hoverin' around, cause he
certainly _did_ love this place a heap."

The explanation entirely satisfied Max, though of course that skeptic of
a Bandy-legs had to let his eyebrows go up in an arch as he listened;
but then Bandy-legs would doubt anything that savored of the uncommon.
Max simply frowned at him and paid no more attention to his manner.

"You were certainly mighty lucky to fall heir to such a lovely little
home as this, Obed," Steve was saying, with a streak of envy in his
voice. "Say, I'd just be tickled half to death now if I could spend a
month up here with you. There must be plenty of game around, I reckon;
and it'd be a real delight to keep house in a little palace like this.
But how are you going to tuck us away for the night, Obed, if I might be
so bold as to ask, seeing that as yet we haven't had an invite to stay
over?"

"Oh! that's easily managed," replied the other, with, another of his
queer laughs. "You haven't begun to see all the wonders o' this lodge.
Mr. Coombs amused himself for a whole summer havin' it built. He put a
heap o' his own ijees into the same, too. Yuh see, he used to be a sea
captain once on a time, and that gave him the notion to have tables that
folded against the wall so as tuh take mighty little room. Then seem' as
how he might expect to have company some time or other, look how he
fixed the bunks along the walls."

With that Obed turned a button that none of them had thus far noticed,
fastened on the wall Immediately a section slipped down exposing a
cavity beyond that proved to be a regular sleeping bunk, fully capable
of "housing" any ordinary person. It was plain to be seen that his sea
education had given Mr. Coombs the idea carried out in this remarkable
fashion.

"Beats anything I ever struck!" admitted the admiring Steve, as he
pushed forward to peep inside the cavity that seemed to offer such a
comfortable bed.

"But hardly big enough for the whole bunch of us, I'm afraid, Obed,"
urged Bandy-legs, with the idea, of course, of drawing the other out.

"This is one bunk," said Obed, calmly, "there are three jest like it
along the two walls, makin' four in all. So yuh see it's jest like Mr.
Coombs, he figgered on my having you-all stop over with me some fine
day. Then I c'n make up a bed on that 'ere couch, which is softer 'n any
o' the bunks. _He_ used to sleep, on it all the time, did Mr. Coombs."

"Well, I must say this is a revelation to me," admitted Max,