ent out to feed the team, Bailey went over toward
the wretched woman. His face was kind but firm:

"Mrs. Burke, I hope you've decided not to do this thing."

She looked at him with shrinking eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you can't afford to go away with Jim this way."

"What else can I do? I can't live without him, and I can't go back."

"Well, then, go away alone. Go back to your folks."

"Oh, I can't do that! Can't you see," she said, finding words with
effort--"can't you see, I _must_ go? Jim is my real husband. I must be
true to him now. My folks can't help me--nobody can help me but Jim--If
he stands by me, I can live." She stopped, feeling sure she had
explained nothing. It was so hard to find words.

"There must be some way out of it," he replied, and his hesitation
helped her. She saw that he was thinking upon the problem, and found it
not at all a clear case against her.

After Rivers came back they resumed their seats about the fire, talking
about the storm--at least, Bailey talked, and Rivers had the grace to
listen. He really seemed less sullen and more thoughtful.

Outside the warring winds howled on. The eye could not penetrate the
veils of snow which streamed through the air on level lines. The
powdered ice rose from the ground in waves which buffeted one another
and fell in spray, only to rise again in ceaseless, tumultuous action.
There was no sky and no earth. Everything slid, sifted, drifted, or
madly swirled.

The three prisoners fell at last into silence. They sat in the dim,
yellow-gray dusk and stared gloomily at the stove, growing each moment
more repellent to one another. They met one another's eyes at intervals
with surprise and horror. The world without seemed utterly lost. Wailing
voices sobbed in the pipe and at the windows. Sudden agonized shrieks
came out of the blur of sound. The hours drew out to enormous length,
though the day was short. The windows were furred deep with frost. At
four o'clock it was dark, and, as he placed the lamp on the table,
Bailey said,

"Well, Jim, we're in for another night of it."

Rivers leaped up as if he had been struck.

"Yes, curse it. It looks as if it would never let up again." He raged up
and down the room with the spirit of blasphemy burning in his eyes. "I
wish I'd never seen the accursed country."

"Will you go feed the team, or shall I?" Bailey quietly interrupted.

"I'll go." And he went out into the storm with savage resol