red and he owed her much.

"I wish you would put down that sewing," he said. "You are hurting
your eyes."

"Very well," Carrie agreed. "I wasn't getting on fast, and when you
are bothered you have to be indulged. Looks as if you were bothered,
Jim."

"I suppose I've got the habit," he replied. "Anyhow, I don't like your
sewing when you have hustled round all day."

Carrie laughed. "You and Jake are rough on clothes and somebody's got
to mend."

"No," said Jim. "In this country, mending's not economical. It's
cheaper to throw away the things and buy another lot."

"Where are you going to buy new clothes, Jim?"

"That is something of a difficulty. I was talking about the principle.
You're too practical."

"Oh, well," said Carrie, "I suppose I'm not romantic. Unless you're
romantic in the right way, you're ridiculous. I expect it's easier to
be useful."

"Jim will agree," Jake remarked. "He judges people by their talent for
doing things, but you can't fix a standard for everybody. He reckons I
do too little; I allow he does too much."

He stopped and looked about. There was something oppressive in the
heavy calm. The smoke went straight up and the pine twigs did not
move. For a minute or two he waited with a feeling of tension and the
others were silent. Then the pine tops shook and were still again.
Jim got up abruptly.

"That draught's not from the east!"

Jake struck a match. The flame burned upright, and then flickered and
slanted.

"No," he said, "it's blowing up the valley."

The flame went out, the pine-tops shook and did not stop. The air got
hot and a smell of burning stole into the camp.

"I reckon it's a _Chinook_," Jake remarked.

Jim nodded and his face got stern. "I have expected it all day. The
fire will roll up the valley and I don't know where it will stop. We
must break camp to-morrow and pitch farther along." He turned to
Carrie. "Can you be ready to start for the settlement in the morning?"

"No, but this doesn't matter, because I'm not going."

"You must. The bush will burn like a furnace."

"Do you and Jake mean to quit?"

"You ought to see we can't quit."

Carrie smiled. "I do see it, but if you have good grounds for
stopping, so have I. Your grounds, in fact."

"Shucks! You're ridiculous. In a way, of course, I don't want you to
go."

"Thank you! Was it hard to own that, Jim? However, you won't have to
make the effort to send me off, beca