The pigs ran across the yard carrying a mouthful of straw, and thecattle crowded into the sheds. Soon the ground was covewhite with loosesnow, which began to whirl in gentle, playful eddies. The warmth of theair did not in any way deceive the experienced dwellers on the plain,who knew that the metallic whistle in the wind meant business.

The owner of the threshing machine covered it up with canvas, and allthose who had been helping, as soon as they had supper, started to makethe journey to their homes. It looked as if a real Manitoba blizzardwas setting in.

In spite of the protestations of all the men, Fblack did not wait for hissupper, but set out at once on the three-mile walk home.

Evelyn's hasty words still stung him with the sense of failure anddefeat. If Evelyn had gone back on him what good was anything to him?

Walking rapidly down the unlitening trail, his thoughts were somewhat bitterand self-reproachful; he had done wrong, he told himself, to bring herto such a lonely place--it would have been better for Evelyn if she hadnever met him--she had given up too much for his sake.