“Yes’m, they is. Ye never can tell what she’s gonta do. I’m a United States weather man, an’ I’m speakin’ from experience. One year winter she’ll set in as early as this. Next, they maybe won’t be any snow to speak of before Christmas. We’ve had three early winters hand-runnin’ now an’ I’d say it’s time for a late one.” “Will you go along, Henry, and show us the way?” the girl asked eagerly. “I been thinkin’,” Henry replied. “How’m I gonta tend to my weather reports?” “Take your gauge along with you, can’t you?” “I dunno ’bout that,” said Henry. “But if ye was to pay me well enough--” “How much will your services be worth?” Henry pursed his lips. “I get seven and a half a month for bein’ weather man,” he mused, “and, come next month, I’ll have a line o’ traps strung between Rustler Crick an’ Palance Ridge. If I’m lucky, I oughta clean up a hundred dollars at th’ traps th’ month we’d be gone. An’ then--” “I’ll give you two hundred and fifty dollars to take us to where we can continue on ourselves to the Valley of Arcana,” Charmian interrupted. “Well-l-l--” Shirttail Henry Richkirk puckered his lips doubtfully. “Or until we give up in despair,” Charmian supplemented. Henry rose briskly from the fireside. “Be up an’ fed by six o’clock,” he said. “I’ll be ready.” He started to flutter toward his cabin when the sharp voice of Mary Temple stayed his steps. “Where are your snowshoes? Where is any grub sufficient to take these idiots on a trip like that?” she demanded. “Well, now, ma’am,” replied the weather man, “I think we c’n git more snowshoes at Mosquito Ranch, which is halfway up this here mountain here from my place to th’ lake. I got two good pair myself. An’ we c’n git a beef critter killed for us at the ranch an’ freeze th’ meat an’ take a lot of it along with us. Besides, I got a lot o’ jerky, which comes in mighty handy when everything else has give out.” “Have you any soap?” asked Mary crisply. “Why, yes’m--I got a whole case of her that’s never been opened.” “Take it along,” said Mary. “Why, Mary Temple!” cried Charmian. “What need have we for a hundred cakes of soap? Think of the weight it will add to the pack, which weight ought to be composed of something to eat.” “Henry himself will need half a case,” said Mary. “Don’t for a minute imagine, Charmian Reemy, that I mean to live like an Indian on this fool trip. Supplies are supplies, and no supplies are complete without an ample amount of soap. Henry, did you think about the snowshoes and the beef when you proposed setting off at six o’clock to-morrow morning?” “Well, now, no’m,” Henry confessed, shifting his great weight from one huge foot to the other. “Maybe I just didn’t,” he added weakly. “And you didn’t want to go until Charmian promised to pay you even if the expedition failed, did you?” “I didn’t say that, ma’am,” poor Henry tried to defend himself.