, and
very much like Jack's--stared up with a shining, wonderful gladness
into his face. But she was Mrs. Singleton Corey, and she would not act
the sentimental fool if she could help it!

"Yes, I--thought I should have to dig you out of a snowdrift,
you--young--scamp!"

"She'd a done it, believe _me_! Only I wasn't in any snowdrift, so she
couldn't--God love her!" He was half crying all the while and trying
to hide it; and half laughing, too, and altogether engrossed in the
joy of being able to hold his own mother like that, just as he had
hungered to do up there on the mountain.

It was the doctor who saw that emotion had reached the outer edge of
safety for Mrs. Singleton Corey. Over her head he scowled and made
warning signs to Jack, who gave her a last exuberant squeeze and let
the doctor lead her to a chair.

"I've got a wife out in the taxi, mother," he announced next. "She
wouldn't come in--she's afraid you won't like her. But you will, won't
you? Can't I tell her--"

"Bring her right in here to me, Jack," said Mrs. Singleton Corey,
gasping a bit, but fighting still for composure to face this miracle
of a pitying God.

Bit by bit the miracle resolved itself into a series of events which,
though surprising enough, could not by any stretch of the credulity be
called supernatural.

Mrs. Singleton Corey learned that, with a bullet lodged somewhere in
the upper, northwest corner of Jack's person, he had nevertheless
managed to struggle down through the storm to Marston, with Marion
helping him along and doing wonders to keep his nerve up. They had
taken the train without showing themselves at the depot, which was
perfectly easy, Jack informed her, but cold as the dickens.

She managed to grasp the fact that Jack and Marion had been married in
Sacramento, immediately after Jack had his shoulder dressed, and that
they had come straight on to Los Angeles, meaning to find her first
and face the music afterwards. She was made to understand how terribly
in earnest Jack had been, in going straight to the chief of police and
letting the district attorney know who he was, and then telling the
truth about the whole thing in court. She could not quite see how that
had settled the matter, until Jack explained that Fred Humphrey was a
good scout, if ever there was one. He had testified for the State, but
for all that he had told it so that Jack's story got over big with the
jury and the judge and the whole cheese.

F