that Kate felt a new and inconsistent resentment. Before she could say
anything he added, "And I hope you will remember, whatever may happen,
that I did my best to avoid staying here longer than was necessary to
keep my friend from bleeding to death in the road."
"Certainly," said Kate; then added awkwardly, "I hope he'll be better
soon." She was silent, and then, quickening her pace, said hurriedly, "I
must tell my sister this dreadful news."
"I think she is prepared for it. If there is anything I can do to help
you I hope you will let me know. Perhaps I may be of some service. I
shall begin by exploring the trails to-morrow, for the best service we
can do you possibly is to take ourselves off; but I can carry a gun, and
the woods are full of game driven down from the mountains. Let me show
you something you may not have noticed." He stopped, and pointed to a
small knoll of sheltered shrubbery and granite on the opposite mountain,
which still remained black against the surrounding snow. It seemed to be
thickly covered with moving objects. "They are wild animals driven out
of the snow," said the stranger. "That larger one is a grizzly; there is
a panther, wolves, wild cats, a fox, and some mountain goats."
"An ill-assorted party," said the young girl.
"Ill luck makes them companions. They are too frightened to hurt one
another now."
"But they will eat each other later on," said Kate, stealing a glance at
her companion.
He lifted his long lashes and met her eyes. "Not on a haven of refuge."
CHAPTER IV
Kate found her sister, as the stranger had intimated, fully prepared. A
hasty inventory of provisions and means of subsistence showed that they
had ample resources for a much longer isolation.
"They tell me it is by no means an uncommon case, Kate; somebody over at
somebody's place was snowed in for four weeks, and now it appears that
even the Summit House is not always accessible. John ought to have known
it when he bought the place; in fact, I was ashamed to admit that he did
not. But that is like John to prefer his own theories to the experience
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