At any rate his health was not fully
restored and he determined to stay at Mason's Corner as long as he could
do so without causing a break in the friendly relations existing between
his father and himself. His present income was enough for his personal
needs, but it was not sufficient to also support a Mrs. Quincy Adams
Sawyer.
What Ezekiel had prophesied came true. No one knew just when the storm
began, but the picture that greeted Mandy Skinner's eyes when she came
down to get breakfast was a great contrast to that of the previous day.
The snow had fallen steadily in large, heavy flakes, the road and the
fields showed an even, unbroken surface of white; the tops of the taller
fences were yet above the snow line, each post wearing a white cap. As
the morning advanced the storm increased, the wind blew, and great
drifts were indications of its power. The thick clouds of white flakes
were thrown in every direction, and only dire necessity, it seemed,
would be a sufficient reason for leaving a comfortable fireside.
Mandy and Mrs. Crowley were busily engaged in preparing the morning
meal, when a loud scratching at a door, which led into a large room that
was used as an addition to the kitchen, attracted their attention.
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