she cares, and a lot. She wouldn't
be she if she didn't care. But we didn't think that all the years of
waiting and hoping and loving and trying to be something would end like
this, did we, Troubles? We thought that it might end with the godlike
Manners (whom we wouldn't help if he were freezing to death, would we?),
but not like this--O Lord God, not like this!... And we weren't sure it
would end with Manners; we were going to fight it out to a mighty good
finish, weren't we, Troubles? But now it's going to end in a mighty good
storm, and you're going to die for all your troubles, Troubles... And
I'm talking to you so that we won't lose our sand, even if we are afraid
to die, and there's no one looking on."

Though Aladdin stopped making talk in his head, the talk kept going on
by itself; and he suddenly shouted aloud for it to stop. Then he began
to whimper and shiver, for he thought that his mind was going.

Presently he shook himself.

"Troubles," he said, "we've only a little farther to go--just as far as
our feet will carry us, and no farther. That's the proper way to finish.
And for God's sake keep sane. We won't give her up yet!"

Ten steps and years passed.

"Troubles," said Aladdin, "we're going to call for help, and if it don't
come, which it won't, we're going to try and be calm. It seems simplest
and looks best to be calm."

Aladdin stood there crying aloud for the help of man, but it did
not come. And then he cried for the help of God. And he stood there
waiting--waiting for it to come.

"We must help ourselves, Troubles," he said, with a desperate effort to
be calm. "We've got ten steps left in us. Now, then, one--two--"

During the taking of those ten steps the snow ceased entirely to fall,
and black night enveloped the earth.

Aladdin was all numb, and he wished to sleep, but he made the ten steps
into eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, before his limbs refused to
act, and he fell forward in the snow. He managed to raise himself and
crawl a little way. He saw a light afar off, and guessing that it must
be an angel, held out his hands to it--and one of them encountered a
something in the dark.

Even through his thick mitten it felt round and smooth and colder than
his fingers, like a ball of ice. Then Aladdin laughed aloud, for he knew
that his last walk upon earth had been in the form of a silly circle. He
had returned to the dead horse, and his gloved hand was resting upon its
frozen eye.