x dead bush rats lay in a heap directly under
the hole in the roof.

"And they told us nobody lived here!" remarked Jim. "That's a great
bag, though. Man,--if only they were rabbits!"

"How do you suppose they come to make this room their shelter?" asked
Phil.

"Easy enough! They evidently come in from the outside between the logs
and the shiplap to the loft above. They have made a run along by the
beams there and down that board running from the roof to the floor and
propping up the wall there; then they make over the floor to that
hole, and into the stable where the litter and feed is."

"Great stuff!" commented Phil.

"Ay,--ay!" said Jim wearily, "but I can see where most of my time is
going to be occupied in keeping the house to ourselves."

They were late in getting about that morning, but, fortunately, Ah
Sing had been around and was putting the finishing touches to a
breakfast for two.

Three ugly black cats were at the Chinaman's legs with erect tails,
rubbing their backs against him in feline glee every moment he stopped
shuffling over the floor.

"Hullo, Sing;--pretty early! Think maybe best you cook dinner
night-time--one meal every day--no cookem breakfast. We makem
breakfast," said Jim, as he picked up one cat after another by the
neck and solemnly dropped them out at the front door.

"Ya,--I savvy!" said Ah Sing. "Me cookem supper every
night--to-morrow--but no do'em this time to-day. My blother's wifee,
she die and get buried one year to-day. Savvy! Me want to go and put'm
chicken, piecee pork, punk stick, all on grave--see!"

Phil laughed as he sat down to the table. Ah Sing looked hurt.

"What you do that for?" asked Phil.

"You no savvy?" queried the Chinaman, leaning over with arched
eyebrows. "Put'm on grave so devil come and eat'm up. Devil say, 'Ah
Sing good boy;--Ah Sing blother Lee, he good boy too.' Devil, heap
pleased. No hurt Ah Sing and Lee Sing."

Jim ventured a cautious look up from his oatmeal and milk, as if
awaiting the outcome of the discussion.

"Gee!--but they're a crazy bunch," said Phil, addressing no one in
particular. Ah Sing was of the knowing school of chink and did not
choose to let the remark slide by.

"You say 'heap crazy.' No crazy! White man just allee same crazy. He
put'm flower on white girlie grave. You no think that crazy. Chinaman
put'm chicken and pork on Chinee girlie grave,--Chinaman no crazy.

"White man look up--see angel; white man put'm flo