ns.

Off and on, he checked the hole into the other world. There was nothing
but the slow progression of alien stars across the sky. Finally old Tom
grew bored and left to investigate the hole under the lean-to. Shortly
there were scutterings and squeakings as evidence that he, too, had got
back to business.

* * * * *

Toward evening, Ed got to wondering how a living creature would take
transition into the other world. He had no intention of trying it
himself until he knew a lot more about it, but he thought he might be
able to scare up a surrogate. Out by the wood pile some live-traps were
piled under a spruce, from the time when Ed had been catching marten for
the Fish and Wildlife to transplant. One was still in pretty fair shape.
He patched it up and set it among the cottonwoods at the head of the
bar, where there were some rabbit trails.

When he went to bed it was still dark in the other world. He left the
cabin door ajar so he could see it from his bed and set his shotgun,
loaded with 00 buck, handy.

Nearing sixty, Ed was not a sound sleeper, even when he had nothing on
his mind. About ten it started to get light in the other world, and that
woke him up. He padded out to look, but there was no change, it looked
about the same as yesterday. He went back to bed.

The next morning there was a rabbit in the live-trap. With a pole, Ed
pushed the trap with the rabbit in it through into the other world and
watched. Nothing happened. After a while the rabbit began nibbling at
some spears of grass that pushed through the wire of the cage. Ed pulled
it back and examined the rabbit carefully. It seemed healthy and about
as happy as a rabbit could expect to be in a cage.

It did not get dark in the other world till about noon, that day; and
about seven, when it was dark in both worlds, Ed heard the jangle of the
tin can alarm, followed by the snap of one of the steel traps.

He took a flashlight and found a small hoofed animal, hardly bigger than
old Tom, rearing and bucking with a broken leg in the trap. It had sharp
little spike horns, only a few inches long, but mean. Ed got several
painful jabs before he got the animal tied up and out of the trap. He
restrung the alarm, then took his catch into the cabin to examine.

It was herbivorous and adult, from the looks of its teeth and hoofs,
though it only weighed about fifteen pounds. As an approximation, Ed
decided it was female. Whe