`` Winter set in awfully early this year . Ten days before Christmas we had a big snowstorm -- at least we thought it big at the time . As it happened , it was only a prelude to the real performance . It was fine the next day , and Ingleside and Rainbow Valley were wonderful , with the trees all covered with snow , and big drifts everywhere , carved into the most fantastic shapes by the chisel of the northeast wind . Father and mother went up to Avonlea . Father thought the change would do mother good , and they wanted to see poor Aunt Diana , whose son Jock had been seriously wounded a short time before . They left Susan and me to keep house , and father expected to be back the next day . But he never got back for a week . That night it began to storm again , and it stormed unbrokenly for four days . It was the worst and longest storm that Prince Edward Island has known for years . Everything was disorganized -- the roads were completely choked up , the trains blockaded , and the telephone wires put entirely out of commission . `` And then Jims took ill . `` He had a little cold when father and mother went away , and he kept getting worse for a couple of days , but it did n't occur to me that there was danger of anything serious . I never even took his temperature , and I ca n't forgive myself , because it was sheer carelessness . The truth is I had slumped just then . Mother was away , so I let myself go . All at once I was tired of keeping up and pretending to be brave and cheerful , and I just gave up for a few days and spent most of the time lying on my face on my bed , crying . I neglected Jims -- that is the hateful truth -- I was cowardly and false to what I promised Walter -- and if Jims had died I could never have forgiven myself . `` Then , the third night after father and mother went away , Jims suddenly got worse -- oh , so much worse -- all at once . Susan and I were all alone .
Gertrude had been at Lowbridge when the XXXXX began and had never got back .
Avonlea Diana Island Jims Jock Mother Valley days storm week