w I pray all
de time an' Papineau heem begin to get vell again. But de time vos
like having big knife planted in my 'eart, jus' like dat."

She made a gesture as if she had stabbed herself, and went on:

"You not know 'ow 'appy you must be you no love a man as goin' for die
soon. You--you go crazy times like dat!"

But Madge made no answer and could only continue to stare at the form
that seemed to grow dimmer as the small oil lamp cast flickering
shadows in the room. In her ears the continued, eternal sound of the
great falls had taken on an ominous character. It was like some solemn
dirge that rose and fell, unaccountably, like the breathing of a vast
force that could reck nothing of the piteous tragedy being enacted. It
appeared to be growing ever so much colder again. A few feet away from
the stove it was freezing. She sought to look out of the little window
but great massing clouds had hidden the crimson of sunset. A strong
wind was arising and caused the great firs and spruces to groan
dismally. The minutes were again becoming cruel things that tortured
one with their maddening slowness. The girl became conscious of the
beats of her heart, unaccountably slow, as she thought.

And then, for a moment, that heart stopped utterly. A shout had come
from the little lumber road and Maigan was barking at the door
excitedly, in spite of the older woman's scolding. The toboggan
slithered over the snow and there was a patter of dogs' feet.

Madge threw the door open and let in a man in a great coonskin coat,
who was carrying a bag. In spite of the heaviest fur mitts his hands
were chilled and for a moment he held them to the glow of the stove,
before turning calmly to his patient, after a curt nod to each of the
women.

CHAPTER XIII

A Widening Horizon

"I'm Dr. Starr," the man introduced himself. "It's turning mighty cold
again. We only hit the high places after I got on Stefan's toboggan, I
can tell you. How the man kept up with his team I can't tell you, but
he ran all the way."

He threw off his heavy coat and turned to the bunk.

"Now let's see what we've got here," he said.

The two women were scanning his face, holding their breaths, but Mrs.
Papineau had the lamp and held it so as to cast some light on Hugo.
The doctor's expression, however, was quite inscrutable.

"Your husband?" he asked the girl, who shook her head. "Well, perhaps
it's a good thing he's not. Put a lot of water to boil on the