he darkness swallowed his stalwart form as the
worst storm the Sage Brush country had ever known broke furiously upon
the whole valley.

And out on the porch steps stood a girl conscious, not of the
storm-wind, nor the beating rain, nor cleaving lightning; conscious only
that something had suddenly gone out of her life into the blackness
whither Joe Thomson had gone; and with the heartache of the loss of the
moment was a strange resentment toward a brave-hearted little Norwegian
girl--a harvest-hand with a crippled brother, an adopted baby, and a
university education.

XVIII

THE LORD HATH HIS WAY IN THE STORM

Laura Macpherson sat on the porch, watching her brother coming slowly up
the street, seemingly as oblivious to the splendor of the sunset
to-night as he had been on a June evening three summers ago.

"That was the worst cloudburst I ever heard of out here," he declared,
when he reached the porch. "Every man in town who could carry a shovel
has been out all day, up-stream or down-stream, helping to dig out the
bottomland farms. I've been clear to the upper Sage Brush, doing a stunt
or two myself. I left my muddy boots and overalls at the office so that
I wouldn't be smearing up your old Castle here."

Even in the smallest things York's thoughts were for his crippled
sister.

"There's a lot of wild stories out about buildings being swept away and
lives being lost, here and there in the valley. You needn't believe all
of them until your trustworthy brother confirms them for you, little
sister. Such events have their tragedies, but the first estimate is
always oversize."

"Even if your Big Dipper tells me, shall I wait for your confirmation?"
Laura inquired, blandly.

"Oh, Laura, I'm going to cut out all that astronomical business now,
even if I always did know that the right way to pronounce the name Bahrr
is plain Bear, however much you have to stutter to spell it. Stellar has
been, as the Methodists say, 'redeemed and washed in the blood of the
Lamb.' I'm taking her in on probation, myself, and if she sticks it out
for six months I'll take her into full membership."

"What do you mean, York?" Laura inquired.

"I mean that since they settled the school row in secret session, Mrs.
Bahrr has been as different a woman as one can be who has let the habit
of evil thinking become a taskmaster. I've never told you that her
husband is still living, a shabby old fellow who gives me money for her
suppo