The Daily Alaska empire., 1932-10-01

She slipped down on tre floor went barefoot to the door, anc stood with the knob in her hand
 summoning up her courage tt open it. The knob was cold, anc very smooth with age; it was ma.
 hogany like the heavy door. Jus i above her hand there was a bolt She could slip the bolt and ge back into bed again.
 She turned the knob and coenec the door; and as she did so, tiss curtain blew in with the draught and the moonlight ran across vh: floor. She stepped outside anc closed the door behind her, hold ing to it. There was a soft woody mat under her feet. M Her room was at the end of a short passage The passage gave upon the stair head. The dogs whine and the sound of his pad ding feet came up the well of the stair. sar
 i She latched her door and went along the passage to the head of the stairs. It was not dark here The moon struck through a long window set with painted glass bleaching the colors and making them like colors seen in a dream Nan leaned orl the rail and looked over into the dark hall- The pad ding and the whining had stopped She called softly.
 Bran Bran" and irnmed- dtely she heard him take the stair She saw him for a moment, huge and black against the lighted win dow, and said his name again, anc then he was pressing against her jerking his head up under hei hand and whilnpering.
 ! What is it?" asked Nan. What /, is it, Bran?"
 He nuzzled her hand and whin- cd
 1 All at once Nan was twice as l frightened as she had been be- fore. She wanted to get back tc her room and bolt herself in. She took Bran by the collar, and he ran with her. She was breathing hard as she shot the bolt. i When she turned from the door she saw Bran reared up on his hind legs at the window with the curtain blowing round him. The moonlight threw a monstrous shad- ow almost to her feet. His nails scraped on the sill.
 She ran to him and pulled away the curtain.
 What is it? Whats the matter Bran?"
 He quivered and blew against the glass. With her hand on his neck she could feel his hackles rise. She pressed against him and looked out. The window looked to | the Southwest. It was open at the top. Bran pushed the glass with his nose and whimpered It was a heavy, old-fashioned window, and Nan strained as she raised it. The wind flooded the room-a soft, damp wind and she and Bran leaned out togef fher The terrace beneath the window looked like grey, plotting paper with symmetrical blots of ink in regular intervals. The b1ots were flower beds full of crimson and scarlet and orange and flame col ored snapdragons. They had been brilliant under the grey sweep of the rain; now, under the moon, they were blots of ink. It was queer to think of all those bright colors asleep.
 The terrace was wide. A low balustrade guarded it. Then the grass fell away, shadowy, mys- teriously, to the unseen ravine, whose waters made deep under tone to the soughing of the wind.
 All at once the moonlight drain cO away lAild UllCI ullQcI IltI hand she felt Bran's great throat muscles thrum to a growl too faint Ito reach her ears. She pressed icloser to him and whispered. What is it?"
 He flung up his head impatient fly The drumming went on. A lgleam of light slipped out between two hurrying clouds. A far off rumble seemed to answer Bran.
 Nan rubbed her cheek against his ear
 Darling lamb-don't you like thunder? Is there going to be a storm?"
 He shook himself free and lean- led forward She could hear him growing now. A pale violet flare changed the sky, and was gone again. Bran qnivered and snuff ed the wind. Nan pulled at his collar, and might just as well have pulled at the hasp of the window.
 ! A second flare lit everything with a sudden brilliance Nan saw the