, you and the rest of the girls would
leave 'awful' out of one sentence in a hundred, and don't say 'I _seen_
him,' for you know better than that, sister."

She hung her head and her eyes were growing misty, when Nick took the
kiss with a laugh and moved to the door.

"There, there, good-by; you all act as if I was going to Africa to hunt
lions and tigers."

Nellie snapped him up in a flash:

"There ain't any tigers in Africa, smarty!"

"You got me that time," laughed Nick; "where is father?"

"He went out of the door a minute ago; he is standing by the gate," said
the mother, after a quick glance through the window.

Mr. Ribsam was leaning on the gate-post, as was a favorite custom of
his, and the tobacco smoke ascended in clouds and rings, as though he
was a locomotive tugging hard at a train, with the wheels continually
slipping.

He looked at the boys without stirring or speaking, as they passed out
the gate and gently closed it, so as not to jar the old gentleman
leaning upon it.

When they had gone a rod or so, Mr. Ribsam called out:

"Nicholas!"

"Yes, sir!" answered the son, wheeling instantly.

The father took the long stem of his pipe from his mouth, emitted a
blast of vapor, and then shut his eyes and flung his head backward with
a quick flirt, which meant that his boy should come to him.

Nick obeyed with his usual promptness, and paused immediately in front
of his parent, while Sam Harper stopped short and looked backward at the
two, with the purpose of waiting until the interview ended.

The old gentleman meant his words for both, and he therefore used the
English tongue as best he could, and spoke loud:

"Nicholas, bears ish shtrong amimals as nefer vos: they can squeeze in
der ribs of a ox of dey tried, I dinks, so looks out dot de bears don't
not squeeze mit you."

"I will take good care, you may depend."

"His claws am sharp and he has big jaws; look outs for dem, Nicholas!"

"You may be sure I will."

"And, Nicholas, ven you goes for to hunt bears _you must helps one
anoder; you hears_?"

This was the all-important sentence the father had prepared himself to
utter. It will be observed that it was in violation of his oft repeated
creed, for it clearly called upon the boys to render mutual support
should danger arise; and they would have been zanies had they not done
so.

The father expected them to show that much sense, but he was impelled to
impress the necessity of it: he