oy of her thought was her great support in the long days of
solitude that followed, and it filled her mind with a peace that left
her undisturbed. She filled each moment of her waking hours with the
labours which had become her habit. The Sleepers would soon awaken, and
all must be made ready for that moment when the work of the open season
began. It was her simple pride that with the return of her man he should
be able to find no fault.

Ah, she was longing for that moment. The return of her man. Perhaps a
triumphant return. She did not know. She could not guess. His success
would give her joy only that she would witness the light of triumph
shining in his eyes. Happiness for her would lie in his return.

He would come. She knew he would come. Her faith was expressed in the
sublime trust and confidence which her woman's adoration had built up
about the idol of her life. No god of the human mind was ever endowed
with greater, more infallible powers. So the hours of labour were brief
and swiftly passing, for she felt that each detail of her daily life was
carried out under the approving eyes that, in her imagination, were
always looking on. She was happy--utterly, completely happy. She could
have sung throughout the hours of waking, had song been her habit. She
could have laughed aloud, if the Indian in her permitted it. Heart,
mind, and body were absorbed in her faith.

* * * * *

It was in the dead of night. An-ina stirred restlessly under the
blankets which were those that once had covered the white mother of
Marcel. In a moment she was wide awake, sitting up in the darkness,
listening. The savage barking of the three old dogs, the only dogs now
left in the compound behind the fort, had roused her from sleep. It was
a furious chorus that warned her of the unusual. It suggested to her
mind the approach of marauding wolves, or some other creature that
haunted the Northern wastes.

She sprang from her bed without a moment's hesitation. Fear was unknown
to her. She knew the old dogs, long past the work of the trail, were not
easily disturbed in their slumbers. It was for her to ascertain, if
necessary----

The chorus was still raging as she flung open the door of the store, and
stood peering out into the brilliant night. Steve's repeating rifle was
ready in her hand. She had lit the lamp before she removed the bars of
the door, and stood silhouetted against its yellow light. Only a wom