The guide finally unfolded himself and rose slowly to his full
height, preparatory to going back to the kitchen regions. He was
nearly seven feet tall, and painfully thin. He grinned down upon Ruth
Fielding as she gazed in wonder at his proportions.

"I'm some long; ain't I, Miss?" he chuckled. "But I warn't no taller
than av'rage folks when I was a boy. You hear of some folks gettin'
stunted by sickness, or fright, or the like. Wal, I reckon _I_
got stretched out longer'n common by fright. Want to hear about it?"

He was so jolly and funny that Ruth was glad to hear him talk and
she encouraged him to go on. So Jerry sat down again and began his
story.




CHAPTER X

BEARS--AND OTHER THINGS


"Ye see," drawled Jerry, "my marm was alive in them days--bless her
heart! Dad was killed on the boom down Rolling River when I was a
little shaver; but marm hung on till I got growed. Ya-as! I mean till
I got clean through growin' and that was long after I voted fust
time," and he chuckled and wagged his head.

"Wal, mebbe I was sixteen; mebbe seventeen. Boys up here in the
woods have to cut their own vittles pretty airly. I was doin' a man's