Part 4 (2/2)

Then he held the trap in the fire until the meat fairly sizzled and the steel trap was quite hot

”Guess all Injun and Frank now have gone up in s round this trap, anyway”

The old man chuckled, and Frank now understood what he had meant

Memotas walked very carefully to within some yards of the spot where he had decided to place the trap

Again addressing Frank, he said:

”We must not even walk there, for if we did we should leave soh our moccasins, and Mr Fox would then be too sharp for us”

Giving Frank the pole with the trap on it to hold for a few minutes, the old man quickly moved back to a spot where so one down, he trimmed off all the branches except acare all the ti with his hands Returning with this long, brooorously used it on a spot so pole from the hands of Frank, and there in that place thus brushed out, he carefully and skillfully laid the trap

Then with the long brush he deftly swept back a thin layer of snow over the trap and bait

”Now, Frank,” he said, ”set the rest of your traps as you have been doing these past days, but do not go near that one we have just arranged”

This operation was soon perforested by Me these spots the fox would be apt to get caught in the one that had in it, as the old fellow put it, ”no Frank or no Injun”

By a roundabout route they started for home At nearly every place where Frank had set his snares for rabbits or partridges he was successful in finding gaone and the snoas badly trae came into play, and he showed Frank where a wild cat had seized a rabbit just as it had sprung into the snare, and then both had struggled and the spring pole had been dragged twenty feet or so before the strong twine had been broken In another place the feathers strewn around shohere a fox had been too quick for Frank and had taken the partridge which had been caught

Thus they pushed on, and at length reached hoood dinner awaited the them to a beautifully painted cariole, took Wenonah and Roddy out for a splendid ride The day was cold but brilliant The little folks rapped up in their beautiful furs, and so the drive over to the mission and back was much enjoyed

At the mission house they went in for a short call on the family, where they were alelcome As they could not remain for dinner a five- o'clock tea was quickly prepared andof bells was heard outside, and to the delight of all in came Mr and Mrs Ross, who had been driven over by Alec and Sa routes shortly after Frank had left with the two children After a hasty lunch they had coaxed Mr and Mrs Ross to let them drive them over, and so a couple of carioles were soon attached to their different trains Plenty of robes were put in, and now here they all were, and, as always, were most cordially welcomed

They spent a couple of hours with the htful fa such a blessed work, even if it were one of self-denial and at tihters, and Miss Adams, the lady teacher, were so proud of the Indians, and of their genuine kindly ways, that they were happy and contented with their lot

During the brief two hours spent at the home this afternoon, as well as on many other occasions, the boys had opportunities to see evidences of their kindnesses and tangible love to the sick and hungry ones who looked so much to them Not only did they find in Mr and Mrs Ross real friends to help them, but by their very substantial contributions they ifts much needed by the poor Indians

Genuine Christians theasta-weekee didof the people froanisenuine Christianity and an abiding civilisation

The tihtful hys of the homeland, and then a brief but earnest prayer for Heaven's blessing on loved ones far away, upon themselves in that land and their different work, and also upon the Indians

Then the dogs were roused, the carioles arranged, and the passengers were soon all aboard The boys took their places fir on the tailboards of the sleds that projected in the rear Grasping the tail- ropes, hich they held theuided their carioles, si they were all off together

They had three splendid trains and were not badly hter in the beautiful gloa they fairly flew over the icy expanse of Playgreen Lake But blood will tell, and it was soon evident that although Alec had Mr Ross as his passenger, and therefore the heaviest load of the three, he was surely forging ahead With those long, houndlike legs, these round-barrelled, ss need not take any second place in that crowd, and so it is that, catching the enthusias in unison with each other, they respond to Alec's cheery call, and seem to pick theasta-weekee that, in placing them, all that could be said was, ”Alec first, the rest nowhere”

”Well done, Alec,” said Mr Ross, as he sprang out of the cariole ”If you equal the speed of the last two or three e and the fort, I think the blue ribbon of first place will be yours But where is your cap?”

Happy Alec! He had been so excited with the splendid speed of his dogs, and the perfect unison of their movements, that he did not seem to be conscious of the fact that the capote of his overcoat was hanging down his back and that his cap had left him a mile or two back on the ice

However, his abundant curly locks had been sufficient for hi race He speedily pulled up the capote over his head, and Sam, who had seen his cap fall and had hastily snatched it up as his cariole flew by, now came up and restored it to him

Frank, with the children, was the last in His heavy dogs, while the strongest, were not so adapted for rapid travelling as the others

”Well, we had the longest ride,” said Roddy; ”you folks went so fast you did not have such a nice long time as we did”