."

[Illustration: "'Whoa, Prince, steady, Prince,' said she"]

On it came toward them very fast.

Just as it was almost there, it went "honk! honk! honk!"

Prince pricked up his ears. Mother held tight to the reins. "Whoa,
Prince; steady, Prince," she said.

Prince did not mean to jump, but he had never seen anything like that
before and he was just a little scared. Just then the strange thing
went "honk, honk," close to his ears, as it went whizzing past.

Before they had time to think, jump went Prince to one side, which made
Baby Betty slide off from the seat.

"What was that?" asked Bobby.

But mother did not answer, for Prince was pulling hard on the lines
and going along very fast.

"It must have been a dragon," thought Bobby.

Though mother pulled on the reins as hard as she could, Prince did not
slow up, for he was a strong-bitted horse and did not mind mother's
pulling. He went fast all the way home.

When he reached home, Prince just slowed up of his own accord and went
trotting slowly into the yard.

Father was waiting by the horse-block to help them out.

"What fine new shoes!" he said. "What is the news?"

"Prince jumped and ran when he saw the dragon," said Bobby.

"The dragon?" said father. "Did you see a dragon?"

"Yes," said Bobby, "and it hissed and sputtered and went 'squawk,
squawk,' very loud and had two great big eyes."

"Oh, that must have been one of those horseless carriages," said
father.

Bobby shook his head.

"I am quite sure it was a dragon," said he. "Prince thought so too."

[Illustration: HOW ROVER SAVED _the_ HOUSE]

XIV

It was a cold winter's night at Cloverfield Farm. Outdoors the snow lay
deep on the ground. The cows and the horses were warm in the Old Red
Barn. The hens and chickens were safe in the warm hen house. The pigs
were snug and warm in the pig pen.

Inside the house a big fire was burning merrily in the sitting-room
stove. A fire was burning in the kitchen range.

All the family had gone to bed. Rover had been allowed to sleep in the
kitchen that night instead of in the cold wood shed.

In the middle of the night the wind blew hard and made the kitchen fire
roar up the chimney. It became hot--so hot that the wood around the
chimney began to smoke and burn.

All the family were asleep upstairs. They did not smell the smoke. They
could not see the flames.

But Rover was awakened by the smell of smoke and the crackling of the
fire