hipmunk, fat from their summer
feeding, had retired to den or hollow tree where they were to sleep
snugly through the cold months.

Then one night the Storm King swept down from the North, locking the
forest in a frozen grip which only the spring could break. A thick
mantle of snow covered the wilderness over which a deep silence brooded,
broken now and then by a sharp report from some great pine or spruce as
the frost penetrated its fibers. The sun, which now shone but a few
hours of the day, could make no headway against the intense cold, but
those creatures of the wilderness which were still abroad were prepared
to meet it with warm coats of fur, through which the frost could not
penetrate.

The Hermit and Pal enjoyed the short crisp days and took many a trip
into the forest, the man upon snowshoes, the dog with his light weight
easily upborne by the crust. Then there were long, quiet evenings by the
fire, when the Hermit studied and Pal drowsed beside him, one eye on the
man, ready to respond to the least sign of attention.

At this season of hunger many wild creatures, which in the days of
abundance were too shy to approach the cabin, overcame their timidity,
to feast upon the good things spread for them about the clearing. The
birds, especially, grew so tame that they would fly to meet the Hermit
the moment he stepped forth. The bolder ones even found a perch on his
shoulders or head, chatting sociably or scolding at each other.
Occasionally one of the larger animals visited the banquet, and though
these were regarded somewhat askance by the regular frequenters, a truce
which was never violated held about the food supply.

One clear, crisp day in the late winter when the snow crust sparkled
under the sun's rays as if strewn with diamond dust, and the cold was
intense, Pal frolicked away by himself into the woods as the Hermit was
feeding his wild friends. That was nothing unusual but, as the afternoon
wore on and he did not return, his master began to feel a slight
uneasiness. Pal had never before stayed away so long. Occasionally the
Hermit went to the window which looked out upon the dark wall of the
wilderness, but there was no movement in its borders and the cold soon
drove him back to his warm fireside.

At length, when the sun was well down in the western sky, there came a
familiar scratching on the door of the cabin. The Hermit sprang to open
it, giving a relieved laugh at sight of Pal upon the doorste