proclaim his indifference to it, and the human mind is never in such
need of companionship as when it shuns companions.

The two spent most of the evening endeavouring to restore to liveliness
the birds that Trenholme had taken from his pockets, and in discussing
them. Bates produced a very old copy of a Halifax newspaper which
contained a sonnet to this bird, in which the local poet addressed it as

"The Sunset-tinted grosbeak of the north"

Trenholme marvelled at his resources. Such newspapers as he stored up
were kept under the cushion of the old aunt's armchair.

Bates brought out some frozen cranberries for the birds. They made a
rough coop and settled them in it outside, in lee of one of the sheds.
It is extraordinary how much time and trouble people will expend on such
small matters if they just take it into their heads to do it.




CHAPTER IV.


There was no very valuable timber on Bates's land. The romance of the
lumber trade had already passed from this part of the country, but the
farmers still spent their winters in getting out spruce logs, which were
sold at the nearest saw-mills. Bates and Cameron had possessed
themselves of a large portion of the hill on which they had settled,
with a view to making money by the trees in this way--money that was