, much amused. "Who is this
chap, and what is his trouble?"

As concisely as possible the boy told the story of lame Jem, but so
interesting the kindly physician that he ran down to Benton expressly to
see the case, and the result was the new year found the young invalid
established in a great airy ward, where the sunshine sifted in through a
beautiful lattice-work of window plants, and cheery, bright-faced
attendants were ready to answer every call and supply every want.

"It seems like Paradise," said Jem, nestling among the soft pillows, and
that proved a truly blissful winter, in spite of some pain and
discomfort he had to endure, while he made life-long friends of Mrs.
Landon and Mrs. Graham, who paid him frequent visits, and brought him
lovely flowers and delicious fruit from the fair-haired Ethel.

And at length, when the spring-time came over the land, Bert Woolley and
Kit Bundy one evening helped off the cars a very pale but very radiant
lad, while the former said,

"See, Limpy, there are all the beach-combers coming to welcome you
home."

Cordially the rough youths crowded about their young comrade, healed and
restored as though by a miracle, and shook him warmly by the hand,
wondering to see in a slight limp the only trace of his former lameness.
But the throng parted as an auburn head suddenly flashed through their
midst, and Eileen, throwing her arms around her brother, cried:

"Oh, Jem, Jem! this is the happy day for sure--to see you walking on
your own two feet, while the father has signed the pledge, and a pair of
luck-birds are building their nest in the big pine-tree right forninst
our door."

SNOW-SHOES AND SLEDGES.

BY KIRK MUNROE.

CHAPTER XXV.

SERGE DISCOVERS A CURIOUS CAVERN.

At the point where our travellers had again struck the Yukon, nearly
1500 miles from its mouth, it was still a mighty stream two miles wide.
Above this they found it bounded on both sides by mountains that often
approached to its very waters, where, in sheer precipices hundreds of
feet high, they found gigantic palisades, similar to those of the
Hudson, which are known as the "Upper Ramparts." On the lower river the
sledge party had journeyed over a smooth surface, on which were few
obstructions. Their course from Anvik had at first been due north, then
northeast, then east, and was now due south, the source of the Yukon
towards which they were now travelling being some ten degrees south of
its great