At Whispering Pine Lodge

at the picture made by the little log structure nestling so cozily under the dark foliage of the resinous

expected them to put in an appearance about this time of day, figuring just w

Even Bandy-legs seemed to feel that his unworthy suspicions of the other cou

ertain thoughts he entertained were quite amusing. But, then, seeing what a lonely life the young fur farmer must be leading, so far away from his kind, and w

building contained so much in the way of comforts. If he had thought of the matter at all, he probably expected to find just an or

even used aluminum cooking utensils equal to theirs, though not meant for camping particularly; there were several rocking chai

occasion. Water, too, had been piped to the cabin from some spring farther up the rise; though, in the de

magical lodge up here in the unpeopled wilderness? Why, a rich man could hardly have surrounded himself with more in the way of comforts; and yet, according to his language, and hi

t the other was observing them with that merry twinkle in his eyes? and evidently expecting his gu

n find to express my feelings, Obed," Max has

and so he fixed her up to beat the band. That big chair he loved to sit in when the fire was agoin'. But jest as he got fixed so nice his wife sent for him to come back home; and, say, he had to go. So, havin' no use for his place here, he turned it over tuh me for a song, I c'n show yuh the b

let his eyebrows go up in an arch as he listened; but then Bandy-legs would doubt anything th

kled half to death now if I could spend a month up here with you. There must be plenty of game around, I reckon; and it'd be a real delight to keep house in a little

e summer havin' it built. He put a heap o' his own ijees into the same, too. Yuh see, he used to be a sea captain once on a time, and that gave him the notion to have tables th

ed down exposing a cavity beyond that proved to be a regular sleeping bunk, fully capable of "housing" any ordinary per

ing Steve, as he pushed forward to peep inside the

us, I'm afraid, Obed," urged Bandy-legs, with

see it's jest like Mr. Coombs, he figgered on my having you-all stop over with me some fine day. Then I c'n make up

here just said, to fall in with such a fine man as Mr. Coombs, at the time you started your fur farm. I suppose it was the intere

und, he jest naturally got lost. But that wasn't the wust o' it. In using his ax to chop down a sapling he kim across, what did he do but cut his foot, and it was bleeding like fun when I ketched his shouts, and kim up. Course, I soon fixed that foot, and since he was only a little dried-up speck o' a man I managed to tote him

deceive them. Max could easily picture the ex-sea captain seated in that capacious fireside chair with the tufted cushion, and perhaps smoking his long-stemmed

later on so be yuh want to git anything out o' the same it'll be easy done. And seein' as I'v

e London markets were being bred in captivity, none of them objected to sitting down and taking a rest. Bandy-legs and Steve in particular made a bolt for

spread himself so as to occupy it all. "But after I've tried it out I'll vacate, because I ex

ticing odor stealing out of the oven of the cook stove, that was not unlike fresh bread being well browned; and there was nothing Bandy-legs loved better than the

sound, might be "sicking" one dog on another. No sooner had Steve left the capacious fireside chair than Bandy-legs slipped into it; and after that he was not meaning' to be dislodged until the summons came to gather about the table to discuss the midday meal.

dmiration for the extraordinary woods boy, even before he had glimpsed that remarkable fur farm which the other was successfully running. Plainly, then, this same Obed Grimes was

that of course he could not expect to compete on even terms with fellows who had had

here was also a meat pie that seemed delicious, both as to crust and contents, when opened; though Obed in-formed them that it

hotels up here in the Adirondacks, I'm told. Course I do shoot a deer once in a while in season; and lots o' pa'tridges, they bein' so tame yuh c'n knock them over as they sit

hought. The woods boy could look very sober at times, though, as a rule,

iful helpings, which fact pleased Bandy-legs and Steve in particular. The former, on passing his plate-for they actua

me I'm generally satisfied with one portion, but once let me get into the harness, and I seem to have

o get on quick terms of familiarity. "Last time I went to town I laid in quite a wheen o' stuff. Then there's always the crick to git trout outen; and in a short time you could sho

if ever, seeing a human face, and apparently devoting all his energies to making his fur farm experiment turn out to be a success. "Nothing would tempt me to stick it out he

him gravely, an

I jest shuts my teeth together, and tells myself that I started in to do this job, and I'm agoin' to stick it out or know the reason w