A motor-cycle can go there by taking its
life in its hands. It's in the middle of a clearing, so to speak; but
it's also in the middle of a pretty thick patch of woods around the
clearing. There's a spring, and a kettle, and we make open fires.
There are provisions in the lean-to, locked up so the deer can't get
them--yes, deer like things to eat. We go there to stay when there's
such work to do that it isn't convenient to come back and forth at
night. There are lots of rabbits and birds, and once in a while a
harmless little green snake--do you mind harmless snakes, my
dear?--comes and looks affectionately at you, finds you're a human
being, and goes away again rather disappointed. Once in a long while
an old bear comes and sniffs through the cracks of the lean-to in hopes
of lunch, and goes away again disconsolately like the snake. But only
once since I can remember. I tell you, Marjorie, I don't ever remember
having a better time than when I'd built a fire out there in an open
spot near the trees, and just lay on the ground with my hands behind my
head, all alone, and everything in the whole world so far away that
there wasn't a chance of its bothering me! Just trees and sky and
wood-smoke and the ground underneath--there's nothing like it in the
world!"

He had flushed up with enthusiasm. Marjorie looked at him admiringly.
This was a new Francis, one she had never met. She had not realized
that any one could love that sort of thing--indeed, no one had ever
told her that such things existed. Her life had been spent between
Cousin Anna's little prim house with a pavement in front of it and a
pocket-handkerchief of lawn behind, and the tiny New York flat she had
occupied with Lucille. She had never really been out-of-doors in her
life.

"Oh, please do take me!" she cried.

He seemed extremely pleased at her asking.

"I can't this first trip; the side-car will be full of junk that I have
to get over there. But I _would_ like to take you on my second trip,
about noon to-day. Or it may be later when I get back--it's quite a
distance."

"That will be all right," said Marjorie sedately. "I'd like to rest a
little this morning, anyway."

So Francis, with a light in his eyes, and whistling happily, fussed
about for a while assembling a mysterious collection of tools and
curious bundles, and rode blithely off in the general direction of what
looked like virgin forest.

"And now we'll plan all about t