Our Little Canadian Cousin

something of their surroundings and of the beauties of the Western land. As the oth

t is in one of the valleys which cut across the Coast Range of mountains. These deep valleys are entirely shut off from the north winds, and freely admit the warm breezes from the coast, while the rays of the sun are concentrated on their steep sides, helping to make, at times, almost tropical weather. We may spend part of next winter there, as it is even drier than Victoria, and that is very important for your father. Some of our new acquaintances have recommended the southern part of Alberta, where the winter is shortened and made almost balmy by the wonderful chinook winds-so named from the Chinook Indians, who used to occupy that part of the country from which they b

en a warm wind came and blew all the tents into little boats, in which they went sailing away to some wonderful country, where no one would ever be sick, an

at the latest, and it is seven now, and such a perfect day

eard her singing, laughing, chatting, as she flashed here

w that every one of the party was properly clad. The party, by the way, was quite a large one, consisting of another whole family (the Greys) besides the Merrithews, Will Graham, a young collegian who was a friend of Mr. Merrithew's, and Miss Covert, a rather delicate and very quiet little school-teacher whom Mrs. Merrithew had taken under her wing from sheer kindness, but who proved a charming

sleeping out-of-doors), Jackie, little Edith Grey, and all the provisions, tents, and bedding, were to go by st

en they gathered up paddles, wraps, and lunch-baskets, and hastened gaily off to the boat-house on the river-bank. Here the work of embarking was q

. Merrithew promptly began an old favourite,

s when we w

g tim

d lasses in

ed from to

ttle hesitation and some coaxing from Marjorie, Dora sang, in a clear, sweet treble, the well-known and much-loved "En Roulant ma Boule" ("Rolling My Ball"). Then so

SHORES WORE A

shores wore a fairy glamour, and the islands, where masses of grape-vine and clematis were tangled over the bushes, might have been each the home of an enchanted princess, a dryad, or any of the many "fair forms of old romance." When about five miles had been covered, they heard the rush of water hurrying over shallows and nagging at the rocks. This was what the children delighted to call "The Rapids," but old canoemen simply dubbed it "a stretch of swift water." But by whichever name it went, it called for

sting comfortably in a farmhouse, just opposite their destination, till the canoeing party should come to ferry them over. The farmhouse was owned by o

back, and said not a word. She tried hard not to see the swirling water and the scowling rocks, but no effort could shut out the confused seething noises that made her feel as if nothing in the world was s

ming face to see what

"I forgot that you have not ha

and the colour cam

in a large boat gives one a feeling of safety. I know I wasn't half so afraid then as

t confess I would not like to try those in a canoe, as Champlain did! But now,

reen bank on which elms, white birches, and maples stood, with a tangle of raspberry-bushes, and flowering shrubs among them. Inside the belt of trees was a broad sweep of rich meadow-land, with here and there a row of feathery

trees, so that part of the day they would be in the shade. These trees, too, would make id

r them and stretched and pegged down and made into a cosy shelter. There was a tiny "A tent" tucked away in the shadiest spot for the provisions, and a large tent in a central position which Mr. Grey named

t, Alice Grey, Marjorie, and Dora. The beds were of hay, liberally provided by the friendly farmer,-the owner, by the way, of island, house, and barns. Under each bed was spread either a rubber sheet or a piece of table oilcloth, then over the hay a thick gray blanket was laid. There was another

little help from Mrs. Merrithew, had succeeded in getting tea

ut when she saw the speed with which her fried beans disappeared, and found Mrs. Grey taking a third cup o

mously resolved that just this once the delightful evening of song and story must be omitted. Hearty "good-nights" were exchanged, and soon each tent for a brief while shone, lik

ment; silence, save for the soft murmur of the river in its sleep