. When she met her
kinsman and his friends at breakfast she was comparatively cheerful, and
returned their hearty salutation with some show of a reciprocal spirit.

"Jeff," said Mrs Gore, with a slight sigh, "it's a year, this day,
since my two darlings were lost in the snow."

"D'ye say so?" observed Jeff, as he sat down to his morning meal, and
commenced eating with much voracity.

Jeff was not an unkind man, but he was very stupid. He said nothing
more for some time, but, after consuming nearly a pound of venison
steak, he observed suddenly--

"Wall, I guess it wor a bad business that--worn't it, missus?"

"It was," responded Mrs Gore; and, feeling that she had no hope of
meeting with sympathy from Jeff, she relapsed into silence. After a
time, she said--

"But we must get up a feast, Jeff. It won't do to let New Year's day
pass without a good dinner."

"That's true as gosp'l," said Jeff. "Feed up is my motto, always. It
don't much matter wot turns up, if ye don't feed up yer fit for nothin';
but, contrairy-wise, if ye do feed up, why yer ready for anythin' or
nothin', as the case may be."

Having given vent to this sentiment, Jeff finished his meal with a
prolonged draught of tea.

"Wall, now," said he, filling his pipe, "we've got enough o' deer's meat
an' other things to make a pretty fair feast, missus, but my comrades
and we will go an' try to git somethin' fresh for dinner. If we git
nothin' else we'll git a appetite and that's worth a good long march any
day; so, lads, if--"

Jeff's speech was interrupted here by a sudden and tremendous outburst
of barking on the part of the dogs of the establishment. He sprang up
and hastened to the door, followed by his companions and Mrs Gore.

"Injuns, mayhap; see to your guns, boys, we can niver be sure o' the
reptiles."

"They're friendly," observed one of Jeff's friends, as they stood at the
Fort gate; "enemies never come on in that straightforward fashion."

"Not so sure o' that," said Jeff. "I've seen redskins do somethin' o'
that kind when they meant mischief; but, if my eyes ain't telling lies,
I'd say there were white men there."

"Ay, an' young folk, too," remarked one of the others.

"Young folk!" exclaimed Mrs Gore, as she shaded her eyes from the sun
with her hand, and gazed earnestly at the band which was approaching.

Suddenly one of them ran a little in advance of the rest, and waved a
handkerchief. The figure was a small one.