Part 38 (1/2)

It sounded like a pronouncerow serious Mostly he was jovially cheerful, and his wife likewise

The North had emancipated them, and they were loyal to the source of their deliverance And Hazel understood, because she herself had found the wild land a benefactor, kindly in its silence, restful in its forested peace, a cure for sickness of soul Twice now it had rescued her from herself

November and December went their appointed way--and still no word of Bill If now and then her pilloet she struggled ainst depression She was not lonely in the dire significance of the word--but she longed passionately for him And she held fast to her faith that he would come

The last of the old year she went little abroad, ventured seldo And on New Year's Eve Jake Lauer's wife came to the cabin to stay

Hazel sat up, wide awake, on the instant There was not the slightest sound She had been deep in sleep Nevertheless she felt, rather than knew, that so-rooh her sluh fear, because in thealone fear had utterly forsaken her; but hope had leaped so often, only to fall sickeningly, that she was half persuaded it thened She slipped out of bed The door of the bedroohtly ajar

Bill stood before the fireplace, his shaggy fur cap pushed far back on his head, his gauntlets swinging froreat bed of coals on the hearth, and the glow shone redly on his frost-scabbed face But the , the marks of frostbite, the stubby beard, the tiny icicles that still clustered on his eyebrohile these traces of hardshi+p tugged at her heart they were forgotten when she saw the expression that overshadowed his face Wonder and unbelief and longing were all mirrored there

She took a shy step forward to see what riveted his gaze And despite the choking sensation in her throat she smiled--for she had taken off her little, beaded houseon the bearskin before the fire, and he was staring down at the and bewildered

[Illustration: Bill stood before the fireplace, his shaggy fur cap pushed far back on his head]

With that she opened the door and ran to hihost Then he opened his arms and drew her close to hi?” she whispered ”I guess it servedtih cheek down against the warm smoothness of hers ”Lord, _I_ didn't know you wanted me I ain't no telepathist, hon You never yeeped one little word since I left How long you been here?”

”Since last September” She se from me to the mine? Didn't you cohost--since Septeirl!”

he h Courvoiseur I never got it Maybe so happened hisaimlessly over around the Finlay River with a couple of trappers Couldn't settle down Never heard a word froiven you up I just blew in this way by sheer accident

Girl, girl, you don't kno good it is to see you again, to have this warht here and planted yourself to wait till I turned up?”

”Sure!” She laughed happily ”But I sent you word, even if you never got it Oh, well, it doesn'tmatters now You're here, and I'-headed idiot Do you think you can take another chance with ly--”do you want to kno strong I a a chance with you? Well, I was onthe next train East, just to see--just to see if you still cared two pins; to see if you still thought your game was better than mine”

”Well, you don't have to take any eastbound train to find that out,”

she cried gayly ”I'm here to tell you I care a lot more than any number of pins Oh, I've learned a lot in the last six months, Bill

I had to hurt et a jolt to jar ot it, and it did ht I ought to, because it was our ho it And I've been quite contented and happy--only hungry, oh, so dreadfully hungry, for you”