very dear friend of theirs, and they never allowed him to stay
anywhere in Norton but at their house, now that the Elmers had moved
away. After supper Ruth and the Mays came over to see him, and he
entertained them the whole evening with his funny stories and quaint
sayings.

In the morning, after breakfast, they began to "consider," as Uncle
Christopher called it. First he made Mark stand in front of him, looked
him all over from head to foot with a quizzical expression, and finally
said, "Yes, you look strong and hearty, and I guess you'll do.

"Fact is, Mark, I've got to take a trip down into Aroostook, and as I'm
getting pretty old and feeble--Oh, you needn't smile, youngster, I am
old and I've made so many bad jokes lately that I must be getting
feeble. As I was saying, having reached an advanced state of infirmity,
it has occurred to me that I need a travelling companion, a young,
able-bodied fellow like you, for instance, to protect me against the
dangers of the journey. Who knows but what we may meet with an
alligator, eh? and so I want you to go along with me."

Of course Mark agreed readily to this proposition, though he had
expected one far different, and the next morning he and Uncle
Christopher took leave of their Norton friends and started for Bangor.
From there another train carried them for miles along the upper
Penobscot River, past the Indian settlement at Old Town, past the great
saw-mills and millions of logs at Mattawaumkeag, and finally to McAdam
Junction in "Europe," as Uncle Christopher called New Brunswick. Here
they took another road, and were carried back into Maine to Houlton,
the county seat of Aroostook County. After staying overnight here they
took a stage, and for a whole day travelled over pleasant roads,
through sweet-scented forests of spruce and balsam, broken here by
clearings and thrifty farms, until at last the journey ended in the
pretty little backwoods settlement of Presque Isle.

Here Uncle Christopher's lumber business detained him for a week, and
here he introduced Mark to all his friends as "My grandnephew, Mr. Mark
Elmer, Jun., President of the Elmer Mills down in Floridy," covering
Mark with much confusion thereby, and enjoying the joke immensely
himself. Now the real object of bringing the boy on this trip was
disclosed. Mr. Bangs not only wanted Mark to meet with these practical
men, and become familiar with their ways of conducting a business which
was very similar