It is easy to pity when once one's vanity has been tickled.
She looked at the windowsill and gave a little shudder and wondered
if the man were crazy. Then she sat down again and sat a long time
wondering what her Dick and Ole would do.

"It is queer Dick didn't come right over after me. He surely
came, for he would have left town before the storm began and he
might just as well come right on as go back. If he'd hurried he
would have gotten here before the preacher came. I suppose he was
afraid to come, for he knew Canuteson could pound him to jelly, the
coward!" Her eyes flashed angrily.

The weary hours wore on and Lena began to grow horribly
lonesome. It was an uncanny night and this was an uncanny place to
be in. She could hear the coyotes howling hungrily a little way
from the cabin, and more terrible still were all the unknown noises
of the storm. She remembered the tales they told of the big log
overhead and she was afraid of those snaky things on the
windowsills. She remembered the man who had been killed in the
draw, and she wondered what she would do if she saw crazy Lou's
white face glaring into the window. The rattling of the door
became unbearable, she thought the latch must be loose and took the
lamp to look at it. Then for the first time she saw the ugly brown
snake skins whose death rattle sounded every time the wind jarred
the door.

"Canute, Canute!" she screamed in terror.

Outside the door she heard a heavy sound as of a big dog
getting up and shaking himself. The door opened and Canute stood