ight must look out for you."

She had driven the car swiftly on the boulevard to the turn where the
motorway makes west to Rush Street, then it turned south again toward
the bridge. As they reached the approach to the bridge and the cars
congested there, Constance was required to give all her attention to
the steering; not until they were crossing the bridge was she able to
glance at her companion's face.

To westward, on both sides of the river, summer boats were laid up,
their decks covered with snow. On the other side, still nearer to the
bridge, were some of the winter vessels; and, while the motor was on
the span, the bells began ringing the alarm to clear the bridge so it
could turn to let through a great steamer just in from the lake, the
sun glistening on the ice covering its bows and sides back as far as
Alan could see.

Forward of the big, black, red-banded funnel, a cloud of steam bellowed
up and floated back, followed by another, and two deep, reverberating
blasts rumbled up the river majestically, imperiously. The shrill
little alarm bells on the bridge jangled more nervously and excitedly,
and the policeman at the south end hastily signalled the motor cars
from the city to stop, while he motioned those still on the bridge to
scurry off; for a ship desired to pass.

"Can we stop and see it?" Alan appealed, as Constance ran the car from
the bridge just before it began to turn.

She swung the car to the side of the street and stopped; as he gazed
back, he was--she knew--seeing not only his first great ship close by,
but having his first view of his people--the lake men from whom now he
knew from the feeling he had found within himself, and not only from
what had been told him, that he had come.

The ship was sheathed in ice from stem to stern; tons of the gleaming,
crystal metal weighed the forecastle; the rail all round had become a
frozen bulwark; the boats were mere hummocks of ice; the bridge was
encased, and from the top of the pilot house hung down giant
stalactites which an axeman was chopping away. Alan could see the
officers on the bridge, the wheelsman, the lookout; he could see the
spurt of water from the ship's side as it expelled with each thrust of
the pumps; he could see the whirlpool about the screw, as slowly,
steadily, with signals clanging clearly somewhere below, the steamer
went through the draw. From up the river ahead of it came the jangling
of bells and the blowing of ala