Their nearest neighbor was another
man, several miles distant. The two men became friends, and the other
came over to see them frequently. It was the old, old story. The neighbor
fell in love with the young settler's wife.
"As you shall see, this other man was a beast. On the day preceding the
night of the terrible storm, the woman's husband set out for the
settlement to bring back supplies. Hardly had he gone, when the beast
came to the cabin. He found himself alone with the woman.
"A mile from his cabin, the husband stopped to light his pipe. See,
gentlemen, how the Supreme Arbiter played His hand. The man attempted to
unscrew the stem, and the stem broke. In the wilderness you must smoke.
Smoke is your company. It is voice and companionship to you. There were
other pipes at the settlement, ten miles away; but there was also another
pipe at the cabin, one mile away. So the husband turned back. He came up
quietly to his door, thinking that he would surprise his wife. He heard
voices--a man's voice, a woman's cries. He opened the door, and in the
excitement of what was happening within neither the man nor the woman saw
nor heard him. They were struggling. The woman was in the man's arms, her
hair torn down, her small hands beating him in the face, her breath
coming in low, terrified cries. Even as the husband stood there for the
fraction of a second, taking in the terrible scene, the other man caught
the woman's face to him, and kissed her.
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