obes of minever over a stony path; but she put
aside the temptation.

To the Sisterhood of the "Anchorage" she had given one-half the
proceeds of the picture sale; and the remainder would enable her at
last to renew the search for her unhappy brother. So vague were the
topographical lines furnished by the English tourist, that prosecuting
her quest in the remote wilderness of mountains, which wore their crown
of snow, seemed a reckless waste of hope, time and money; nevertheless,
she must make the attempt. She knew that a gigantic railway system was
crawling like an anaconda under rocky ranges, over foaming rivers,
stretching its sinuous steel trail from Bay of Chaleur to Georgia Gulf;
with termini that saw the sun rise from the Atlantic Ocean, and watched
its setting in the red glory of the far Pacific; and perhaps steam
shovels, and iron tight-ropes might furnish her facilities on her long
journey.

Winter would soon overtake her, and in the inhospitable region where
her brother had been surprised at his prayers, how could a lonely woman
travel without protection? Doubt, apprehension flitted as ill-boding
birds of night, flapping dusky wings to hide the signal beacon, which
love and duty swung to and fro; yet the yearning to see her brother's
face again, dwarfed all barriers, and she trusted God's guidance.

On a chair near her, lay, on this afternoon, a map which for many days
she had been studying; and opening it once more, she ran a finger along
the dotted lines, mentally debating whether it would be best to go by
rail to Ottawa, by water to Sault St. Marie, whence the new railway
could be easily reached, or whether the most direct route would be via
St. Paul to Winnepeg. When she left the "Anchorage", her destination
must remain a secret; hence she could ask no counsel. In view of
approaching cold weather, economy of time seemed imperative; and she
resolved to buy a railway ticket to Fargo, where she could elude
suspicion, should the threatened invisible detective "shadow" her; and
whence another Pacific highway offered egress to western wilds. With
this definite conclusion she closed the map, and a moment later, some
one knocked at her door.

"Come in."

She went forward, and met Sister Katrina, a robust dame of forty years,
blond as Gerda; with the "light of the glowworm's tails" in her
golden-lashed violet eyes, and the "ruby spots of the cowslip's leaves"
on her full, frank lips.

"Will you sit a while