CHAPTER VII
THE STORY OF SNOW LODGE
"When I was a boy," began Mr. Carford after a pause, during which helooked into the blazing fire, "I lived on a farm, and I had to work veryhard."
"We were on a farm once, weren't we, Flossie?" interrupted Freddie.
"Hush, dear," said Nan in a low voice "Listen to Mr. Carford's story."
"That isn't a story," insisted Flossie. "He didn't begin it right. Hemust say: 'Once upon a time, a good many years ago--!'"
Mr. Carford laughed.
"So I should, my dear!" he exclaimed. "It's been so long since I've tolda story to little folks that I've forgotten how, I guess.
"So I'll begin over again. Once upon a time, a good many years ago, Iwas a little boy, and I lived on a farm. I guess it must have been thesame sort of a farm you and Flossie went to, Freddie, for we had cowsand horses and pigs and chickens and sheep. There was lots of work, and,as my father was not rich, I had to help as soon as I got old enough.
"But, for all that, I had good times. I thought so then and, though I'man old man now, I still think so. But the good times did not last longenough. I wish I could go back to them.
"But I stayed on the farm a good many years, with my brothers andsisters, and finally when I grew up, and thought I was big enough tostart to work for myself, I ran away."
"Did you--did you get lost?" asked Flossie, with her eyes wide open,staring at Mr. Carford.
"No, my dear, I didn't exactly get lost. But I thought there was easierwork than living on a farm, so, instead of staying and helping myfather, as I think now I should have done, I ran away to a big city. Iwanted to be dressed up, and wear a white collar instead of overalls anda jumper.
"But I found that life in the city, instead of being easier than on thefarm, was harder, especially as I didn't know much about it. Many a timeI wished I was back with my father, but I was too proud to admit that Ihad made a mistake. So I kept on working in the city, and finally Ibegan to forget all about the farm.
"I won't make this story too long, for you might get tired of it," saidMr. Carford, as he got up to put a log on the fire.
"Oh, we like stories; don't we, Freddie?" said Flossie.
"Yes," said Freddie softly.
"I know, my dear," said the old man kindly, "but I am afraid youwouldn't like my kind. Anyhow I kept on working in the city--in one cityafter another--until I became successful and then, in time, I got rich."
"Rich!" cried Freddie. "Very rich?" and his big eyes opened wide.
"Freddie!" cautioned Nan, with a sharp look.
"Oh, I don't mind!" laughed Mr. Carford "Yes, I got quite rich, and thenI thought it was time to go back to the old farm, and see my father. Mymother had died before I went away. Maybe if she had lived I wouldn'thave gone. And then I began to find out that life wasn't all happinessjust because you had money.
"My father had died too, and the old farm had been sold. My brother andsisters had gone--some were married and some had died. I found I was alonesome old man, with few friends, and hardly any relatives, left. Ihad been too busy getting rich, you see, to take time to make friends.
"Well, I didn't know what to do. All the while, you understand, I hadbeen counting on going back to the farm, with a lot of money, and sayingto my father: 'Now, daddy, you've worked hard enough. You can stop now,and have happiness the rest of your life.' But you see my father wasn'tthere. I was too late.
"So I made up my mind the best thing I could do was to buy back the oldfarm, and spend the rest of my days there, for the sake of old times.Well, I did buy the place, and I named it 'Snow Lodge,' for there usedto be lots of snow there in the winter time. I fixed the old house allover new, put in a furnace, and other things to make it comfortable, andI lived there for some time.
"I heard from some of my brothers and sisters who had also gone awayfrom the farm, and one of my sisters, who had married a man namedBurdock, had become very poor. Her husband had died, and she was verysick. I brought her to Snow Lodge to live with me, and her son, Harry, afine lad, came along.
"My poor sister did not live very long, and when she died I took HenryBurdock to live with me. I felt toward him as toward a son, and foryears we stayed in Snow Lodge together.
"Then I bought this place, and we used to spend part of the year hereand part of it at Snow Lodge. It was a fine place winter or summer, SnowLodge was."
Mr. Carford became silent and looked again into the glowing logs on thehearth.
"Don't you go to Snow Lodge any more?" asked Nan in a low voice.
"No," replied the old man. "Never any more. Not--not since Henry wentaway," and he seemed to be in pain. "I have never gone there since Henrywent away," he added, "though the place is well kept up, and it is readyto live in this minute."
"Did your nephew Henry run away, as you did?" asked Bert.
"No--not exactly," was the reply. "I don't like to talk about that partof it. I like to think of Snow Lodge on the shore of the lake as a placewhere I lived when I was a boy.
"Oh, it's just fine there!" went on Mr. Carford. "In summer the grass isso green, and you can sit on the porch and look down at the lake. In thewinter, when the lake is frozen over, there is skating and ice boatingon it, and you can fish through the ice. And such hills as there are tocoast down! and such valleys filled with snow! Sometimes it seems as ifthe whole house would be covered with the white flakes.
"But you can always keep warm in Snow Lodge, for there are bigfireplaces, as well as the furnace, and there is plenty of wood. Manytimes I've had a notion to go back there, but somehow I couldn't,since--since Henry went away. So I came here to live with my othersister, and here I guess I'll stay the rest of my life. Snow Lodge isshut up, and I guess it always will be."
Mr. Carford sighed, and kept looking at the fire. Nan thought what apity it was that Snow Lodge could not be used, while Bert wondered whathad happened between Henry Burdock and his uncle, Mr. Carford, thatcaused Henry to go away. Also Bert wondered if Mr. Carford would explainhis strange remark, made at the time the runaway horses were caught. Butthe aged man seemed to have forgotten it.
"Yes, Snow Lodge is closed up," said Mr. Carford. "I don't suppose itwill ever be used again. But I've told you the story of it, and I'mafraid I've tired you."
"No you haven't," said Nan. "We enjoyed it very much."
"That's right!" exclaimed Bert.
"Did--did you ever see any bears there?" asked Freddie, "any real bigbears?"
"Or tigers--or--or elephants?" asked Flossie, not to let her brother getahead of her in asking questions.
"Huh! Elephants don't grow here--only bears," said Freddie.
"No, I never saw anything bigger than foxes," said Mr. Carford with alaugh. "Snow Lodge isn't very far from here, you know, so you have thesame kind of animals there that you have here. Only there are more woodsat Snow Lodge.
"But I must be getting back with you youngsters. It is getting late andyour folks may worry about you. I'll bring the sled around, and mysister Emma can tuck you in. Then I'll get you home, and see to myChristmas packages. It's going to be a hard winter on the poor."
"We give the poor people something," said Freddie. "At school we allbrought something just before vacation, and Mr. Tetlow is going to giveit to all the poor people."
"That was at Thanksgiving, dear," said Nan.
"Well, maybe they've got some left for Christmas," said Freddie, as theothers laughed.
"That's right--try and make other people happy, little man," said Mr.Carford, patting Freddie's head.
The big sled with the horses and their jingling bells was soon at thedoor. Miss Carford had warmed some bricks to put down in the straw, tokeep the children's feet warm, and soon, cozily wrapped up, they were ontheir way home.