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Venters returned to cas the one they had quarreled over, and the skin of this he dressed and hung up to dry, feeling that he would like to keep it It was a particularly rich, furry pelt with a beautiful white tail Venters re his eye he would not have espied the rabbit, and he would never have discovered Surprise Valley Little incidents of chance like this had turned him here and there in Deception Pass; and now they had assuood fortune in the ht to hisit in the valley Therefore he took the axe and cut bundles of aspens and s, and packed thee Here he began fashioning a fence, by driving aspens into the ground and lacing them fast s Trip after trip hematerial, and the afternoon had passed when he finished the work to his satisfaction Wildcats ht scale the fence, but no coyote could coa to ca his supper at ease, around a fine fire, without hurry or fear of discovery After hard work that had definite purpose, this freedoht hi to glance at the quiet fors stretched cozily near him, and then out across the beautiful valley The present was not yet real to him

While he ate, the sun set beyond a dip in the ri sun burst wondrously through a grand arch into this valley, in a golden, slanting shaft, so the evening sun, at thedown a broad red burst to brighten the oval with a blaze of fire To Venters both sunrise and sunset were unreal

A cool wind blew across the oval, waving the tips of oaks, and while the light lasted, fluttering the aspen leaves into raceful spruces Then with the wind soon caray Night ca of the sun Venters went softly to look at the girl She slept, and her breathing was quiet and slow He lifted Ring into the cave, with stern whisper for hiuard Then he drew the blanket carefully over her and returned to the camp-fire