A pleasant breath of warm air was wafted across to Phil's face. It gave him a sense of comfort to step out of the cold and storm. In an old-fashioned fireplace there was a glow of half-burned out embers. Phil peered around the room, which contained several rude articles of furniture, but he could not detect the presence of any other human being besides himself. "Funny," mused the boy. "I've made noise enough to arouse a troop. There doesn't appear to be anybody about the place. Andy! I say, Andy!" he called out, through the open doorway. "Come in here for a minute, will you?" Andy entered, shaking the snow from his clothing, pleased and excited at reaching a place of shelter, but fully as much surprised as Phil at finding no one in the house. There was a candle on the table, and Phil lit this. He pushed open a rear door, which led into the shed extension he had noticed from the outside. The lower portion of the house comprised only one room. There was a ladder running to a scuttle in the ceiling. Phil took the candle and ascended this ladder. "No one up here. Only a garret with a few old traps in it," he reported to Andy, descending again. "Now, Andy, what do you think of all this?" "I don't know what to think," said Andy. "There is a fire, the place looks and feels as if it had a regular tenant, out of the way, desolate locality as it is, but where is he?" "Well, we'll wait his return," said Phil accommodatingly. "The most cross-grained old hermit in the world wouldn't refuse shelter to man or beast on such a wild night as this is. We must attend to the horse, too. Faithful old fellow! he's done his duty well by us." Phil went outside, to find that the horse had strolled around to the shed. The intelligent animal had nosed open its door partly. Phil pulled it clear back with some difficulty, for the snow was very deep. Then he led the horse in. Andy had opened the door leading from the house, illuminating the shed. The place had a quantity of hay in it, and evidently had been used as a stable on former occasions. It held also some split cord wood. Phil blanketed the horse and carried an armful of the wood into the house, replenishing the fire. "This is comfort all around," he observed with satisfaction, as the fire blazed up. "Yes," asserted Andy, trying to fix the pane of glass that the horse had broken, so the snow would not drift in. "Tell you one thing, though," he added. "What's that, Andy." "This is a queer old place in the wilderness. There isn't the sign of bed or food here, no cooking utensils, nothing but wood and hay. Isn't it funny?" "It is queer, Andy," answered Phil. "It looks as if this was a place that people stayed in once in a while, but didn't exactly live here."