blackened pipe, and lighted it with a small brand from the fire. His
wife did the same, and soon the two were smoking in great contentment.
Jean, watching, thought how little it took to satisfy such people.
Their belongings were few, and their places of abode many. She longed
to know more about these two Indians, why they were living apart from
their tribe, and whether they had any children. They must have mingled
with white people, for they readily understood everything she said,
although they themselves spoke in broken English.

She thought of these things the next morning as she and Kitty were
comfortably seated near the fire. The rain had ceased during the
night, the clouds had rolled away, and the ice-laden trees, touched by
the sun, shone and sparkled with surpassing loveliness. It seemed like
fairy-land to Jean when she first looked forth that morning, and she
exclaimed with delight. From the lake to the high peak off toward the
west millions of icy diamonds had caught the bright beams, and were
scintillating their glory far and wide.

"I never saw anything like it" Jean told Kitty. "Have you seen it?"

"A-ha-ha, me see'm," the Indian woman replied without the least sign of
enthusiasm. "Kitty see plenty. Trail bad. Ice heavy. Branch hang
down. Bad. Ugh!"

"Perhaps it will keep back those men who are following us," Jean
suggested. "They may not be able to get through the forest."

Kitty shook her head as she looked out upon the lake.

"Ice no stop white man. Trees beeg, no ice, trail good. Sam come