WAFFLES AND A WALK 27 



hearing than we House People, and you will do well 

 when you Avish to watch even a Squirrel to keep from 

 stepping on a drj^ leaf and to see which way the wind 

 blows." 



" Only think, we've seen a real Avild animal," chuckled 

 Dodo to Nat. 



"I've seen a Coon and a Muskrat and a Mink," said 

 Rap, "besides Foxes and Squirrels." 



" I know what Mink is," said Dodo ; " it's nice 

 brown fur, and I have some of it on my winter coat. 



" Uncle Roy is going to take us to the old log camp in 

 the Owl woods some day, and there are fur beasts up 

 around there, he says." 



" Daddy has been all about the wild west country on 

 business, and he has seen dreadful fierce, wild animals, 

 and he is going to tell us about them by and by. You 

 know daddy goes round to find out about the country 

 and look for mines that are hidden in the ground," 

 explained Nat to Rap, " and that's why we haven't seen 

 much of him for a long time. You see mines are often 

 in very savage places, and now daddy is staying here 

 this winter to write down all he has seen and draw 

 plans for people to work by in the spring." 



" Oh, then your father is a miner," said Rap ; "I've 

 read about them." 



" No, a miner is the man that digs with a pick and 

 shovel ; daddy is the one who digs with his brain and 

 tells the miner how to work so that the earth won't 

 fall in on him, and how to cut away the rock and get 

 to the treasure. Daddy is what they call a Mining 

 Engineer ! " and Nat stopped suddenly, as if the two 

 big words were too much for him. 



