unterpane of bear
skins. Two enormous bear rugs almost completely covered the dirt floor,
and a carpet of oak leaves filled out the spaces.

The feather bed beaten smooth, the fur covering drawn in place and the
pillows set upright against the cabin wall, she turned to the two bunks
in the opposite corner and carefully re-arranged them. They might be
used soon. This was the corner of her home set aside for guests. Tom had
skillfully built two berths boat fashion, one above the other, in this
corner, and a curtain drawn over a smooth wooden rod cut this space off
from the rest of the room when occupied at night by visitors.

The master of this cabin never allowed a stranger to pass without urging
him to stop and in a way that took no denial.

A savory dish of stewed squirrel and corn dumplings served for lunch.
The baby's face was one glorious smear of joy and grease at its finish.

The mother took the bucket from its shelf and walked leisurely to the
spring, whose limpid waters gushed from a rock at the foot of the hill.
The child toddled after her, the little moccasined feet stepping
gingerly over the sharp gravel of the rough places.

Before filling the bucket she listened again for the crack of Tom's
rifle, and could hear nothing. A death-like stillness brooded over the
woods and fields. He was probably watching for muskrat under the bluff
of the creek. He had promised to stay within call to-day.

The afternoon dragged wearily. She tried to read the one book she
possessed, the Bible. The pages seemed to fade and the eyes refused to
see.

"O Man, Man, why don't you come home!" she cried at last.

She rose, walked to the door, looked and listened--only the distant
rattle of a woodpecker's beak on a dead tree in the woods. The snow
began to fall in little fitful dabs. It was two miles to the nearest
cabin, and her soul rose in fierce rebellion at her loneliness. It was
easy for a man who loved the woods, the fields and running waters, this
life, but for the woman who must wait and long and eat her heart out
alone--she vowed anew that she would not endure it. By the sheer pull of
her will she would lift this man from his drifting life and make him
take his place in the real battle of the world. If her new baby were
only a boy, he could help her and she would win. Again she stood
dreaming of the vision she had seen at dawn.

The dark young face suddenly went white and her hand gripped the facing
of the door.