God's Country-And the Woman

arted and a little laughing. Before he had uttered a word, before he could rise out of the stupidity of his wonder, the change came. A fear that he could not have forgotten if he had lived through a

o crush the life from her soul. In another moment it was gone, and she

frightened you!

rightened m

a strong effort to speak steadily. Her eyes did not leave him. As he a

sooner than hurt you I'd-I'd kill myself. I just stumbled here by accident. And I hav

nto her eyes

? What do

e Arctic, on a government wild-goose chase

from the

ager emphasis

down here after a bear, and found YOU! My name is Philip Weyman; I haven't even an Indian with me, and there ar

and the fear went from he

third?" s

nished. "How do YOU happen to be her

of the wind. She had tucked up her sleeves, baring her round white arms close to the shoulders, and as she looked steadily at him before answering his question she flung back the shining masses of her hair

rity, a beauty, and a STRENGTH that made him look at her speechless, waiting for the sound of her voice. In her look there was neither boldness nor suspicion. Her eyes were clear, de

ld be here" she said at last. "I ha

orld as you stood there beside the rock. But I don't understand. A thousand miles from a city-and you! It's unreal. It's almost like the dreams I've been dreaming during the past eighte

to see some sign of the home she had spoken of, or at least of some other

w in her eyes as she watched their effect upon him. She swept out a gleaming white arm, s

is face. "Entirely alone. That is why you startled me-w

s it struck behind her the girl gave a start, and a quick flash of the old fear leaped for an instant into her face. And now Philip beheld something in her which he had been too bewildered and wonder-struck to observe b

d by something which she was struggling to fight back-a questing, hunted look that burned there steadily, and of which he was not the cause. A deep-seated grief, a terror far back, shone through the forced calmness with which she was speaking to him. He knew that she wa

our hiding-place, and you thought-what? I think that I can guess. Y

ound himself looking steadily into them-close, so close that he could have reached out and touched her. Slowly there came over them a filmy softness. And then, marvellously, he saw the tears gat

should I tell you? You are from down there, from what you please to call civi

and he caught the white fingers that trembled at her breast. And t

new ideals and new dreams. I am going back with them. But they can never be broken as the others were-because-now-I have found something that will make them live. And that something is YOU! Don't let my words startle you. I mean them to be as pure as the su

hand, and steppe

u should tell m

ly. He saw the sudden throbbing of her throat. A flush of colour had mo

me?" she questioned breathlessl

es

God's men?"

ed his

e scarcely seemed to move

ing to go away, to promise never to see me ag

tense and fast as she waited for him to

ng the words to herself. She turned to him again, a

light of a smile passed over her lips. "Then, half an hour from now,

king at him again she sped swiftly beyond the big rock, and Philip's last vision of he