"Well, we will wait until dark and see. If he hasn"t returned by five-thirty or six o"clock, I guess we will do the giving," said Mrs.
Starr, leading Babs away to the cabin to be dressed for Santa in case he should come.
"I"m goin" to put on my best dress, too, Mumzie," said Dot, and Don whispered that he wanted to put on his Sunday suit.
"All right, dearies, but hurry so you will be here if he comes,"
returned Mrs. Starr, smiling with antic.i.p.ation.
Now, the postman who brought mail and any shopping from the town to the camp, every week, had been engaged to keep up the delivery all winter for very good pay, and he willingly took the risk of getting caught in a storm for the salary he got. He had a brother who was the very image of a Santa Claus--short, fat, with white beard and ruddy complexion; jolly as could be, too. Mr. Starr talked with him while he was in town and arranged for both of the men to spend Christmas Day at the camp where the jolly one was to play Santa Claus for the children.
Mr. Starr had purchased material for clothing and the ladies cut and sewed them. The jolly man would have to hide himself all evening, so Babs and the twins would not see him and thus find out the trick played upon them. But, he could reappear the next morning in costume and remain so until time for the brothers to return to town. This would make the whole Christmas Day one of bliss for the three little ones--to think that Santa stayed with them a whole day on the return trip to the North Pole, after his night"s work was done!
The children were dressed and warmly wrapped up by the time a horn was heard. Heads popped out of cabin-doors, and everyone looked in the direction of the tree. It was wonderfully illuminated, every candle flickering brightly in the dark. All about the clearing the great pine knots flared and the lanterns burned steadily, making the entire place a glow of light.
"Oh, Dot, run, run!" called Don, dragging his sister out by the hand.
"O-oh! isn"t it grand!" sighed Dot, standing with clasped hands.
The others came out of their cabins and hurried over to the tree.
"Santa"s come again and lit de lights!" cried Babs, ecstatically.
"Did he, Daddum?" asked Don, doubting that Santa did the lighting.
"I didn"t do it, and I don"t believe anyone of the men did it--did you?"
asked Mr. Starr, turning to the group of smiling men.
"I didn"t, and I know not one of the timber-jacks did it," said Mr.
Latimer, soberly.
Suddenly, Babs, who was seeking under a branch for a tempting ball of pop-corn that hung low, gave a shriek of mingled fear and joy.
"Oh, he"s here! He"s sleeping in here!" cried she, pointing her chubby fingers toward the tree.
"Who? What?" demanded the twins, running over to Babs.
Meredith and Paul hurried over also and stood surprised to see real Santa Claus come out from under the branches, rubbing his eyes and yawning.
"Well, well, well, friends! I must have taken a nap! I am so tired from working nights over all the dolls and toys! But, now I will soon have to go!" chuckled the jolly old fellow.
Babs stood as still as could be, but Don and Dot danced a frenzied dance and shouted with joy to find dear old Santa really there with them.
"Oh, Santa, we are _so_ glad to see you," they cried, while everyone smiled and repeated the welcome.
"And I"m glad to be with you. I made up my mind that I would try to stop early on my way to the other children. Now, if you want me to give you these gifts, I"d better be busy for I have a long way to travel to-night, you know. But I may stop over in the morning and see how you like your presents."
This was too much for the twins" cup of happiness, and they ran up and clung to their beloved friend.
The distribution of gifts then took place and everyone from Mike to Mr.
Latimer was remembered.
The children knew there was no place toys could be had in that faraway forest, so of course Santa Claus had brought them when he came!
The revelation that there was a really and truly Santa Claus gave Dot and Don more happiness than anything else, for, at home, some of the boys and girls said it was all make-believe.
While everyone sat in the dining-room eating supper, and talking their heads almost off about the tree and the fun, Santa went away, for he was nowhere to be found when the children ran out again toward the tree.
During the singing of carols, and the story of the Star of Bethlehem, Don and Dot often turned their heads to listen, but no jingle of bells could they hear, so he _must_ have gone on his route.
The children slept like tops that night, but early in the morning when they came out for breakfast, there sat Santa, under the tree, as happy and fresh as could be, after his long night"s work.
All that day was one long uninterrupted dream that had come true. Santa played all kinds of games with the children and seemed to have the time of his life. Then, toward dusk, he shook hands with everyone in camp and said he had to start for the North Pole.
"Come again, Santa!" called Babs, as she waved her hand at the old fellow.
"I"ll try to, Baby," said Santa Claus as he went toward the stable.
"Gee, Dot, we never thought to peep in the stable and see his reindeers and sleigh," whispered Don.
Mrs. Starr suspected what Don had said, however, and replied, "No, of course not! Do you suppose we want Santa to think we are such ill-bred people as to be curious? Let the dear old man depart in peace."
CHAPTER VIII
MIKE"S BEAR TRAP
WORK and play went quickly after the holidays and February soon arrived with the timber-men working harder than ever to get out all the logs possible before the thaw set in. Just as soon as the thaw sets in in the northern woods, the roads become almost impa.s.sable and ice starts to break up. The river overflows its banks and carries everything before it.
The river that was expected to flood and carry down the logs of the Manitoba Lumber Company generally drove them into a large lagoon where the saw-mills belonging to the company stood.
February was a short month, but the weather held good so that the men got out more timber that month than in January. The banks of the river were completely hidden under immense roll-ways of pine logs, so arranged that the moment the water rose the logs lying in the edge of the water would float out and that would gradually roll the entire ma.s.s of lumber into the water.
The first few days in March were very warm, and cracklings of ice could be heard distinctly through the woods. The men feared that work for the season was over, for, with the thaw, the work of hauling timber would have to cease. Still, they hoped that a period of cold would come on top of the thaw and that would just about permit them to finish the area of forest timber that had been mapped out in the Fall.
Mike had decided to abandon his trip to the North Woods for hunting and trapping, for he figured out that he could make more money by accepting the bosses" offer. This money was clear profit and he could put it in the bank at Winnipeg to await his old age when he could work no more.
But Mike set traps and did some hunting about the woods and kept the camp supplied with game and venison. He had one large trap set several miles from camp, but as yet had not caught anything in it.
The day before the warm spell set in, Mike sniffed the air and took note of various signs in the woods that told him a thaw was on the road.
Consequently he knew that, if it was of a long enough period of time, many of the animals that sleep during the winter months would be tempted to come out and look about.
Finding nothing to eat, they would be led to seek farther afield, for they would be hungry after a long sleep.
Mike loped over to his traps that afternoon, and, having found the large one in good order, he baited it and arranged it so deftly that not one bit of the iron showed through the twigs and leaves.
As he expected, the thaw began that night and the temperature became higher each day until the trees seemed about to burst into blossom.