He looked up and his eyes fell again.

"Bed-time, I reckon," Nance said.

"Yep--pretty tired. I'll turn in."

The old woman glided sidewise to the table near the kitchen door, picked
up the lantern and started to feel her way backwards through the calico
curtains.

"See you in the mornin', old gal," Jim drawled--"Christmas mornin'--an'
I got somethin' else to tell ye in the mornin'----"

Again his head sank to the table.

"All right, mister--good night!" Nance answered, slowly feeling her way
through the opening, watching him intently.

Jim lifted his head and nodded heavily for a moment. His hand slipped
from the table and he drew himself up sharply and rose, holding to the
table for support.

He picked up the plate of coin, poured it back in the bag, snapped the
lock and walked with the bag unsteadily to the couch. He placed the bag
under the pillow and pressed the soft feathers down over it, turned back
to the table and extinguished the candle by a quick, square blow of his
open palm on the flame.

He staggered to the couch, pushed the coats to the floor, dropped
heavily, drew the lap-robe over him and in five minutes was sound
asleep.

CHAPTER XIX. NANCE'S STOREHOUSE

The cabin was still. Only the broken sobbing of the woman in the little
shed-room came faint and low on old Nance's ears.

She slipped from the kitchen into the shadows of a tree near the house
and listened until the sobbing ceased.

She crept close to the shed and stood silent and ghost-like beside its
daubed walls. Immovable as a cat crouching in the hedge to spring on her
prey, she waited until the waning moon had sunk behind the crags. She
laid her ear close to a crack in the logs from which she had once pushed
the red mud to let in the light. All was still at last. The sobbing had
stopped. The young wife was sound asleep.

She had wondered vaguely at first about the crying, but quickly made
up her mind that it was only a lover's quarrel. She was glad of it. The
girl would bar her door and sulk all night. So much the better. There
would be no danger of her entering the living-room where Jim slept.

She would wait a little longer to make sure she was asleep. A half hour
passed. The white-shrouded figure stood immovable, her keen ears tuned
for the slightest sounds from within.

The stars were shining in unusual brilliance. She could see her way
through the shadows even better than in full moon. A wolf was crying
again f