At night they were taken for long walks by the Woman and Ben. 0ut overthe snow that crackled sharply in the clear, crisp air; out where thestars seemed strangely close, the moon strangely bright--and whereacross the heavens waved the luminous, ghostly banners of the NorthernLights.

Time now meant nothing. It was the Land of Day After To-morrow, wherethe obligation of definite hours for definite duties did not exist.

And because there was a vacation freedom in the very atmosphere,sometimes they stole into the big living-room of the Road House, two orthree at a time; and lying in the shadowy twilight they would listen,in drowsy content, to the cheery snap of the wood in the huge ruddystove, and to the voices of their friends as they talked of the North,its hardships, its gladness, its hopes.

[Illustration: KRUZAMAPA H0T SPRINGS]

The great world "0utside," and its troubles, seemed far away.