e question lak dat; I'm not on de engine now." He
then raised his shoulders commiseratingly and continued: "You not be
'fraid, Monsieur Robbin; for when I rost dat turkey and boil dat
puddin' you will find her so good dat you will eat more dan de
odders."

The dogged old driver was now too angry to be influenced by our amused
smiles, and turning contemptuously away from Ovide, he looked to us
to press his demand for our cook's credentials.

"Oh, I am sure, Robbins, he will cook the dinner all right. And then
you know," I added reprovingly, "this is Christmas Day, and there
should be no hard feeling among us."

My reply only the more incensed our doughty old engineer. He pointed
prophetically at the now thoroughly defiant Ovide, and said, "I
suppose I'm interfering; but, mark my words, that foreigner there'll
make you before the day's out forget all about that motto of peace and
good-will." His prophetic arm fell to his side, and he seated himself
in a position from which he could command a good view of the little
kitchen at the end of the passage, where his watchful eyes never
failed to fasten on Ovide as he swaggered about, arrayed in our
regular cook's long, white apron.

For the next two hours I thought very little of Ovide, my attention
being occupied by a game in which Fielding, the conductor and I were
engaged.

Suddenly Fielding exclaimed, "Gracious, William, but this car is hot!"
I myself had been uncomfortably warm for some time, and had been dimly
conscious, too, of the conductor frequently wiping his face, and
casting anxious glances in the direction of the kitchen, whence came
blasts of hot air heavily laden with the appetizing odor of roast
turkey.

Involuntarily I glanced over at Robbins, who was still on guard,
although pretending to read a newspaper, and as I caught the grim look
of satisfaction on his profile, doubts as to the ability of our new
cook for the first time stole over me, and I made my way out to the
kitchen.

The moment I opened the door, and stepped into Ovide's new sanctum, I
thought the last great day of conflagration had surely come, and that
the elements were melting with fervent heat. Never before had I
experienced such withering heat and choking smoke as proceeded from
that little range, nor such dense vapor as came from the mouth of the
boisterous kettle upon it--many a locomotive would have been proud to
spout forth such a body of steam!

Finally my half-blinded eyes fo