while Jim slept on a
big dry-goods box behind the stove, and he did as much for me during
the last half.

It was still snowing in the morning. We divided the food again,
leaving half of it for dinner, which left a breakfast lighter than the
supper had been. We were a good deal discouraged. But soon after noon
it stopped snowing and began to lighten up. It was still blowing and
drifting, but we thought we might as well be lost as to starve; so we
left the letter behind the board on the door and started out.

We got along better than we expected. The wind had shifted to the
northwest, so it was at our backs. We passed Johnson's deserted house
and finally came within sight of the town through the flying snow. We
were not twenty rods from the station when suddenly Jim exclaimed:

"Why, there's a train!"

Sure enough, just beyond the station was an engine with a big
snow-plow on it, with one freight-car and a passenger-car. A dozen
men with shovels stood beside it stamping their feet and swinging
their arms to keep from freezing. There were faces at the car-windows,
and Burrdock and Tom Carr were walking up and down the depot platform.
We came up to them looking pretty well astonished, I guess.

"When I got to the Junction yesterday I got orders to take another
train and come back here and get you folks," said Burrdock in answer
to our looks. "Just got here after shoveling all night, and want to
leave as soon as we can, before it gets to drifting any worse. This
branch is to be abandoned for the winter and the station closed. Hurry
up and get aboard!"

Jim and I were both too astonished to speak.

"Yes," said Tom Carr, "we were just starting after you when we saw you
coming. We're going to take Sours's horses and the cow in the box-car.
I just sent Andrew over after them--and the chickens, too, if he can
catch them."

I don't know how it was, but my face flushed up as hot as if it had
been on fire. I felt the tears coming into my eyes, I was in that
state of passion.

"Tom," I said, "who was left in charge of Sours's things?"

"Why--why, you were," answered Tom, almost as much astonished as I had
been a moment before.

"Who gave you authority to meddle with them?" I said.

"Nobody. But I knew you wouldn't want to leave them here to starve,
and I did it to save time."

"They're not going to starve here," I said, getting better control of
my voice. "Call Andrew back this minute. You've neither of you the
righ