ly so, and it afforded him the keenest delight to initiate
her into the mysteries of trail life. And when night drew near and they
made camp, what joy it was to hear her exclamations of wonder at his
adeptness! She loved to see his ax sink to the eye in the frozen fir
trunks and to join his shout when the tree fell crashing in a great
upheaval of white. Then when their tiny tent, nestling in some sheltered
grove, was glowing from the candle-light, and the red-hot stove had
routed the cold, he would make her lie back on the fragrant springy
couch of boughs while he smoked and did the dishes and told her shyly of
the happiness that had come upon him. He waited upon her hand and foot;
he stood between her and every peril of the wilds.

And while it was all delightfully bewildering to him, it was likewise
very strange and exciting to his bride. The deathly silence of the
bitter nights, illumined only by the awesome aurora borealis; the
terrific immensity of the solitudes, with their white-burdened forests
of fir that ran up and over the mountains and away to the ends of the
world; the wild wolf-dogs that feared nothing except the voice of their
master, and yet fawned upon him with a passion that approached
ferocity--it all played upon the woman's fancy strangely. For the first
time in her tempestuous career she was nearly happy. It was worth some
sacrifice to possess the devotion of a man like McGill; it was worth
even more to know that her years of uncertainty and strife were over.
His gentleness annoyed her at times, but, on the other hand, she was
grateful for the shyness that handicapped him as a lover. On the whole,
however, it was a good bargain, and she was fairly well content.

As for McGill, he expanded, he effloresced, if such a nature as his
could be said to bloom. He explored the hindermost recesses of his
being, and brought forth his secrets for her to share. He told her all
about himself, without the slightest reservation, and when he was done
she knew him clear to his last, least thought. It was an unwise thing to
do, but McGill was not a wise man, and the stories seemed to please her.
Above all, she took an interest in his business affairs, which was
gratifying. Time and again she questioned him shrewdly about his mining
properties, which made him think that here was a woman who would prove a
helpmate.

Their arrival at Ophir was the occasion for a rough, spontaneous welcome
that further turned her head. M