s. Well, he should have his house
back on the next night, and perhaps he could then keep it all the rest
of his life.

The yellow eye disappeared. The sorrowful and reproachful panther had
gone away. The wind shifted, and its odor was fresh with the dawn, which
would soon be whitening the east. A troop of deer, led by a splendid
stag, passed so close that Henry could see their forms in the dusk. The
wind was taking the odor of himself and his comrades away from them, and
he watched the dusky file as it passed. Even had the country been clear
of Indians, he would not have taken a shot at them, because he had no
desire to slay merely for the sake of slaying.

The deer passed. Light sprang up in the east. The white turned to red,
the red to gold, and the gold at last became blue. An eagle, in an early
search for food, sailed far above Henry's head, outlined--wing, beak and
talon--against the blue. The whole world, grass and leaves wet with dew,
basked in the morning light, wonderfully fresh and beautiful.

Henry awoke his comrades, who instantly sat up, every trained faculty
thoroughly alive.

"All been quiet, Henry?" asked Shif'less Sol.

"Nothing happened," replied the boy, "except that the owner of this
house looked in once, called Tom Ross here an infamous robber, and then
went away, saying he would have revenge if he had to live a hundred
years to get it."

"Ef he's ez dang'rous ez that," said Shif'less Sol, lightly, "I say
let's move on right now, an' give him back his gor-gee-yous mansion."

The sense of humor and joy of life had fully returned to the shiftless
one. Another night's rest had added wonderfully to his strength, and the
coming of Henry and the finding of Tom contributed so much to the uplift
of his spirits that he considered himself as good, physically, as ever.

"I'm ready for anything now, from a fight to a foot-race," he said, "but
ef choosin' is to be mine, I'd rather hev breakfast. Tom, bring out that
deer meat o' yourn."

They quickly disposed of their food and resumed the reverse journey in
the path of their former flight. They passed through woods and tiny
prairies, crossed little brooks, and kept a sharp watch for landmarks.
Henry said at last that they had come to the place where Jim Hart had
been forced to turn aside.

"Do you reckon that Jim wuz hit hard?" asked Shif'less Sol.

"I hope not," replied Henry earnestly, "and the chances are all in his
favor. Stray bullets in the dar