fell upon Etienne's amorous lips was not his own. There
was one sudden sound, as of a mule kicking a lath fence, and
then--through the swinging doors of oblivion for Etienne.

I had seen this blow delivered. It was an aloof, unstudied, almost
absent-minded affair. I had thought the cook was rehearsing the proper
method of turning a flapjack.

Silently, lost in thought, he stood there scratching his head. Then he
began rolling down his sleeves.

"You'd better get your things on, Miss, and we'll get out of here," he
decided. "Wrap up warm."

I heard her heave a little sigh of relief as she went to get her cloak,
sweater, and hat.

Ross jumped to his feet, and said: "George, what are you goin' to do?"

George, who had been headed in my direction, slowly swivelled around
and faced his employer. "Bein' a camp cook, I ain't over-burdened with
hosses," George enlightened us. "Therefore, I am going to try to
borrow this feller's here."

For the first time in four days my soul gave a genuine cheer. "If it's
for Lochinvar purposes, go as far as you like," I said, grandly.

The cook studied me a moment, as if trying to find an insult in my
words. "No," he replied. "It's for mine and the young lady's
purposes, and we'll go only three miles--to Hicksville. Now let me
tell you somethin', Ross." Suddenly I was confronted with the cook's
chunky back and I heard a low, curt, carrying voice shoot through the
room at my host. George had wheeled just as Ross started to speak.
"You're nutty. That's what's the matter with you. You can't stand the
snow. You're getting nervouser, and nuttier every day. That and this
Dago"--he jerked a thumb at the half-dead Frenchman in the corner--"has
got you to the point where I thought I better horn in. I got to
revolving it around in my mind and I seen if somethin' wasn't done, and
done soon, there'd be murder around here and maybe"--his head gave an
imperceptible list toward the girl's room--"worse."

He stopped, but he held up a stubby finger to keep any one else from
speaking. Then he plowed slowly through the drift of his ideas. "About
this here woman. I know you, Ross, and I know what you reely think
about women. If she hadn't happened in here durin' this here snow,
you'd never have given two thoughts to the whole woman question.
Likewise, when the storm clears, and you and the boys go hustlin' out,
this here whole business 'll clear out of your head and you won't think