“He is a strange fellow who lives up on the mountain,” replied Marcus. “We shall come to his cabin pretty soon, and perhaps you will have a chance to see him.”
“But what does he live up here for, away from everybody?—is he cracked?” inquired Oscar.
“He lives here because he prefers to keep out of the way of people, I suppose,” replied Marcus.
“They say he used to steal, and got caught in a trap, once,” said Kate.
“A regular steal trap, wasn’t it?” inquired Ronald.
“That is the common report,” added Marcus, not noticing Ronald’s pun, “and I suppose it is true. The story is, that where he used to live, his neighbors found their grain going off faster than they thought it ought to, and one of them set a large bear trap, with steel springs and sharp teeth, to catch the thief. One morning soon after, he went out to the barn, and found Gooden fast in the trap. It caught him around the ankle, and they say he was laid up for several months with a sore leg. He is a little lame, now, from the effects of it. As soon as he could get away, he came and settled in this out-of-the-way place, and lives as much like a hermit as he can, with his family.”
“O, has he got a family?” inquired Oscar.
“Yes, a wife and four children,” replied Marcus.
“How does he support himself, now,—by stealing?” inquired Oscar.
“No,” replied Marcus, “nobody suspects him of dishonesty, now—he is probably cured of that. He owns a cow, and raises corn and potatoes enough to support his family. He kills some game, which supplies him with meat. They get a little money by making maple sugar, and collecting spruce gum. But after all they are quite poor, and people often give them clothing, and other necessary articles. The children are growing up in ignorance, too,—they never go to school or church. They will stand a rather poor chance in the world, brought up in that way.”