to see and opened the heavy door to the demand of a
young boy, who stood shivering before it. At a little distance further
from the house was, also, a woman wrapped in a blanket that glistened
with sleet, and which seemed to enfold besides herself the form of a
little child.

"My land! my land! Why, bubby! where in the world did you drop from?
Is that your ma? No. I see she's an Indian, an' you're as white as the
frost itself. Come in. Come right in."

But the lad lingered on the threshold and asked with chattering teeth,
which showed how chilled he was:

"Can Wahneenah come too?"

"I don't know who in Christendom Wahneeny is, but you folks all come
straight in out of the storm. 'Twon't do to keep the door open so
long, for the sleet's beating right in on Mercy's carpet. There'd be
the dickens to pay if she saw that."

Gaspar, for it was he, ran quickly back toward the motionless
Wahneenah, and, clutching the corner of her blanket, dragged her
forward. She seemed reluctant to follow, notwithstanding her
half-frozen condition and she glanced into Abel's honest face with
keen inquiry. Yet seeing nothing but good-natured pity in it, she
entered the cabin, and herself shut the door. Yet she kept her place
close to the exit, even after Gaspar had pulled the blanket apart and
revealed the white face of the Sun Maid lying on her breast.

"Why, why, why! poor child! Poor little creatur'. Where in the world
did you hail from to be out in such weather? Didn't you have ary home
to stay in? But, there. I needn't ask that, because there's Mercy off
trapesing just the same, an' her with the best cabin on the frontier.
I s'pose this Wahneeny was took with a gossipin' fit, too, an' set out
to find her own cronies. But I don't recollect as I've heard of any
Indians livin' out this way."

By this time the water that had been frozen upon the wanderers'
clothing had begun to melt, and was drip-dripping in little puddles
upon Mercy's beloved carpet. Abel eyed these with dismay, and finally
hit upon the happy expedient of turning back the loose breadth of the
heavy fabric which bordered the hearth. Upon the bare boards thus
revealed he placed three chairs, and invited his guests to take them.

Gaspar dropped into one very promptly, but the squaw did not advance
until the boy cried:

"Do come, Other Mother. Poor Kitty will wake up then, and feel all
right."

The atmosphere of any house was always uncomfortable to Wahneenah.
Eve