too* 
Missouri Botanical Gard m 
George Engelmann Papers 
GABRIEL CONROY. 
starving men are thrown* together, they are 
capable of any sacrifice — of any crime, to 
keep the miserable life that they hold so 
dear — -just in proportion as it becomes value- 
less. You have read in books — Grace! 
good God — what is the matter ?” 
If she had not read his meaning in books, 
she might have read it at that moment in 
the face that was peering in the door, a face 
with so much of animal suggestion in its 
horrible wistfulness that she needed no fur- 
ther revelation ; a face full of inhuman fe- 
rocity and watchful eagerness, and yet a face 
familiar in its outlines — the face of Dumphy ! 
Even with her danger came the swifter in- 
stinct of feminine tact and concealment, and 
without betraying the real cause of her mo- 
mentary horror, she dropped her head upon 
Philip’s shoulder and whispered, “ I under- 
stand.” When she raised her head again 
the face was gone. 
“ Enough ! I did not mean to frighten 
you, Grace, but only to show you what we 
must avoid — what we have still strength left 
to avoid. There is but one chance of es- 
cape, you know what it is — a desperate one, 
but no more desperate than this passive 
waiting for a certain end. I ask you again 
— will you share it with me ? When I first 
spoke I was less sanguine than now. Since 
then I have explored the ground carefully, 
and studied the trend of these mountains. 
It is possible. I say no more.” 
“ But my sister and brother ? ” 
“ The child would be a hopeless impedi- 
ment, even if she could survive the fatigue 
and exposure. Your brother must stay with 
her; she will need all his remaining strength 
and all the hopefulness that keeps /him up. 
No, Grace, we must go alone. Remember, 
our safety means theirs. Their strength will 
last until we can send relief ; while they 
would sink in the attempt to reach it with 
us. I would go alone, but I cannot bear, 
dear Grace, to leave you here.” 
“ I should die if you left me,” she said 
simply. 
“ I believe you would, Grace,” he said as 
simply. 
“ But can we not wait ? Help may come 
at any moment — to-morrow.” 
“To-morrow will find us weaker. I 
should not trust your strength nor my own 
a day longer.” 
“ But the old man — the Doctor ? ” 
“ He will soon be beyond the reach of 
help,” said the young man sadly. “ Hush, 
he is moving ! ” 
One of the blanketed figures had rolled 
over. Philip walked to the fire, threw on a 
fresh stick and stirred the embers. The up- 
springing flash showed the face of an old 
man whose eyes were fixed with feverish in- 
tensity upon him. 
“What are you doing with the fire ?” he 
asked querulously, with a slight foreign ac- 
cent. 
“ Stirring it ! ” 
“ Leave it alone ! ” 
Philip listlessly turned away. 
“ Come here,” said the old man. 
Philip approached. 
“You need say nothing,” said the old 
man, after a pause, in which he examined 
Philip’s face keenly. “ I read your news in 
your face — the old story — I know it by 
heart.” 
“Well?” said Philip. 
“Well!” said the old man, stolidly. 
Philip again turned away. 
“You buried the case and papers?” 
asked the old man. 
“Yes.” 
“Through the snow — in the earth ?” 
“Yes.” 
“ Securely ? ” 
“ Securely.” 
“ How did you indicate it ? ” 
“ By a cairn of stones.” 
“ And the notices — in German and 
French ? ” 
“ I nailed them up wherever I could, near 
the old trail.” 
“ Good.” 
The cynical look on Philip’s face deep- 
ened as he once more turned away. But 
before he reached the door he paused, and 
drawing from his breast a faded flower, with 
a few limp leaves, handed it to the old man. 
“ I found a duplicate of the plant you 
were looking for.” 
The old man half rose on his elbow, 
breathless with excitement as he clutched 
and eagerly examined the plant. 
“ It is the same,” he said, with a sigh of 
relief, “ and yet — you said there was no 
news ! ” 
“ May I ask what it means ? ” said Philip, 
with a slight smile. 
“ It means that I am right, and Linnaeus, 
Darwin, and Eschenholtz are wrong. It 
means a discovery. It means that this 
which you call an Alpine flower is not one, 
but a new species.” 
“An important fact to starving men,” said 
Philip, bitterly. 
“ It means more,” continued the old man, 
without heeding Philip’s tone. “ It means 
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