Each sled was of the rudest possible construction, and was drawn by one horse; straw was spread over the sled, upon which fur robes and blankets were flung.
The party was distributed among these sleds, so that each one should have as light a load as possible, while one of the rude vehicles carried the luggage.
Thus arranged, they all started off.

And now, since they are all fairly under way, I propose to introduce them, individually and collectively, to my very good friend the reader.
First of all I must mention the fact that the party consisted chiefly of ladies and their attendants.
Of these the most prominent was a slim, tall, elderly lady, with large, dark, soft eyes, that spoke of a vanished youth and beauty from her heavily wrinkled face.

She was the Dowager Lady Dalrymple, and acted toward the rest of the party in the multifarious capacity of chaperon, general, courier, guide, philosopher, friend, and Mentor.
Next came Mrs.Willoughby, a widow of great beauty and fascination, a brunette, good-natured, clever, and shrewd.

I might here pause, and go into no end of raptures on the various qualities of this lady's character; but, on the whole, I think I'd better not, as they will be sufficiently apparent before the end of this story is reached.
Then there was Miss Minnie Fay, sister to Mrs.Willoughby, and utterly unlike her in every respect.

Minnie was a blonde, with blue eyes, golden hair cut short and clustering about her little head, little bit of a mouth, with very red, plump lips, and very white teeth.