arance of the
country, no one was so well posted as he. He was built for physical
endurance, was cool and courageous in danger, but could not confine
himself to regular employment, bodily or mental.

"Isn't Tom coming to breakfast?" inquired Mr. Jones, as the rest of
the children were greedily helping themselves from the plate of meat.

So the mother related how Tom had been hurt, and then said,--

"But you haven't told us how you received your injury?"

"Well," said Mr. Jones, as he pushed away his plate, having satisfied
his appetite, "I had started for the lake, hearing that there was a
good many wild geese and other sorts of game there, and the prospect
was, that we should make a pretty big thing of it; but the afternoon
after we reached the pond, and was looking about a little, Davis and I
were crossing a prairie, and had come in sight of a grove, and says I
to him, 'You just go round on the other side of the thicket, and I'll
go in on this, and if there's any deer in there, one of us'll start
them out.' Well, I'd got within a few yards of the trees, when, the
first I knew, I heard the crack of a rifle, and a bullet came singing
through my side. Says I to myself, 'That's a red-skin's compliments!'
and making believe that I was a gorner, I pitched forward and lay
still as a door nail, in the tall grass. I hadn't lain there more 'n a
minute, when, sure enough, a red-skin popped out from behind a tree
close by, and made for me, to take my scalp. I had my revolver ready,
and when he was within a few feet of me, I just let daylight through
him; and as he fell, not knowing how many more of the scamps might be
about, I dragged myself along to the side of the lake, where I found
Davis waiting for me,--for he had seen the whole thing,--and creeping
around to the other side under the banks, we made tracks for home. Why
under the sun the feller didn't put the bullet through my heart, I
can't make out, for I never knew one of 'em to miss, when he was so
near as that, and had a fair aim."

Mrs. Jones then knew why her heart was so burdened on his account at
the very hour of his marvellous escape from death.

But their conversation was interrupted by a settler who called to ask
if they had seen anything of a stray pair of cattle.

"Ah, neighbor Allen, is that you?" said Mr. Jones, going to speak to
the caller, who sat upon his horse before the door.

"Ah, Jones, when did you git back? and what luck?" rejoined the
horsem