t's go
see," she urged.

The rapidity with which Knight and Alec ate the rest of their supper
should have given them indigestion, even if it did not. It was
impossible to leave any of Gertrudis' raspberry tart; equally
impossible to keep their hostess waiting when she was on tip-toe to be
off; mastication therefore was the only thing they could neglect--and
did.

Blue Bonnet had felt all the weight of her sixteen years a few hours
earlier, but now she seemed to drop at least six of them, as she raced
across the yard, impelled by a curiosity that Kitty would have died
rather than display.

Don and Solomon were sniffing excitedly about one of the mangers,
emitting an occasional shrill bark; Blue Bonnet went straight to it
and peered down. It was too dark to make out anything, but she could
hear a rustling in the hay, and a pathetic, low whine.

"It's something alive!" she cried, and was about to put an exploring
hand down to find the source of the whine, when she had a second
thought. "Will it bite?"

"Too little," Knight assured her. He bent as he spoke and lifted two
little furry bundles and laid them in Blue Bonnet's outstretched arms.

"Puppies!" she cried delightedly. She bore them to the light, the
other girls crowding about for a view of the wriggling mites.

After her first good look at them, Sarah gave an exclamation of
surprise. "Why, they're not dogs," she cried.

"Yes, they are," said Alec, "--coyote pups!"

"Oh, the dears!" cried Blue Bonnet ecstatically. "Where did you get
them?"

"Shady shot the mother," Knight explained, and then wished he had
not,--Blue Bonnet looked so grieved. "She killed a calf a few nights
ago," he said in extenuation, "and Shady was 'laying for' her. She
made for her hole after she was wounded and we followed,--that's how
we came to find the pups. Lucky we did or they'd have had a hard time
of it."

"Poor babies," said Blue Bonnet. "Let's go and show them to
Grandmother and Debby--I reckon they never saw a real live coyote
before. Here, Sarah, you carry one." She generously held out one of
the bright-eyed babies, but to her surprise Sarah drew back. "Why, you
can't be afraid, Sarah?"

"N-no," Sarah replied, edging away as she spoke. "But I don't like to
touch--live animals."

"Well, I'd much rather touch live ones than dead things!" exclaimed
Blue Bonnet. "Here, Alec, you take the poor baby--Sarah doesn't know
how to mother it!"

Grandmother and Debby were rather