is belongings and his
grub. Apparently the cabin had long served as a casual storehouse to
the boatmen of the river; for pieces of mouldy sails were hung over
the rafters; oars and a mast crossed from beam to beam; and in a third
corner were a pile of chain and an anchor, slowly mouldering into rust.
In wet weather, the present tenant evidently did his chopping within
doors, the floor was littered with chips and broken wood. As they came
in, a yellow and white kitten, retreating to the darkest corner of
the cabin, elevated his back and growled threateningly.

"That's my partner, Musq'oosis," explained the boy. "He'll make friends
directly. He plays with me by the hour; you'd laugh yourself sick to see
the comical way he carries on. He's great company when you're batching
alone!"

Natalie liked this boy more and more.

"Say, I'm having no end of company these days," he went on, with his
happy-go-lucky air. "The Bishop's outfit was here all day yesterday;
they went up on the last of the east wind, this morning. The old
woman--that's what we call Mrs. Bishop, you know; no disrespect--she
baked me a batch of her bread before she went. Real outside bread with
a crackly crust to it! Oh my! Oh my!--with brown sugar! Say, we'll
have a loaf of it for supper!"

Natalie in the meantime sat on the bench; and taking off her moccasins,
put her feet on the oven sill to dry. Garth sat on a box; and their host
squatted on the floor between.

"By the way," said this youth; "I'm Charley Landrum."

Garth introduced himself and Natalie.

"Hope you'll stay a couple of days," said Charley anxiously--"or longer.
There's great duck-shooting on the sloughs; and we might get a goose or
a wavy around the lake shore. It would be a pleasant change of meat for
the lady."

Charley addressed all his remarks to Garth, without ever once looking
at Natalie; it was clear, nevertheless, that he was acutely conscious
of her presence; for he blushed whenever she spoke; and his eyes were
continually drawn to her, though he dared not raise them quite to her
face. To Garth and Natalie the nicest thing about this boy was the way
he took her presence for granted. Of all the males they had met in the
North, he alone had not gaped at her in vulgar wonder; and to his honest
heart there was nothing out-of-the-way in the fact that she was Miss
Bland, and Garth Mr. Pevensey.

"We're obliged to get on as soon as we can," said Garth. "We've been
chasing the Bi