send out an expedition of a few men to
the north in search of relief.

As the days had passed without bringing the longed-for succor, hope
that Jane Porter, Clayton, and Monsieur Thuran had been rescued began
to die. No one spoke of the matter longer to Professor Porter, and he
was so immersed in his scientific dreaming that he was not aware of the
elapse of time.

Occasionally he would remark that within a few days they should
certainly see a steamer drop anchor off their shore, and that then they
should all be reunited happily. Sometimes he spoke of it as a train,
and wondered if it were being delayed by snowstorms.

"If I didn't know the dear old fellow so well by now," Tennington
remarked to Miss Strong, "I should be quite certain that he
was--er--not quite right, don't you know." "If it were not so pathetic
it would be ridiculous," said the girl, sadly. "I, who have known him
all my life, know how he worships Jane; but to others it must seem that
he is perfectly callous to her fate. It is only that he is so
absolutely impractical that he cannot conceive of so real a thing as
death unless nearly certain proof of it is thrust upon him."

"You'd never guess what he was about yesterday," continued Tennington.
"I was coming in alone from a little hunt when I met him walking
rapidly along the game trail that I was following back to camp. His
hands were clasped beneath the tails of his long black coat, and his
top hat was set firmly down upon his head, as with eyes bent upon the
ground he hastened on, probably to some sudden death had I not
intercepted him.

"'Why, where in the world are you bound, professor?' I asked him. 'I
am going into town, Lord Tennington,' he said, as seriously as
possible, 'to complain to the postmaster about the rural free delivery
service we are suffering from here. Why, sir, I haven't had a piece of
mail in weeks. There should be several letters for me from Jane. The
matter must be reported to Washington at once.'

"And would you believe it, Miss Strong," continued Tennington, "I had
the very deuce of a job to convince the old fellow that there was not
only no rural free delivery, but no town, and that he was not even on
the same continent as Washington, nor in the same hemisphere.

"When he did realize he commenced to worry about his daughter--I think
it is the first time that he really has appreciated our position here,
or the fact that Miss Porter may not have been rescued.