Day had broken cold and gray, exceedingly cold and gray, when the man turned aside from the main Yukon trail and climbed the high earth-bank, where a dim and little traveled trail led eastward through the fat spruce timberland. It was a steep bank, and he paused for breath at the top, excusing the act to himself by looking at his watch. It was nine o'clock. There was no sun nor hint of sun, though there was not a cloud in the sky. It was a clear day, and yet there seemed an intangible pall over the face of things, a subtle gloom that made the day dark, and that was due to the absence of sun. This fact did not worry the man. He was used to the lack of sun. It had been days since he had seen the sun, and he knew that a few more-days must pass before that cheerful orb, due south, would just peep above the sky-line and dip immediately from view.

Which of the following context clues helps to explain the meaning of the word ORB?

...there was not a cloud in the sky...
It had been days since he had seen the sun...
...an intangible pall over the face of things... ***??
...due south...

Day had broken cold and gray means

'It had been days since he had seen the sun...' would be correct, since the meaning of the word orb in the passage is the sun.

The context clue that helps to explain the meaning of the word "orb" is "It had been days since he had seen the sun..."

The context clue that helps to explain the meaning of the word "orb" is "...an intangible pall over the face of things...". In this sentence, the phrase "an intangible pall" suggests a gloom or darkness that is present in the absence of the sun. This clue helps to infer that the word "orb" refers to the sun itself, as the sun is often described as a round or spherical object.