Immediately she heard a cry. She ran upstairs--and her husband was
dead. And she always believed, so Gertrude said, that when she opened
that door she let Death in.
"It was so ridiculous of me to feel so frightened. But I was distracted
and worn out, and I simply felt for a moment that I dared not open the
door--that death was waiting outside. Then I remembered that I had no
time to waste--must not be so foolish--I sprang forward and opened the
door.
"Certainly a cold wind did blow in and filled the hall with a whirl of
snow. But there on the threshold stood a form of flesh and blood--Mary
Vance, coated from head to foot with snow--and she brought Life, not
Death, with her, though I didn't know that then. I just stared at her.
"'I haven't been turned out,' grinned Mary, as she stepped in and shut
the door. 'I came up to Carter Flagg's two days ago and I've been
stormed-stayed there ever since. But old Abbie Flagg got on my nerves at
last, and tonight I just made up my mind to come up here. I thought I
could wade this far, but I can tell you it was as much as a bargain.
Once I thought I was stuck for keeps. Ain't it an awful night?'
"I came to myself and knew I must hurry upstairs. I explained as quickly
as I could to Mary, and left her trying to brush the snow off. Upstairs
I found that Jims was over that paroxysm, but almost as soon as I got
back to the room he was in the grip of another.
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