It was quite empty , save for a pile of fire wood and another of clean straw . Casting a stealthy glance around , ere Peg withdrew the light , I was relieved to see that there were no skulls in sight . We four boys snuggled down in the straw . We did not expect to sleep , but we were very tired and before we knew it our eyes were shut , to open no more till morning . The poor girls were not so fortunate . They always averred they never closed an eye . Four things prevented them from sleeping . In the first place Peg snored loudly ; in the second place the fitful gleams of firelight kept flickering over the skull for half the night and making gruesome effects on it ; in the third place Peg 's pillows and bedclothes smelled rankly of tobacco smoke ; and in the fourth place they were afraid the rat Peg had spoken of might come out to make their acquaintance . Indeed , they were sure they heard him skirmishing about several times . When we wakened in the morning the storm was over and a young morning was looking through rosy eyelids across a white world . The little clearing around Peg 's cabin was heaped with dazzling drifts , and we boys fell to and shovelled out a road to her well . She gave us breakfast -- stiff oatmeal porridge without milk , and a boiled egg apiece . Cecily could NOT eat her porridge ; she declared she had such a bad cold that she had no appetite ; a cold she certainly had ; the rest of us choked our messes down and after we had done so Peg asked us if we had noticed a soapy taste . `` The soap fell into the porridge while I was making it , '' she said . `` But , '' -- smacking her lips , -- `` I 'm going to make yez an Irish stew for dinner . It 'll be fine . '' An Irish stew concocted by Peg ! No wonder Dan said hastily , `` You are very kind but we 'll have to go right home . '' `` Yez ca n't walk , '' said Peg . `` Oh , yes , we can .
The XXXXX are so hard they 'll carry , and the snow will be pretty well blown off the middle of the fields .
Peg cabin clearing drifts eyes glance light smoke taste well