Canada -- Fiction; Frontier and pioneer life -- Ontario -- Fiction
Stefan drew on his great Dutch stockings and pulled his fur cap over
his ears. An instant after he had left the room Madge heard loud
barking. As she looked out of the window, scratching off a little of
the frost that covered the panes, she saw the big Swede surrounded by
five large dogs which he was hitching to a toboggan. Then he got on
the thing and the animals galloped away. A few minutes later he
returned, with her small trunk lashed to the back part of the sled. He
entered the house and took a straw-filled pillow and a huge bearskin
and bore them out.
In the meanwhile Mrs. Olsen was helping Madge to resume her outlandish
garb.
"Mebbe Mr. Ennis he not know you vhen you come so all wrapped up.
Mebbe he tink it is a bear. Yes, put dis on too, you vants it all,"
she declared. "It's all of twelve mile out dere. If you not need de
tings no longer, by and by you send 'em back. It's all right. I no
need 'em. Yoost keep 'em so long vhat you like. Didn't Hugo Ennis tell
you bring varm clothes vid you?"
"No," said Madge. "I--I don't think he spoke of them."
"Mens is awful foolish some times," asserted the good woman. "Dey pay
no attention to tings everybotty knows all about. I tank Stefan he
alretty now, so I say good-by and come again, ma'am. Alvays happy ter
see you again vhen you comes, sure."
The little girl came to Madge and rose upon her toes, for a kiss. More
timidly the boy only proffered a hand. Mrs. Olsen kissed her pale
cheek with a resounding smack.
"Mens is fonny sometimes," she said. "If tings isn't all right like
you expect mebbe at Papineau's you come back here soon as you finish
vhat you haf to do at Roaring Rifer. I haf anodder bed I can fix up in
de back room real easy. Good py, ma'am, and look out careful for your
nose!"
With this incomprehensible bit of advice Mrs. Olsen opened the door,
swiftly, and closed it just as fast. Madge saw her smiling at her
through the window-pane. Stefan made her sit down on the pillow, over
which he had laid the bearskin, which he then wrapped over her
shoulders and body and limbs.
"Now ve starts right off," he told her. "Look out careful for your
nose, leddy," he also advised before calling to his dogs, who strained
away at the long traces and trotted away, pulling heartily.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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