of "housing" any ordinary person. It was plain to be seen that his sea
education had given Mr. Coombs the idea carried out in this remarkable
fashion.

"Beats anything I ever struck!" admitted the admiring Steve, as he
pushed forward to peep inside the cavity that seemed to offer such a
comfortable bed.

"But hardly big enough for the whole bunch of us, I'm afraid, Obed,"
urged Bandy-legs, with the idea, of course, of drawing the other out.

"This is one bunk," said Obed, calmly, "there are three jest like it
along the two walls, makin' four in all. So yuh see it's jest like Mr.
Coombs, he figgered on my having you-all stop over with me some fine
day. Then I c'n make up a bed on that 'ere couch, which is softer 'n any
o' the bunks. _He_ used to sleep, on it all the time, did Mr. Coombs."

"Well, I must say this is a revelation to me," admitted Max, his face
showing how pleased he felt. "And you were lucky, as Steve here just
said, to fall in with such a fine man as Mr. Coombs, at the time you
started your fur farm. I suppose it was the interest he took in it that
made him hand over this cabin, when he learned that his plans for
staying here could never be carried out."

"Why, yes, mostly that," agreed Obed, turning a little red. "P'raps I
ought to tell yuh that I chanced to do Mr. Coombs a little favor when we
first met. Yuh see, I happened to come on him in the woods. He'd started
out to find a certain kind o' sapling that he wanted right bad to use;
and not bein' used to findin' his way around, he jest naturally got
lost. But that wasn't the wust o' it. In using his ax to chop down a