Quickly forming a plan in his mind, the Wolf stuck his head through a rear window of the house and said, “Well, well, dear Colonel, what brings you out to my place? I don’t get much company, so having you show up, why, I’m astonished at the honor you pay me!”
Falling backward in surprise, Colonel Snart stammered out a reply: “Why, no, dear beast! You’ve got the wrong beast! You’ve made a mistake! I’m a simple peddler, new to the area, whose trying to find his way across the mountains. I was just stopping a moment to rest and then I’ll be on my way—don’t mean to trouble you at all.”
“Why, it’s sure enough Colonel Snart,” the young Wolf replied with a laugh. “Would it be possible that I’d mistake him? Do you really think so? Why, such a picture I have of you nearly getting snip-snap-gulped by that monitor a few days ago! Why, how would I forget such a figure as that—even not considering the unkind words the Colonel spoke against me! No, I don’t reckon I’m mistaken who my visitor is!”
“Then you’re a fool in full flower!” the Monopole replied. “And a rude, disgusting clod to boot!”
“Not I,” the Wolf replied with a smile. “I’m a farmer, but I have nothing to do with flowers. I raise clover and honeybees—trying to bring these hills back to life. And, if you’d look, I’m rebuilding this house you complain at so wildly. Land and house are abandoned and free—which doesn’t look foolish to me.”
“I still call you an empty-brained slug!” the Monopole snarled, picking up his pack to leave.
“Well,” the Wolf replied, “since you aren’t Colonel Snart, let’s go back to where I came in and try again. I don’t want us to part with bad feelings. That’s not the way my Memm taught me to be towards strangers.”
“Bah! Just let me out of here!” the Monopole said. “I’ve got a long way to go and the best thing you could do is just to let me get going on my way.”
“Be my guest,” the Wolf replied, “I’m certainly not holdin’ you up. But, my Memm would want me to offer you a kindly suggestion—a bit of apology for mistakin’ you for someone else.”
“Bah! So what’s the grand wisdom you want to give me?”
“Just that you’ll save yourself a cold overnight in the mountains if you take the shortcut through Haz’ben Gulch—that’s the trail following that creek just up ahead there. Take the trail left, follow the creek, and your journey through the mountains will be done faster than you expected.”
Without saying more, Colonel Snart threw his satchel over his shoulder, climbed back out of the ruined house, and walked off down the road.
The young Wolf watched as the Colonel walked down the road. Seeing that the Monopole took his suggestion and turned down the path at Haz’ben Gulch, a broad smile spread across his face. Returning to his work, he muttered happily to himself.
“Right sorry, Memm, if I was not completely honest with that fellow. You taught me right, and I did make a kindly suggestion to a ‘lost traveler,’ as you’d want. I really was truthful that taking the shortcut down the Gulch would shorten his journey and avoid a cold night in the mountains. Now, yes, that is because I knew he’d be nabbed by the bounty hunter—but, nevertheless, I was truthful in the strict sense of things. Why, I wasn’t required to tell him that the Wild-Vile Cat and the Skull Buzzards were here looking for him a while ago—or that I sent them down there to set up camp along the creek. They was already figurin’ he might be comin’ up this way—and, well, it is a nice place to camp. And, bless you, Memm, I also just figured that you really would want me to introduce that fellow to the bounty hunter. Seems like something you’d have wanted. Now, I think I’d better get on with my work, Memm, before I start imagining the tracker beasts jumping the Colonel and then him later up there breaking rock at Tilk Duraow. That would be too much fun on a day when there’s work to be done!”
Epilogue
As the Sweet Ice bowls emptied on the evening of Helga’s return to the Rounds, not a single Roundie was absent. Sharing the Sweet Ice together expressed the soul of the Roundie community, and on this special night that spirit was especially strong.