewhat
advanced and mere hunger was not the
uppermoSt emotion With both. What
arrangement was your aunt TO make?'
he asked.
THE other cabin. where all the
hunks are. is just about a hundred
yards up the trail" she answered. She
was going to put the men here, on
these couches, l think, end have the
six women up there"
Suppose we take a look at it." he
suggested. rising. II want to get the
car under cover. too"
- .NG
opened it 10 a gust of snowy air Pat
ricia. stepping from the cabins COM
parative light and warmth into the cold
and darkness, shuddered The wind
was bowling bitterly. the all was full of
stinging particles of fine snow. which
fell steadily. They f1oundeIed down to
the car. cold, shaken. exhausted again,
the work of the last two hours instantly
undone.
mo use. we can't move her." was his
verdict on the car.
we should have died in this. DAN"
Patricia shouted, her lips close TO his
ear.
You bet we would" he answered
fervently.
Patricia began to entertain very lively
fears that they would die as it was,
even with the faint red light Of the
cabin window a hundred feet away.
It seemed impossible that anything
human could live under this terrible
sky and these great trees. trapped and
Smothered by the wet. cold SoftneSS of
the snow
She helped him fasten sCme Tapping
robes over the engine, every movement
they made dislodging the lightly packed
snow. Shaking. trembling, they fought
slipped and stumbled to the door,
tugged it open. and stood Shuddering
and cramped before the fire.
II think that had better end any
talk of the other cabin Patricia said,
when she could speak again, and the
incredible process of getting warm had
been renewed You would have to
drag wood up there, and keep both fires
going. I doubt If we could find 1t in
the dark, anyway. I hope we are safe
here
What could hspen to lis here?" he
asked sensibly I'VE have plenty Of
food and plenty of wood" And quite
naturally he added: Can you make
yourself comfortable on that settee. do
you think? II you want to go to sleep.
I'll watch the FIRE"
Does one of us have to stay awake?"
she demanded.
"Oh, no. / meant that I'd fix my
self bed here beside it," he answered,
and for a few minutes nothing more
was said. Patricia cleared the table,
stacked her supplies neatly for the
morning: Dan made icy and breathlesS
Journeys to the cellar for wood
The fire cracked and leaped; green
sap bubbled from the ends OF the great
logs. The candles wavered In little
drafts that crept in; the lamp burned
steadily in its glass chimney.
Inside. Dan and Patricia smiled at
each other from their big chairs by
the fire. Outside the blizzard howled
and whimpered. and the snow piled
Itself softly over the world. and over
the stalled motorcar, and the tiny cabin
hidden away In the forest of Mountain
head
More than once. in the long straining
and buffeting of the wild night. Pat
ricia awakened, in her deep nest of
robes ara pillows, and locked about
her
Away the scene was the same. The
fire burned steadily, and beside 1t lay
Dan on an improvised couch OF cush-
ions. The light Of the flames touched
warmly here and there Shadows
massed and broke again IN the corners
of the room.
Outside, the storm ragged on
Branches cracked, once a tree fell. with
a slowly rising crescendo of sound
Patricia. turning drowsy eyes toward
the side window could see that the
snow was actually creeping up against
the pane. They were snowbound.
She looked at Dan. or rather at the