WILLIE WHISPER 3 



long as the cold snap lasted, and it really looked as 

 if it had come to stay ; but, with the philosophy 

 bred by contact with nature, we cut a supply of 

 maple logs and young branches of the " sapin," 

 lit a big fire on the deserted hearth, made our 

 fragrant beds, ate our supper, smoked our pipes, 

 and curled up to sleep. 



It was in the small hours of the morning, a 

 little before dawn, that I was jerked out of sleep 

 by someone pulling aside the blanket we had hung 

 across the doorway and walking unceremoniously 

 up to the dying fire. Having raked the embers 

 together and blown fresh logs into a cheerful blaze 

 the newcomer pulled off his sodden cow-hide 

 boots, stuck his dripping socks on two sticks to 

 dry, and turning to me with a courteous old- 

 fashioned inclination of the head, said, " Good 

 morning, sir. It is a monstrous fine morning, 

 but all nature is ashake with cold and so, by gad, 

 am I ! " By this time the " voyageur " was also 

 awake, and greeting the newcomer with " Bojure, 

 bojure, Willie," turned to me and said under his 

 breath, " He Willie Whisper. He crazy as a loon 

 but no harm, just like one child." So we made 

 Willie welcome, brewed some tea, handed him a 

 stick of tobacco, and sat awhile to smoke. 



