own on us, or is the river
about to break up?"

"War-parties of Sioux are no doubt prowling about the plains somewhere,"
returned Lambert, with a smile, "and the ice will go soon if this heat
continues; but neither of these things brought me here. The truth is, I
came to ask if Winklemann has been seen to pass your windows this
morning?"

"The truth?" repeated Elsie, with a searching look.

"Well," replied the youth, with a laugh, "I came also to see you and--
and--Cora."

"And father also, I suppose?"

"Why, Elsie, you are unusually sharp this morning; but I really do wish
to know if Winklemann has been seen, because he had left home when I
passed his house, and I want him to hunt with me."

"Then I may tell you that he passed our window not ten minutes before
your arrival, going in the direction of the Lower Fort. He rides fast,
as you know, so if you would catch him up you must follow quickly."

The young man stood for a moment undecided, then, perceiving that Elsie
gave him no encouragement to remain, he bade her adieu and rode away.

"Louis is remarkably fond of coming here," said Elsie to Cora, who
entered the room a few minutes later, "but he did not come to see _us_
this morning. He only came to ask after Herr Winklemann."

Cora laughed, but gave no further evidence of the state of her mind.

Just then Peegwish the Indian entered. He walked towards the sisters
with that solemn dignity of manner peculiar to the North American
savage, but the intensified solemnity of his looks and a certain
unsteadiness in his gait rather marred the dignity.

"Peegwish," said Elsie, going towards him with a grieved look, "you have
been drinking beer again."

The Indian protested, in very bad English, that he had not tasted beer
since the previous Christmas; whereupon Elsie proceeded to administer an
earnest reproof to the muddled hypocrite, for she was really anxious to
save him from the destruction which had already overtaken many of his
red brethren through the baleful influence of fire-water; but Peegwish
was just then in no condition to appreciate her remarks. To all she
said his only reply was that he wanted "bally."

"You want bally?" returned Elsie, with a puzzled look.

"Yis--bally," he repeated, and a gleam of indescribable slyness broke
like a sunbeam on his solemn visage as he said it.

"What can he mean by bally, Cora?"

"Perhaps he means barley."

"Ho!" exclaimed the Indian, with emphasis, by