noon
The piled water shook the dam , topped it , burst it into fragments , and rushed into freedom ; he must go to Alder , have a drink , shake hands with a friend , kiss Betty Neal , and come back again . Two days going , two days coming , three days for the frolic ; a week would cover it all . And two hours later Vic Gregg had cached his heavier equipment , packed his necessaries on the burro , and was on the way . By noon he had dropped below the snowline and into the foothills , and with every step his heart grew lighter . Behind him the mountains slid up into the heart of the sky with cold , white winter upon them , but here below it was spring indubitably . There was hardly enough fresh grass to temper the winter brown into shining bronze , but a busy , awakening insect life thronged through the roots . Surer sign than this , the flowers were coming .