“Hello, Hollis,” he said at last.  “Is that you?  I had to see after Dave’s wife, but I thought likely, when I got her to camp, I’d take a little hike up to the tunnel and look you up.”

But Tisdale, not finding the answer for which he looked, sank to his knee beside the load and loosened the straps.  Then he lifted a corner of the rug that protected her face, and at the sight of it, so white, so still, his heart cried.  “Little soldier!” he said over and over and, as though he hoped to warm them, laid his cheek gently to her blue lips.  “You called me!  I heard you.  I failed you, too!”

Then a fluttering breath steadied him.  Instantly the iron in the man cropped through.  He felt her pulse, her heart, as though she had been some stranger from the unfortunate train and, moving her to a level place, fixed her head low and began firmly, with exceeding care, those expedients to eliminate the frost and start the circulation that Banks had already hurriedly tried.  His great, warm personality enfolded her; he worked tirelessly, as though he was determined to infuse her numb veins with his own vigor.  When the prospector would have aided him, he wished to do everything alone, and directed the miner’s attention to Frederic Morganstein, who showed signs of returning consciousness.

But the intrepid little man failed to respond.  “I guess likely he will pull through,” he said dryly.  “He had a pretty good shaking up coming down, and I’d better run around to camp and get a bottle of port I cached this morning.  The snipe got away with my flask; used the last drop, likely, before she needed it.”  His voice took a higher pitch, and he added over his shoulder, as he started in the direction of the fire:  “He made a windbreak of her.”

When he returned presently with the wine, Frederic was filling the night with his complaints and groans.  But neither of the men gave him any attention.  That was left for Marcia, who had followed the prospector.

Beatriz Weatherbee was still unconscious.  She was carried to the camp and laid in a sheltered place remote from the fire.  Then Lucky Banks volunteered to go to Scenic Springs with the news of the train disaster, and to bring an extra man with lanterns and a stretcher.  He was well on the way when Morganstein crept in.  Marcia found him a seat on the end of a log and, wrapping the cached rug about him, regaled him with the recovered portion of the luncheon.  But it was long after that when Beatriz Weatherbee’s eyelids fluttered open.  Tisdale drew a little more into the shadows, waiting, and the first to come within her range of vision was the child.  He was sitting on his blanket in the strong glow, and just beyond him Elizabeth, who had found a tin of cream in the cache and had been feeding him, was putting away the cup.  Joey faced the waking woman and, catching her look, he put out his hands, rocking gayly, and crowed.  Instantly a flash of intelligence lighted her face.  She smiled and tried to stretch out her arms.  “Come!” she said.