oned
rocking-chair. A rag carpet, gaily striped in red, green, and yellow,
covered the floor, and a tawny wolf-skin lay in front of the bed.

"This looks good to me," said the schoolmaster, stretching himself
luxuriously in his chair and enjoying the warmth of the room, with
the pleasant feeling that at last he had one little spot that he
could call his own, where he could sit and read and think, or, if he
wanted to, just sit and be comfortable. From below came the pleasant
rattle of dishes and an appetizing odour of baking chicken.

Mr. Donald went to the wash-stand, and washed his hands, smiling
pleasantly to himself. "Martha, like you," he was saying, "and I'll
gladly make a deal with you. I have quite a stock of history and
geography and literature and other things which we call knowledge,
and I will gladly, part with it for just such things as these,"
looking around him approvingly. "Give me cream on my porridge,
Martha, and I'll teach you all I know and more." A few minutes later
Mr. Donald went down to supper.

Mr. Perkins did the honours of the table, and each wore his coat
while he carved the chicken, as a token of respect for the new
boarder. He hospitably urged Mr. Donald to eat heartily, though there
was no special need of urging him, for Martha's good cooking and
dainty serving were proving a sufficient invitation.

Mr. Perkins was in fine fettle, and gave a detailed account of the
visit he and Sam Motherwell made to Winnipeg to interview the
Department of Education about the formation of the Chicken-Hill
School District. Mr. Donald was much amused by his host's description
of the "Big Chief" of educational matters.

"You see, I knowed cousins of his down below, near Owen Sound," Mr.
Perkins said, "though I didn't see that he favoured them at all at
first; but when I got a look at him between the ears I could see
the very look of the old man his uncle. Maybe you've seen him,
have you? Long-faced, lantern-jawed old pelter, with a face like a
coffin--they're the kind you have to look out for; they'd go through
you like an electric shock! Well, sir, Sam and me was sittin' there
on the edge of our chairs, and that old rack o' bones just riddled us
with questions. Sam got suspicious that there was a job gittin' put
up on us some way, and so he wouldn't say a word for fear it would
raise the taxes, and that left all the talkin' to me. Now, I don't
mind carryin' on a reasonable conversation with any one, but