538 RECREATION 
Cramped from her long vigil, she 
noted the light around the cracks in the 
door-frame with indifference. Slowly 
she realized that Gaspard had not come 
home and that her body cried for food. 
It was an effort to unloose the door, and 
a heap of snow sprawled across the 
floor as she ‘forced the catch. The 
depth was now three feet where two 
had lain yesterday. The wind had been 
hushed, it had not yet drifted in the 
woods. 
Where was he? Her heart grieved 
keenly; she missed the cheer, the un- 
failing optimism. The forest dwarfed 
and oppressed her. It was a hateful 
thing. It barred them from the world. 
It had taken away her husband, Gas- 
pard of the clear blue eyes that met her 
own in exquisite understanding. Per- 
haps those same eyes were troubled at 
the moment, perhaps her help was 
needed against some unforeseen mis- 
fortune that had gripped him in the 
frozen wilderness. 
Vivienne, with the diminutive snow- 
shoes her partner had fashioned with 
loving hands, set forth, she knew not 
whither. She must find him and share 
whatever fate was his. A great axe, 
the only available weapon, hung heavily 
upon one strong and shapely shoulder. 
Her graceful form took up the swing, 
the straight, sinewy limbs placed each 
stride with accuracy and skill. 
Around the hill, on to the white plain 
of the ice-clasped river, she plodded 
slowly. The clouds still harbored dan- 
ger; it was an armistice of the elements, 
and not yet peace. Har ahead a fox 
was skulking, with great labor in the 
yielding hollows of the banks. Sav- 
agery, grim and stark, colored the 
scene. 
At first, the wearied woman had 
shouted, but the effort reduced her 
strength too greatly. By and by she 
left the river, reasoning that Gaspard 
would have returned had he reached 
this highway of the wilderness. 
Through thicket, tangle and under- 
brush she continued in a daze, now and 
then stumbling. A commotion, a scuffle 
to the right, attracted her and mechan- 
ically she turned her steps toward it. 
Down in a shallow ravine, a gray body 
plunged and wallowed unavailingly. 
Vivienne saw before her a great awk- 
ward moose calf quite unable to extri- 
cate himself from the walls of the cold, 
elastic substance through which his 
sharp hoofs cut. Cautiously Vivienne 
drew near, a grim exultation bringing 
her breath in racking throbs. There 
was a sure but desperate swing of the 
ax-edge upon the awkward head that 
peered up at her in dumb appeal from 
the level of her knees. Then she sat 
on the warm body and rested. The 
work of severing one of the hams was 
titanic labor, requiring many rests and 
nearly draining the last of the splendid 
endurance that had stayed her so far. 
In the middle of the day, she started 
back, dragging the mass of red meat 
by the hoof and chewing slivers that 
tasted like a Heaven-sent blessing to 
the abused palate. Her hopes rose, 
Gaspard would be there; how proud 
he would be of his Vivienne! He had 
called her Venus, now she should be 
Diana! 
With head thrown back, this daugh- 
ter of Quebec fought her way through 
the heavy snow, while she hummed a 
bit of “Marseillaise.’ Pére Grinaud 
had taught it to her in his simple 
schooling, the best the village afforded. 
Good Pére Grinaud! 
in every habitation. It was a grand 
song, he had said. Its buoyant swell 
fitted her mood as she drew near the 
cabin. 
She passed the clumsy bread-oven, a 
snowy sentinel, and called, “Gaspard!” 
A ripping, crashing reverberation faint- 
ly reached her tense hearing; far off in 
the jungle of tree and brush, a great 
lofty branch had yielded to its icy 
burden. Then all was deep silence, 
save for the muttering of the rising 
wind. In an agony of apprehension, 
Vivienne searched with terror-widened 
eyes the fringe of the grim forest and 
shouted and shouted. The world 

How. the sight 
of your black gown brought a welcome 
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