body to start the blood, and meditated yearnigly upon hot coffee and the
things he liked best to eat. Also, a good long pull at a flask wouldn't be
had, either, he thought. And he hoped this little schoolma'am knew where she
was going--truth to tell, he doubted it.

After a while, it seemed that Miss Conroy doubted it also. She took to
leaning forward and straining her eyes to see through the gray wall before.

"There should be a gate here," she said dubiously, at last.

"It seems to me," Rowdy ventured mildly, "if there were a gate, it would
have some kind of a fence hitched to it; wouldn't it?"

Miss Conroy was in no mood for facetiousness, and refused to answer his
question. "I surely can't have made a mistake," she observed uneasily.

"It would be a wonder if you didn't, such a night as this," he consoled. "I
wouldn't bank on traveling straight myself, even if I knew the
country--which I don't. And I've been in more blizzards than I'm years old."

"Rodway's place can't be far away," she said, brightening. "It may be
farther to the east; shall we try that way--if you know which is east?"

"Sure, we'll try. It's all we can do. My packhorse is about all in, from the
way he hangs back; if we don't strike something pretty soon I'll have to
turn him loose."

"Oh, don't do that," she begged. "It would be too cruel. We're sure to reach
Rodway's very soon."