272 THE BED MOUNTAIN OF ALASKA. 
but continuing his stony gaze, Mr. Broadstreet shifted his 
position again uneasily. " Don't I away hundreds 
of dollars every year to the societies, and haven't I left 
them a round Ten Thousand in my will ? Won't somebody 
mourn for me, eh ? " 
But the carved lips replied never a word, only seeming 
to curl slightly, as the firelight played upon them, thereby 
assuming such an unpleasantly scornful expression that 
Mr. Broadstreet began to feel more imcomfortable than 
ever. 
Rising hastily from his chair, and throwing the book 
down upon the table, he walked on to the window, rubbed 
a little place clear upon the frosty pane, and looked out. 
The night was gloomy enough to make the plainest of 
homes seem cheery by contrast. Since morning, the skies 
had been dully gray ; so that every one who went out wore 
arctics and ulster, and was provoked because no storm 
came. At about the time when the sun might be sup- 
posed to be setting, somewhere behind that dismal wall of 
clouds, a few tiny, shivering flakes had come floating down 
or up, one could hardly tell which, and had mingled with 
the dust that, driven by the biting wind, had filled the 
air, and piled itself in little ridges along the sidewalk, and 
blinded the eyes of men and beasts throughout the dreary 
day. Before long, the snow overcame the low-born friend 
with whom it had at first treacherously allied itself, laid 
it prostrate on the earth, and, calling in all its forces, rioted 
victoriously over the field. The storm now took full posses- 
