hout pulling off his legs, and he was too
sensible to think he could get far without them.

By this time the hunter who had shot the Eagle came running up,
followed by another.

"It was a mighty foolish thing to do, John. I'll bet you've killed the
children," said the second one.

And they came and lifted the Eagle.

"I thought so," said the same voice. "Both of 'em dead."

But the hunter, called John, had stooped and picked up Kernel Cob, and
was examining him with a curious smile.

"Why, Margaret," he said, "they're dolls."

And you should have seen Kernel Cob's face as he turned to Sweetclover
and said:

"I don't see any woman, do you?"

But Sweetclover only smiled.

"Do you see the one that isn't John?" she said.

"Of course," said Kernel Cob, "I'm not blind."

"Well," said Sweetclover, "she's a woman."

"But she's got a man's suit on," said Kernel Cob.

"Well, that doesn't make her a man." said Sweetclover.

"What'll women be doing next," said Kernel Cob.

And John and Margaret took Kernel Cob and walked to the edge of the
lake where there was a sled which they started to pull to the opposite
shore over the ice, for the lake was frozen over.

And on the sledge were a great number of bags of gold.

"Be careful," said Margaret, "If we were to go through the ice every
bag of gold would be lost and all our five years' work would go for
nothing."

And just then, as is often the case, the very thing happened.

They were crossing a bit of new ice when a cracking sound warned them,
but it was too late to avoid the disaster, and the sledge, weighed
down by the gold, went through the ice and was no more to be seen.

Of course there was nothing to be done, and, discouraged, they made
their way to the shore and sat down and thought and thought and
thought.

"We'll have to go back to the mines and start all over again," said
John with a sigh. And they picked up Kernel Cob and Sweetclover, and
walked on.

And after a little while, John and Margaret sat down on a log and were
silent for a long time. John had Kernel Cob on his knee, and Margaret
had Sweetclover in her lap, and neither of them spoke, but looked far
off without seeing anything except what had happened years and years
ago and left only a picture in their minds.

And Margaret sighed and turning to John said:

"John dear, don't let us try to find any more gold. What good will all
the gold in the world be to us without the children?"