erybotty knows all about. I tank Stefan he
alretty now, so I say good-by and come again, ma'am. Alvays happy ter
see you again vhen you comes, sure."

The little girl came to Madge and rose upon her toes, for a kiss. More
timidly the boy only proffered a hand. Mrs. Olsen kissed her pale
cheek with a resounding smack.

"Mens is fonny sometimes," she said. "If tings isn't all right like
you expect mebbe at Papineau's you come back here soon as you finish
vhat you haf to do at Roaring Rifer. I haf anodder bed I can fix up in
de back room real easy. Good py, ma'am, and look out careful for your
nose!"

With this incomprehensible bit of advice Mrs. Olsen opened the door,
swiftly, and closed it just as fast. Madge saw her smiling at her
through the window-pane. Stefan made her sit down on the pillow, over
which he had laid the bearskin, which he then wrapped over her
shoulders and body and limbs.

"Now ve starts right off," he told her. "Look out careful for your
nose, leddy," he also advised before calling to his dogs, who strained
away at the long traces and trotted away, pulling heartily.

Wearing a pair of huge snowshoes Stefan followed or kept at the side
of the toboggan. They left the road and struck a sort of path that led
them up a hill. To her right hand she could see a vast expanse of
frozen lake stretching away to the north. In some places the snow
appeared to be quite level while in others it was deeply wrinkled in
ridges caused by the winds. Presently the trees grew more abundant
along the way. They were silvery birches and the yellow ones, and
poplars with slender branches ending in tiny bare twigs. The conifers
still wore thick coats of dark green, excepting the tamaracks, that
only carried a few long golden needles. These big trees were dotted
over with great lumps of snow and ice which occasionally clattered
down through the branches.

Madge looked up and the world seemed to assume a wondrous new beauty
such as she had never known. The blue above was wonderfully clear and
bright. Over the snow the sunlight was beating strongly, though it
appeared to give little or no heat. Yet in the great patches of shadow
through which they passed at times it felt colder still.

"Yoost keep on feelin' yer nose," Stefan told her, as the dogs rested
for a moment at the top of a small hill. "You mustn't let it get
frost-bited, ma'am. It ain't such a awful big nose you got, leddy, but
you sure vouldn't look so bretty i