irs close up to the stove. The house was very quiet, and Agatha could
hear the mournful wailing of the wind about it, with now and then the
soft swish of driven snow upon the walls and roofing shingles.

The table was laid for supper, and the kettle was singing cheerfully
upon the stove, but there was no sign of the other members of the
family, and presently Agatha began to feel a little anxious. Mrs.
Hastings, she fancied, would stay one night at Lander's, if there was
any unfavorable change in the weather, but she wondered what could be
detaining Hastings. It was not very far to the bluff, and as he could
not have continued chopping in the darkness it seemed to her that he
should have reached the homestead.

He did not come, however, and she grew more uneasy as the time slipped
by. The wail of the wind grew louder and the stove crackled more
noisily. At last one of the little girls rose with a cry that she
thought she heard the beat of hoofs. The impression grew more distinct
until she was sure that some one was riding toward the homestead, and
Agatha heard the hoofbeats, but soon after that the sound ceased
abruptly, and she could not hear the rattle of flung-down logs which she
had expected. This struck Agatha as curious, since she knew that
Hastings generally unloaded the sled before he led the team to the
stable. She waited a moment or two, but except for the doleful wind
nothing broke the silence now, and when the stillness became oppressive
she moved towards the door.

The wind tore the door from her grasp when she opened it, and flung it
against the wall with a jarring crash, while a fine powder that stung
the skin unbearably drove into her face. For a few moments she could see
nothing but a whirling haze, and then, as her eyes became accustomed to
the change of light, she dimly made out the blurred white figures of the
horses standing still, with the load of birch logs rising a shapeless
mass behind them. There seemed to be nobody with the team, and, though
she twice called sharply, no answer came out of the falling snow. Then
she recognized the significant fact that the team had come home alone.

It was difficult to close the door, and before she accomplished what was
a feat of strength her hands had stiffened and grown almost useless, and
the hall was strewn with snow. It was every evident that there was
something for her to do. It cost her three or four minutes to slip on a
blanket skirt, and soft hide m