FOXES AND SNOW-SHOES 197 



ing in wild places is different from playing at it as we 

 do ; those people work all day and are too sleepy at 

 night to notice smells. Nez is so busy all day long 

 out in the cold, that when he comes in he's too sleepy to 

 bother about little things. Toinette cooks things A 1 

 anyway. I wonder what we are going to have for 

 breakfast ? Something that's fried in a big pan of fat. 

 Do you suppose it's doughnuts ? " 



" You supposed right," said Nat a few minutes later, 

 as Nez called them to the table, where there was a flat 

 willow basket piled high with the puffy brown balls. 

 Here comes ham, too, witli funny lumpy sauce poured 

 over it. I wonder what it is ? " 



" Sauce of ze chestnut, va.r}^ fine, m'sieurs ; ze sauce 

 of my countree. I mak also ze dish of ze countree of 

 ma 'usband — ze doonut, but zat ting of his countree, 

 ze pi, I mak not, bah ! Shall it kill de red from the 

 cheek de mes gargons? I name it not wiz ze pate of 

 ma countree whose top it shall fly away vile you 

 bite." 



The Doctor laughed heartily at Toinette's dislike of 

 pie, saying : " You are right, Toinette, pie is very poor 

 food for little boys ; but I have hard work to make Nat 

 think so. Though I do not believe in doughnuts for 

 breakfast, yours are so light and free from grease that 

 you must not expect to have one left." 



" Ah, you are vary polite to zay it," replied Toinette, 

 blushing and pouring a sort of porridge into the bowls 

 that stood at the children's places. " Zis is ze plumb 

 potage of Fete de Noel, but we did liave it on ze fete 

 day of ma 'usband's countree — ze T'anksgiving." 



Nat and Rap were soon fishing the big raisins out 



