d the noble
animal with his eye, "I sartinly doubt ef I ever seed a bigger deer.
There's seven prongs on his horns, and I'd bet a horn of powder agin a
chargerful that he'd weigh three hunderd pounds as he lies. Lord! what
a Christmas gift he'll be fur the woman! The skin will make a blanket
fit fur a queen to sleep under, and the meat, jediciously cared fur,
will last her all winter. We must manage to git it to the edge of the
clearin', anyhow, or the wolves might make free with our venison,
Bill. Yer sled is a strong un, and it'll bear the loadin', ef ye go
keerful."

The Trapper and his companion set themselves to their task with the
energy of men accustomed to surmount every obstacle, and in a short
half-hour the sled, with its double loading, stopped at the door of
the lonely cabin.

"I don't understand this, Wild Bill," said the Trapper. "Here be a
woman's tracks in the snow, and the door be left a leetle ajar, but
there be no smoke in the chimney, and they sartinly ain't very noisy
inside. I'll jest give a knock or two, and see ef they be stirrin';"
and, suiting the action to the word, he knocked long and loud on the
large door. But to his noisy summons there came no response, and
without a moment of farther hesitation he shoved open the door, and
entered.

"God of marcy! Wild Bill," exclaimed the Trapper, "look in here."

A huge room dimly lighted, holes in the roof, here and there a heap of
snow on the floor, an immense fireplace with no fire in it, and a
group of scared, wild-looking children huddled together in the farther
corner, like young and timid animals that had fled in affright from
the nest where they had slept, at some fearful intrusion. That is what
the Trapper saw.

"I"--Whatever Wild Bill was about to say, his astonishment, and, we
may add, his pity, were too profound for him to complete his
ejaculation.

"Don't ye be afeerd, leetle uns," said the Trapper, as he advanced
into the center of the room to survey more fully the wretched place.
"This be Christmas morn, and me and Wild Bill and the pups have come
over the mountain to wish ye all a merry Christmas. But where be yer
mother?" queried the old man, as he looked kindly at the startled
group.

"We don't know where she is," answered the older of the two girls; "we
thought she was in bed with us, till you woke us. We don't know where
she has gone."

"I have it, I have it, Wild Bill!" exclaimed the Trapper, whose eyes
had been busy sc