But it was the Girl’s quick presence of mind that saved them from being buried, literally, under the snow. In an instant she had rushed past him and closed both the outer and inner doors of the cabin; then, going over to the window, she tried to look through the heavily frosted panes; but the falling of the sleet and snow, striking the window like fine shot, made it impossible for her to see more than a few inches away.
“Why, it’s the first time I knew that it—” She cut her sentence short and ended with: “That’s the way we git it up here! Look! Look!”
Whereupon, Johnson went over to the window and put his face close to hers on the frosted panes; a great sea of white snow met his gaze!
“This means—” he said, turning away from the window and meeting her glance—“surely it doesn’t mean that I can’t leave Cloudy to-night?”
“It means you can’t get off the mountain to-night,” calmly answered the Girl.
“Good Lord!” fell from the man’s lips.
“You can’t leave this room to-night,” went on the Girl, decidedly. “Why, you couldn’t find your way three feet from this door—you a stranger! You don’t know the trail anyway unless you can see it.”
“But I can’t stay here?” incredulously.
“Why not? Why, that’s all right! The boys’ll come up an’ dig us out to-morrow or day after. There’s plenty o’ wood an’ you can have my bed.” And with no more ado than that, the Girl went over to the bed to remove the covers and make it ready for his occupancy.
“I wouldn’t think of taking that,” protested the man, stoutly, while his face clouded over.