Part 16 (1/2)

”We haven't anything to start on, dearest”--Donald grinned aot to carve existence out of this” He included the surrounding desolation with a sweep of his ar would be!”

”You've forgotten one thing we have,” re eyes

”What's that?

”Each other, stupid!”But ere long she regretted the words

CHAPTER XIV

A FRIGID IDYL

Arrived back at the little shanty, they set about their housekeeping at once The situation ht have been delicate in other periods and clirisly facts Face to face with theer, in a land where the terade eats coal, s when October conant best to keep the that persons of a temperate clime never experience

When the temperature reaches ten below zero the papers are full of it, and there is general consternation But, here, in latitude fifty-four north, the oes down to fifty or sixty below, and life beco that is at best only mere existence, and at worst, annihilation

And these were the two foes that a hardy man and a delicately natured woman set themselves to defeat

”I--I can't very well sleep outside the shanty,” said Donald as indifferently as possible ”I have no tent or sleeping-bag I should freeze to death”

The girl colored slightly, and asked:

”Is there no way to make a partition?” The man pondered a minute, and then shook his head

”Of course,” he explained, ”a wood partition is out of the question, because any real tree would break ax steel into brittle bits

However, there are the robes and blankets you traveled in If we find we can spare one of those, we'll fix a partition--otherwise not We can't risk freezing our faces or our bodies at night”

He spoke with a tone of genial friendliness, but there was a note of undisputable authority in his voice that silenced whatever objection the girl an to feel that this man knew He would cherish her to his last breath, but what he said she must obey, both for his sake and her own There was no equivocation possible; he had taken coive orders, which he expected her to obey pro for the best He _knew_, and she did not Therefore, she would trust herself to him So, she surrendered her will to his, and felt little thrills of ad their temporary life in this wretched hovel, which, somehow, had stolen a little of the sunshi+ne fro-place

Leaving her to set the place in order as much as possible, Donald returned to the river and the upturned sledge The latter, grounding in a shallow, had stopped the down-strea solid in the ice With his knife, he chopped away around the edges, and found the pack thongs still around the sledge Hazardous poking with a hooked branch brought the pack to light froh, but it was a flat and sickly reone, but the tea, which had been in a canister, was unspoiled A chunk of fat ht prove of some value after treatreeted as priceless finds, and a rusted woodsle steel trap caht He examined it closely, and discovered why it had been taken on the trip by Charley Seguis and his companions

It was broken, and no doubt one of the trappers had expected to ht by the camp-fire Just now, Donald could not tell whether it was beyond his skill or not

Laden with his finds, he returned to the shanty, where Jean had succeeded in coaxing a fire to burn in the old stone chimney at one end Near by lay the re

”Those will do for to-night,” he said, ”but, after supper, I must catch some ht I noticed several things there this o away and leave hts and days she had braved the wilderness single-handed

”We'll go together then, princess,” he replied, s It was now late in the afternoon, and almost dark, so they set about dinner, which consisted of fish and tea During the arded Jean for a little in quizzical silence

”I'lad Mr Gates, the missionary, is with your father,” he said, at last

”I'm not, particularly; he's only in the way, and wants to preach all the tilad?”

”Just for the convenience of the thing, that's all When we join the men from Fort Severn, he canirl, severely ”I can't say that we have to rush into matrimony the moment we perceive a cassock

Personally, next June at the fort, when the _brigades_ have come down, and there are flowers, and so forth, I shall be more ready to talk the matter over with you” She looked at him with eyebrows lifted in mock condescension while she stirred the fish with a tin spoon