254 THE DRAMA OF THE FORESTS 



or takes me out of doors, is to watch which way the wind blows. 

 Two winters ago, when I was away from here a week, the wind 

 blew steadily from the north for five days or more, and my 

 cattle ate so far into the south sides of the hay stacks that two 

 of the stacks fell over on them and in that way I lost five head — 

 they were smothered." 



Oo-koo-hoo, knocking the ashes from his pipe, began to tie 

 his coat; apparently, he thought it was time we were going. 

 I opened the album again, and glanced through it once more 

 as I sat upon the edge of my strange host's bunk. I stopped 

 my turning when I came to a photograph of a charming gentle- 

 woman whose hair was done in an old-fashioned way so be- 

 coming to her character and beauty. She must have been 

 twenty-three. He, then, was nearing forty. I thought his 

 hand lingered a httle upon the page. And when I commented 

 on her beauty, I fancied his voice tremored slightly — anyway 

 his pipe went out. 



But Oo-koo-hoo, getting up, broke the silence. 



I invited my still-unknown host to pay me a visit. We shook 

 hands heartily, and as I turned to close the door, I noticed that 

 he had lain down again, and had covered up his head. As a 

 pleasant parting salutation — a cheering one as I thought — I 

 exclaimed : 



"Perfectly stunning! . . . the most beautiful lot of 

 women I have ever seen!" 



And then from beneath the bed clothes came — 



"Y-e-s . . . the blighters!'' 



