"Left my best carvin' knife jammed up 'tween Marbles' ribs," the chef
said. "Comes o' doin' things in a hurry."
V
The blonde girl brushed her hair from her eyes and smiled at Retief.
"I'm the only one on duty," she said. "I'm Anne-Marie."
"It's important that I talk to someone in your government, Miss,"
Retief said.
The girl looked at Retief. "The men you want to see are Tove and Bo
Bergman. They will be at the lodge by night-fall."
"Then it looks like we go to the lodge," Retief said. "Lead on,
Anne-Marie."
"What about the boat?" Chip asked.
"I'll send someone to see to it tomorrow," the girl said.
"You're some gal," Chip said admiringly. "Dern near six feet, ain't ye?
And built, too, what I mean."
They stepped out of the door into a whipping wind.
"Let's go across to the equipment shed and get parkas for you,"
Anne-Marie said. "It will be cold on the slopes."
"Yeah," Chip said, shivering. "I've heard you folks don't believe in
ridin' ever time you want to go a few miles uphill in a blizzard."
"It will make us hungry," Anne-Marie said. "Then Chip will cook a
wonderful meal for us all."
Chip blinked. "Been cookin' too long," he muttered. "Didn't know it
showed on me that way."
Behind the sheds across the wind-scoured ramp abrupt peaks rose,
snow-blanketed. A faint trail led across white slopes, disappearing
into low clouds.
"The lodge is above the cloud layer," Anne-Marie said. "Up there the
sky is always clear."
It was three hours later, and the sun was burning the peaks red, when
Anne-Marie stopped, pulled off her woolen cap and waved at the vista
below.
"There you see it," she said. "Our valley."
"It's a mighty perty sight," Chip gasped. "Anything this tough to get a
look at ought to be."
Anne-Marie pointed. "There," she said. "The little red house by itself.
Do you see it, Retief? It is my father's home-acre."
Retief looked across the valley. Gaily painted houses nestled
together, a puddle of color in the bowl of the valley.
"I think you've led a good life there," he said.