XXII. The Cheating of the River 175 XXIII. The Girl Who Was Not Afraid 183 XXIV. The Woman’s Way 193 XXV. Gold! 202 XXVI. The Look in a Woman’s Eyes 212 XXVII. On the Trail of Fortune 219 XXVIII. The Snow-Burner Hunts 229 XXIX. The White Man’s Will 233 XXX. Any Means to an End 238 XXXI. The Squaw-Man 241 XXXII. The Scorn of a Pure Woman 245 XXXIII. Shanty Moir 251 XXXIV. The Bargain 256 XXXV. The Test of the Bottle 261 XXXVI. The Snow-Burner Begins To Weaken 265 XXXVII. Into the Jaws of the Bear 270 XXXVIII. MacGregor Roy 277 XXXIX. James MacGregor’s Story 283 XL. The White Man’s Sentiment 293 XLI. Shanty-Moir-Temperance Advocate 301 XLII. The Snow-Burner Works for Two 305 XLIII. “The Penalty of a White Man’s Mind” 309 XLIV. The Madness of “Hell-Camp” Reivers 316 XLV. A Surprise for Shanty Moir 320 XLVI. A Fight that was a Fight 327 XLVII. The Snow-Burner Pays 332 THE SNOW BURNER PART ONE: THE NATURAL MAN CHAPTER I—HELP The brisk November sunrise, breaking over the dark jack-pines, lighted up the dozen snow-covered frame buildings comprising the so-called town of Rail Head, and presently reached in through the uncurtained windows of the Northern Light saloon, where it shone upon the curly head of young Toppy Treplin as, pillowed on his crossed forearms, it lay in repose on one of the saloon tables. It was a sad, strange place to find Toppy Treplin, one-time All-American halfback, but for the last four years all-around moneyed loafer and waster. Rail Head was far from the beaten path. It lay at the end of sixty miles of narrow-gauge track that rambled westward into the Big Woods from the Iron Range Railroad line, and it consisted mainly of a box-car depot, an alleged hotel and six saloons—none of the latter being in any too good repute with the better element round about. The existence of the saloons might have explained Toppy’s presence in Rail Head had their character and wares been of a nature to attract one of his critical tastes; but in reality Toppy was there because the Iron Range Limited, bearing Harvey Duncombe’s private hunting-car, had stopped for a moment the night before out where the narrow-gauge met the Iron Range Railroad tracks.