d, however, that the station master's prediction of bad weather
had been verified and that a particularly heavy windstorm had swept that
region early in the evening of the day on which he had talked with the
young man. Torrents of rain had fallen and trees had been broken down
and uprooted. It was possible that Tom had lost his way and been killed
by a falling tree. Blaisdell did not believe this, however, as neither a
dead nor injured man had been found by the various search parties of
lumber men who had been sent out to cover the surrounding territory. So
far as possible the search had been conducted with the utmost secrecy.
He had not divulged Tom's name. As the camp was in an out of the way
place, peopled by a taciturn set of men who asked few questions, it was
not likely that any news would travel farther than its limits.

The day following the receipt of this letter brought a telegraphic
notification from David Nesbit to the effect that he had reached the
lumber camp and was about to start on his search for his chum. With this
small consolation, the patient, tortured souls who awaited news of their
lost one were forced to be content.

Hard as it had been to write to her trusty comrades, it was infinitely
harder for Grace to receive the messages of sympathy and love which
poured in upon her. Yet on the heels of her distress came one letter
which, despite the gravity of her present situation, moved Grace to
half-hearted laughter. On opening an envelope addressed to herself in
Arline Thayer's unmistakable script, Grace was mildly astonished to
read:

"DEAR STANLEY:

"After our talk last evening I am quite certain that I could never
be happy as your wife. It has shown me clearly that our aims and
viewpoints are so entirely different that it would be useless even
to dream of spending the remainder of our lives together. It is
hard to write this, but I feel that no matter what it may cost me I
must be true to myself. I am therefore returning your ring and
letters by express. You may do as you think best in regard to
returning the letters I have written you.

"With a sincere wish for your future happiness,

"Yours sincerely,

"ARLINE THAYER."

Tardily realizing that she had unwittingly perused a communication not
intended for her eyes, Grace lost no time in writing an apologetic
letter to Arline in which she enclosed the fateful missive of rejection.
H