“Where’s the baggage man to give us our trunks? Here are our checks.”
“There, there, daughter. Give Ted time. We are in the wilderness, you know,” interposed Mrs. Porter. But she did not prevent the avalanche of caustic criticisms that the boy poured upon his sisters for their unreasonableness and airs.
“Here comes somebody or something,” cried Margie, pointing to the woods, and turning, they beheld the blacks driven by Jennie and Peleg.
“How do you like those horses? They are yours, Momsy,” said the young homesteader, proudly.
Running out, Ted brought up the team, introduced the storekeeper and his daughter, then helped his mother and sisters into the wagon, and merrily they chatted and laughed as they bumped along to the settlement.
Taking Mrs. Porter to her room, Jennie bustled about getting supper, assisted ably by Ted, while his sisters looked on delightedly as the boy made a spider cake.
“Oh, our trunks! They haven’t been brought from the station yet,” cried Sallie in alarm, as they were eating.
“Nobody will run off with them but a bear, and I shot the only one that was around here,” chuckled Ted.
“You?” gasped his sisters. Whereat the boy hurried away and returned with the pelt, which he had brought in the wagon, as evidence of his marksmanship.
As they were seated about the store, talking, after supper, Steve came in, and later, Phil.