re all right, Pose, and I took your horse, but--"

"Burn the hoss!" said Breem explosively. "That's all right. Shake,
pard!" He held out a brawny hand. Bennett "shook" wonderingly.

"Wife, pard?" asked Breem, gently, nodding toward the bed. Bennett
hastily introduced him.

"Kid, pard?" Breem pointed a stubby finger at the little bundle.

Bennett nodded.

The lumberman grinned delightedly, then coughed a little, and began
awkwardly:

"Pard, th' boys over at Beetle Ring heard--as you might say,
accidental"--Breem coughed into his big hand--"about your folks over
here, your wife _and_--the baby. They were powerful interested,
specially about the baby. Why, pard, some of the boys hain't seen a
baby in ten years, and we thought as you belonged to the camp, maybe
you and your wife would allow that the camp had a sort of claim on the
little critter yonder." He eyed the tiny bundle wistfully.

"And another thing that hit the boys, pard," he went on. "Up at Fat
Pine they got what they call a mascot, bein' a tame b'ar; an' up at
Horseshoe they got a mascot, bein' a goat. Lots of camps have
'em--fetches luck. And the boys are sure that this baby of yours was
designed special to be Beetle Ring's mascot. Now, pard, Beetle Ring,
as you know, ain't what you'd call a Sunday-school, but the boys
they'll behave. They fixed up that storeroom to beat all, nice bed,
big stove, and lots of wood, and so on, and we've got a cow for the
woman and baby. Say, we want you powerful. Got a sleigh fixed, hemlock
boughs and a cover of robes and blankets, and Skid'll drive careful.
He's a master at drivin', Skid is. You'll come, won't you? The boys
are waitin'."

Big tears were in the woman's eyes as she turned toward her husband.
"Oh, Joe," she said, and choked suddenly; but she pressed the baby
tightly to her breast. "I knew 'twould come Thanksgiving."

"There, pard," said Breem, after blowing his nose explosively, "you
just see to wrappin' up the woman and the kid, and me and Skid, being
as you're hurt, you know, 'll tote 'em out to the sleigh."

The young mother was soon placed carefully in the sleigh, the old
woman following. But when Skid Thomson appeared in the door of the old
shack, bearing a tiny form muffled up with wondrous care, the whole of
Beetle Ring shouted.

Breem led up a spare horse for Bennett's use. The latter stopped
short, with a curious expression on his face. The horse was the red
roan.

But Breem only said, his