old him I must
sleep, for my feet and legs were numb and my arms and shoulders ached
with sharp pains; then I cried like a baby. Soon Al began to play out
also, and John plead with him not to give up. Al took me by one arm and
John the other, and together they fairly dragged me over the snow.

"When we least expected it, we stumbled over the steps that led to
the Summit House. In a few moments we were at the door, but I was
helpless. The summit was completely buried, except at one end, where the
wind had kept it clear. John hastily examined the windows, only to find
that every opening was securely covered with an iron shutter. We were
lost! I heard John muttering to himself; then he slipped his fingers
under the bottom of the shutter, braced his feet, and pulled with a
superhuman strength--the strength of a last hope. With a creak the
shutter gave at its fastenings, then bent in the middle, and slipped out.
He then knocked out the double window with his elbow and soon had me
inside.

"We found candles in a jar, and there was a great wood stove in the room,
but no fuel. He didn't hesitate, but went to the counter, removed the
shelves from it, and, with a meat cleaver which lay on the table, he cut
the shelves, and we soon had a fire. We heard sounds outside, and
realized that the something we had heard behind us on the snow was at the
window. We were conscious of a presence without being able to see it.
John went to the broken window and looked out, but he could see nothing.
Soon we heard stealthy steps back and forth on the flat roof above. He
barricaded the window, brought snow on the end of a board, and rubbed my
face, feet, and legs with it, then wrapped me in tablecloths which he
found in the cupboard. Several times he brought a great armful of shelves
from the storeroom and cut them up for the stove.

"As soon as the fire was started, Al lay down on the floor and fell into
a heavy sleep. We could not waken him, and it frightened us badly. John
began to cry, and I think if it had not been for the constant pacing back
and forth of the strange animal on the roof we would all have given up.
Soon the first streaks of dawn began to show themselves, and with the
light the pacing on the roof stopped. John climbed up the tower steps and
peered out just in time to see the animal jump from the roof and
disappear.

"The house was fairly overrun with rats that scampered in every
direction. I thought I had seen rats, mountai