een stalled somewhere on the great
plain they were crossing became settled.

It was with the utmost difficulty that Doctor Churchill kept the road.
Only the fact that the storm was showing signs of decreasing, and that
now and then came moments when he could see more clearly the outlying
indications of fence and tree and infrequent habitation assured him that
he had not lost the way.

"Hark!" cried Charlotte, suddenly, as they plowed along.

For the instant the wind had lulled. Doctor Churchill stopped his
horses, and the three held their breath to listen. After a brief
interval came the faint, far toot of a horn. Then, away to the left, a
light suddenly flashed, vanished, and flashed again.

"There they are!" cried three exultant voices.

"But how shall we get to them?" shouted Just, instantly alive with
excitement. "Why, they're a mile away! There's no road over there, nor
any houses. They're right out in the fields."

Then the sifting snow shut down again. The three looked at one another
in the yellow glare from the automobile headlight.

* * * * *

CHAPTER VI

"Don't they see our light?" Charlotte asked, eagerly.

"I think perhaps they have seen it," Doctor Churchill answered, "and
that's why they were blowing their horns. Probably some of them will
start toward us. If they're not stuck, they'll begin to drive this way.
I believe the thing to do will be for Charlotte to stay here in the
sleigh, keeping the headlight pointed just to the left of that big
tree--I noticed that was where the flash of their fire came--and for
Just and me to start across the fields. I'll turn the horses with their
backs to the wind and blanket them. Then--hold on, I've a better plan.
Let's make a fire of our own. That will insure Charlotte's keeping
warm."

"Everything's too wet," objected Just. "That crowd must have had a time
getting green wood to burn."

"We can do it." Doctor Churchill was feeling among the robes at his
feet. "I thought of it before we started, and put in a kerosene-can and
some newspapers. Hatchet, too."

Just got out of the sleigh and waded away toward a thick growth of
underbrush along the side of the road.

In ten minutes a roaring fire was leaping into the descending snowfall.
A pile of brush and some broken fence-rails were left with Charlotte,
the horses made as snug as possible, and then the two others jumped the
fence and plunged off into the snow.

Gu