"Night clerk? Very well, Solomon," muttered Glover, grimly, "take this young lady to the warmest room in the house at once."
"Every room"s full, Mr. Glover. Trains were all tied up last night."
"Then show her to my room."
"Your room"s occupied."
"My room occupied, you villain? What do you mean? Throw out whoever"s in it instantly."
"Mr. Brock is in your room."
Gertrude had come over to the stove.
"Mr. Brock!"
"My father!"
"Yes, sir; yes, ma"am."
Gertrude and Glover looked at one another.
"Mr. Blood brought him up last night," said Solomon.
"Where"s Mr. Blood?"
"He hasn"t come up from the Wickiup. They said he was worried over a special from the Cat that was caught in the blizzard. Your laundry came in all right last night, Mr. Glover----"
"Hang the laundry."
"I paid for it."
"Will you cease your gabble? If Mr. Blood"s room is empty take Miss Block up there and rouse a chambermaid instantly to attend her. Do you hear?"
"Shall I throw out Mr. Brock?"
"Let him alone, stupid. What"s the matter with the lights?"
"The wires are down."
"Get a candle for Miss Brock. Now, will you make haste?" Solomon, when he heard the name, stared at Miss Brock--but when he recognized her he started without argument and was gone an unconscionably long time.
They sat down where they could feast on each other"s eyes in the glow of the coal-stove.
"You have looked so worried all night," said Gertrude, in love"s solicitude; "were you afraid we should be lost?"
"No, I didn"t intend we should be lost."
"What was it? What is it that makes you so careworn?"
"Nothing special."
"But you mustn"t have any secrets from me now. What is it?"
"Do you want to know?"
"Yes."
"I couldn"t find time to get shaved before we left Sleepy Cat----"
She rose with both hands uplifted: "Shades of vain heroes! Have I wasted my sympathy all night on a man who has been saving my life with perfect calmness and worrying because he couldn"t get shaved?"
"Can you dispa.s.sionately say that I don"t need barbering?"
"No. But this is what I will say, silly fellow--you don"t know much about a woman"s heart, do you, Ab? When I first looked at you I thought you were the homeliest man I had ever seen, do you know that?"
Glover fingered his offending chin and looked at her somewhat pathetically.
"But last night"--her quick mouth was so eloquent--"last night I watched you. I saw your face lighted by the anger of the storm. I knew then what those heavy, homely lines below your eyes were for--strength. And I saw your eyes, to me so dull at first, wake and fill with such a light and burn so steadily hour after hour that I knew I had never seen eyes like yours. I knew you would save me--that is what made me so brave, goosie. Sit right where you are, please."
She slipped out of her chair; he pursued. "If you will say such things and then run into the dark corners," he muttered. But when Solomon appeared with a water-pitcher they were ready for him.
"Now what has kept you all this time?" glared Glover, insincerely.
"I couldn"t find any ice-water."
"Ice-water!"
"Every pipe is froze solid, but I chopped up some ice and brought that."
"Ice-water, you double-dyed idiot! Go get your candle."
"Yes, sir."
"Don"t be so cross," whispered Gertrude. "You were so short with that poor fireman to-night, and he told me such a pitiful story about being ordered out and having to go or lose his position----"
"Did Foley tell you that?"
"Yes."
"Surely, nerve runs in his family as well as his cousin"s. The rascal came because I hung up a little purse for a fireman at the roundhouse, and he nearly had a fight with another fellow that wanted to cut him out of the job."
"Such a cheat! How much did you offer him?"
"Not very much."
"But how much?"
"Twenty-five dollars, and, by heavens, he dunned me for it just after we started."