496 
strange muqua in his strange voice, 
“who has a son away on the shanties ?” 
“Kawin,’ said Mrs. Petrant. She 
objected to the lumber camps for 
mothers’ sons. 
But all the rest remembered Jimmy 
Friday, and Mrs. Friday spoke up. 
“Here,” said the stranger, “are socks 
such as they wear in the camps.” And 
he pulled forth three pairs of gray 
woolen socks such as Dan McAvay had 
stolen from Jimmy Friday’s bunk. 
“And here are mitts,” and he pulled 
forth woolen mitts such as Dan Mc- 
Avay had lost. 
“And here is a big tin cup—a full 
pint it holds.” And he brought forth 
a blackened cup such as they use for 
drinking in the lumber camps. 
- “And here is a crook-knife,” and he 
laid a farrier’s ae beside him on a 
“ehain, 
“And here is a light traveling ax 
for Jimmy Friday,” said the stranger, 
and he laid out a chore boy’s ax. 
Mrs. Friday was exultant with her 
son’s good fortune in this game of 
Santa Claus. But it was not yet over. 
Right into the very bottom of the pack 
RECREATION 
went the hand of the stranger. Every 
eye was on him when forth from that 
wonderful bag he disclosed a big, black 
bottle. 
“This,” said the stranger, “is a medi- 
cine only,” and he gave it into the 
hands of the priest as being a better 
judge of whisky and a safer man to 
keep it in trust. 
“And now,” said the priest, “this 
Santa Claus game is finished,” and of 
a sudden he had pulled the knot of the 
sash and jerked the woolen toque from 
the stranger’s face and head, while at 
the same moment the rabbit-skin blan- 
ket slid to the ground. Jimmy Friday! 
Very hot and perspiring about the face 
and neck but smiling with a satisfaction 
which scarce knew bounds, our hero 
stood revealed. Right under the very 
eyes of Michel Whitebear, he sprang to 
the side of Angele and kissed her be- 
fore them all in the pride and courage 
of his late exploit. And he gave her 
the very best ring in the pedler’s pack, 
a heavy brass affair with two pieces of 
green and one piece of white glass in it. 
Truly it was a great dance that time 
at Jimmy Friday’s! 



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