334 THE BED MOUNTAIN OF ALASKA. 
disappear before the coaxing rays of the sun, which shone 
on them for twelve hours together. 
In April there was such a freshet in the little brook 
near by that the safety of the huts themselves was threat- 
ened, and the fire in one of them was actually put out, 
one night, by invading rills of melted snow. 
On May Day a sound was heard which brought tears to 
the eyes of Mrs. Button. It was a robin's whistle, half 
cheery, half plaintive, reminding her of the old home- 
orchard, where she had played in the tall grass, and picked 
buttercups, when she was a little girl. 
And now it was time to make preparations for an early 
start southward. Flossie's weakness had entirely disap- 
peared, and she was never in better spirits or health. It 
was the same with all the rest. 
On the last evening before setting out anew on their 
long journey, now nearing its end, the whole party stood 
before the door of the little hut, looking wistfully along 
the path they were to take on the morrow. There were 
the mountains, covered, as they had ever been since last 
autumn, with seemingly eternal banks of clouds. 
Suddenly Mr. Button seized his wife's arm. His face 
was lighted with a strange expression. His hand 
trembled. 
" What is it, dear ? " 
He pointed, without a word, to the eastern sky. 
Oh, wonder of wonders ! Through a rift in the snowy 
banks of mist there towered, faintly visible in the rays 
