en he awoke, for
the fireplace and the lower half of his own, as well as his sister's,
blanket were covered with at least half a foot of snow. It had found
its way in at the hole in the roof of the hut, and the wind had blown a
great deal through the crevices of the doorway, so that a snow-wreath
more than a foot high lay close to Nelly's elbow.

This was bad enough, but what made it worse was that a perfect hurricane
was blowing outside. Fortunately the hut was sheltered by the woods,
and by a high cliff on the windward side; but this cliff, although it
broke the force of the gale, occasioned an eddy which sent fearful gusts
and thick clouds of snow ever and anon full against the doorway.

"O Roy! what shall we do?" said Nelly, in an anxious tone.

"Don't know," said Roy, jumping up and tightening his belt; "you never
can know what's got to be done till you've took an observation o' what's
goin' on, as daddy used to say. Hallo! hold on. I say, if it goes on
like this it'll blow the hut down. Come, Nelly, don't whimper; it's
only a puff, after all, an' if it did capsize us, it wouldn't be the
first time we had a tumble in the snow. Seems to me that we're goin' to
have a stormy Sabbath, though. Rouse up, lass, and while you're
clearin' off the snow, I'll go get a bundle o' sticks, and light the
fire."

Roy stooped to pass under the low doorway, or, rather, hole of the hut,
and bending his head to the blast passed out; while Nelly, whose heart
was cheered by her brother's confident tone more than by his words, set
about shovelling away the snow-drift with great activity.

Presently Roy returned, staggering under a heavy load of firewood.

"Ho! Nell," he cried, flinging down the wood with a clatter, "just you
come an' see Silver Lake. Such a sight it is you never saw; but come
slick off--never mind your belt; just roll your blanket round you, over
head and ears--there," said he, assisting to fasten the rough garment,
and seizing his sister's hand, "hold on tight by me."

"Oh, _what_ a storm!" gasped the little girl, as she staggered out and
came within the full force of the gale.

It was indeed a storm, such as would have appalled the hearts of
youngsters less accustomed to the woods than were our hero and heroine.
But Roy and Nelly had been born and bred in the midst of stormy
backwoods' elements, and were not easily alarmed, chiefly because they
had become accustomed to estimate correctly the extent of m