"I was wondering what we would do with ourselves during that time.
There's old Jesse Wilcox, the trapper, who invited us up to spend a
week with him and see how he runs out his string of traps in cold
weather, catching muskrats, mink, 'coons, foxes and all such things in
more or less abundance. We had about decided that we would accept, and I
was even getting ready to go when something happened."

"Talk to me about your tantalizing chaps, did you ever meet up with one
as bad as Frank can be when he knows the rest of us are so keen to hear?"
cried Jerry.

"What was it?" demanded Bluff.

"I had a letter that changed my mind," replied Frank.

"Not from old Jesse?"

"Well, hardly, for I don't believe the old fellow can write. This was
from one of my cousins, a fellow several years older than myself. You met
him about a year ago when he stopped with us a few days."

"You must mean Archie Dunn," said Will.

"Go up head, Will. Archie it was. I was glad enough to get a letter from
him, but when I read what he had to propose I thought I should have a
fit."

"Just as we will, unless you hurry your yarn," growled Jerry, moving
uneasily.