ate, blushed violently, and needless to say, I blushed, too,
but, of course, only out of sympathy.

"The horses are too busy, just now, to haul the logs, but of course the
young people could have our spare room until I could build them a log
shack."

"Father, that's a capital idea. So there's no occasion for any delay
whatever. Then, when their house is finished, we could spare them a
bed, a table, a couple of chairs, and give them a new cooking stove."

Athabasca blushed deeper than ever, and studied her plate all the
harder, and I began to show interest and prick up my ears, for I
wondered who on earth son-in-law could be? I knew perfectly well there
was no young white man in all that region, and that even if he lived in
the nearest frontier town, it would take him, either by canoe or on
snowshoes, at least two weeks to make the round trip to Spearhead, just
to call on her. I couldn't fathom it at all.

"Besides, Mother, we might give them the heifer, as a starter, for she
will be ready to milk in the spring. Then, too, we might give them a
few ducks and geese and perhaps a pig."

"Excellent idea, Father; besides, I think I could spare enough cutlery,
dishes, and cooking utensils to help out for a while."

"And I could lend them some blankets from the store," the trader
returned.

But at that moment Athabasca miscalculated the distance to her mouth
and dropped a bit of potato on the floor, and when she stooped to
recover it, I caught a glance from the corner of her eye. It was one
of those indescribable glances that girls give. I remember it made me
perspire all over. Queer, isn't it, the way women sometimes affect
one? I would have blushed more deeply, but by that time there was no
possible chance of my face becoming any redder, notwithstanding the
fact that I was a red-head. Ponder as I would, I couldn't fathom the
mystery . . . who Son-in-law could be . . . though I had already begun
to think him a lucky fellow--quite one to be envied.

Then Mrs. Spear exclaimed, as we rose from the table:

"Good! . . . Then that's settled . . . you'll take him into
partnership, and I'm glad, for I like him, and I think he'll make an
excellent trader."

Our getting away from the table rather relieved me, as I was dripping
perspiration, and I wanted to fairly mop my face--of course, when they
weren't looking.

Together they showed me over the establishment: the spare bedroom, the
trading shop, the stable, th