The Daily Alaska empire., 1933-10-11
chlapter 2pL
TRAILING A HOPE

CAROLINE drew back little. She V didn't want anyone from the vil- lage to see her leaning out of her window at midnight. The steps were coming towards the village, not from it. She wondered who it could be that was coming home so late.
 She leaned forward again with a shiver running over her. There was someone standing at the gate. She could see no more than that. A hornbeam hedge divided the garden from the road. It was cut into an archway over the gate, and under this arch someone was standing. Caroline could see nothing but a dark shape standing there quite still.
 The little breath of air had died away. None of the shadows in the garden moved. And then all at once the shadow by the gate did move. She heard the click of the latch, the gate swung, creaking little. and a man came a few slow steps along the path. He stopped between the second and third rose-trees and looked up.
 Tn that moment Caroline thought that her heart had stopped. Every thing seemed to stop, because, in the dusk that was neither light nor dark ness. she thought 1t was Jim Randall standing there. He had stood like that, a hundred times, looking up at the old schoolroom window when he wanted her-calling, "Caroline!"
 He didn't call now. It wasn't Jim it couldn't be Jim. Oh, Jim was drowned. How could it-how could it be Jim? Did anyone ever come back like that in the dead of the night? She felt as if she were drowning too, because she couldn't take her breath.
 And then quite suddenly he turned and went down the path and out at the gate. The gate clicked, and everything went on again.
 Caroline found herself taking deep choking breaths. Her heart raced furiously. The next thing she knew she was on the stairs, running down; and then the door was open and she was on the brick step, listen- ing. There was no sound behind her in the house. There was no sound in the garden, not the rustic of leaf or the stirring of bird; but from the road there came the faint sound of footsteps that were going away.
 She ran down the path and out of the gate and followed them.
 It was cool in the road. and dark because of the elm-trees. The moon was somewhere behind the trees. Carolins ran little way, and then stopped to listen again. The foot steps were just ahead, and present ly she could sec a something that was darker than the shadow of the elms, moving before her at steady pace
 THEV went past the churchyard ! and passed the church. They came to the green, with the pond catching the moonlight like looking glass. There were trees still along the edge of the road. trees with spaces of moonlight in between.
 When he crossed the moonlight patches. Caroline was afraid. She could see no more than tall man walking as if lie were tired. It was when he was only a shadow that she felt most sure that he was Jim.
 They passed a little row of silent. empty shops. They passed Mrs. Grainger's cottage. It had one pale lighted window. Mrs. Grainger slept badly. and was inordinateiy proud of the fact that she often read until past midnight It was past midnight nows
 Caroline looked back over her shoulder and saw the window very small and far away. The village world. other people, firelight. lamp light-the whole of everyday life-- they were all small and far away and left behind.
 And with that the gate-posts of Hale Place stood up in front of her in the ghostiy light. There was no gate between them. nor ever had been since Caroline could remember. But the posts had always been there