rs, and lakes, and forests; forests much bigger and darker than
boy's ever seen."

"Wos thems bigger than the Sleepers' forest?" The challenge was
instantly taken up.

"Oh, yes."

"An' darker, an' fuller of debble-men?"

"Much darker, and there were no devil-men, because there just aren't
any."

"No. Course not," the boy agreed readily.

"That's so. Well, Uncle Steve came a long, long way, and his dogs were
tired, and his Indians were tired----"

"Wos thems like Julyman an' Oolak?"

"Yes. That's who the Indians were. Uncle always has Julyman and Oolak.
Well, he came to a valley where he found a little boy. All sorts of a
boy. And he liked the little boy, and the little boy liked him. Didn't
he?"

"'Ess."

"Well, the little chap was alone."

"Didn't hims have no An-ina?"

"Oh, yes. He had his nurse. But his Pop had gone away, and so had his
Mummy. So he was kind of alone. Well, the little boy and Uncle Steve
became great friends. Oh, big friends. Ever so big. And Uncle Steve
didn't want ever to leave the little boy. And I don't guess the little
boy ever wanted to leave Uncle Steve. But then you see there was the Pop
and Mummy, who'd gone away, and of course the boy liked them ever so
much. So Uncle Steve was in a dilemma."

"Wot's 'd'lemma'?"

"Why just a 'fix.' Like boy was in when he got all mussed up with the
ropes just now."

"Wos you mussed up with ropes?"

"Oh, no. Only in a 'fix.'"

"'Ess." The briefest explanations seemed to satisfy.

"Well, Uncle Steve guessed the Pop an' Mummy wouldn't come back for ever
so long, maybe not till the boy was grown up. So he guessed he'd take
the little boy--such a jolly little chap--with him, back to his home,
where there was a nice Auntie, and a little baby cousin. A little girl,
such a pretty little dear, all eyes, and fat cheeks, that sort of tell
you life's the bulliest thing ever. Well, he took him to his home, such
a long, long way, over snow, and over rivers and lakes, where there's
fishes, and through forests where there's wolves, an' bears----"

"Does hims see any debble-mens?"

"No. Because Uncle Steve says there just aren't any."

"But An-ina sezes ther' is."

"An-ina's a squaw."

"'Ess."

"Well, after long time this funny little fellow finds his new Auntie,
and he loves his little cousin right away, and he has such a bully time
with her. They play together. Such games. She pulls his hair and laughs,
and the boy, who's such a bright l