pirit
the latter had won, and that the Christmas mood had at last entered
into and possessed his soul. And after an interval he rose and
carefully closing the great volume said:--

"And now, pups, as we've settled it atween us, and we all stand agreed
in the matter, I'll git the bark and the coal, and we'll see how the
decision of the council looks when it be put in writin'."

And in a moment the Trapper was again seated at the table with a large
piece of birch bark in front of him and a hound on either side.

"I conceit, pups, that the letterin'," said the old man as he
proceeded to sharpen the piece of charcoal he held in his hands,
"should be of goodly size, for it may help some in readin', and I
sartinly know it will help me in writin'."

With this honest confession of his lack of practice in penmanship, he
proceeded to write:--

"_Any man or animil that be in want of vict'als or garments is
invited to come on Christmas day--which be next week Thursday--without
furder axin', to John Norton's cabin, on Long Lake, to eat Christmas
dinner. Vagabonds included in this invite._"

[Illustration: "Vagabonds included in this invite."]

"I can't say," said the Trapper, as he backed off a few paces and
looked at the writing critically, "I can't say that the wordin' be
exactly as the missioners would put it, and as for the spellin', I
haven't any more confidence in it than a rifle that loads at the
breech pin. The letterin' sartinly stands out well, for the coal is a
good un, and I put as much weight on it as I thought it would bear,
but there is sartinly a good deal of difference atween the ups and
downs of the markin's, and the lines slope off to'ard the northwest as
ef they had started out to blaze a trail through to St. Regis. That
third line looks as ef it would finally come together ef ye'd gin it
time enough to git round the circle, but the bark had a curve in it
there, and the coal followed the grain of the bark, and I am not to
blame for that. Rover, I more than half conceit by the look in yer eye
that ye see the difference in the size of them letters yerself. But ef
ye do ye be a wise dog to keep yer face steddy, for ef ye showed yer
feelin's, old as ye be, I'd edicate ye with the help of a moccasin."
And he looked at the old dog, whose face, as if he realized the peril
of his position, bore an expression of supernatural gravity, with
interrogative earnestness. "Never mind the shape and size of the
letters or