that night. And he came late. The
moon had swung past her zenith, and was pointing her black shadows
across the yard in quite another direction when he came. By this time
he had recovered confidence and made up his mind that Mrs. Gammit
_was_ only a woman. After sniffing once more at the cracks to assure
himself that the pig was still there, he went around to the stable
door and crept cautiously in.

As his clumsy black shape appeared in the bright opening, the pig saw
it. It filled his heart with a quite justifiable horror, which found
instant poignant expression. Within those four walls the noise was so
startlingly loud that, in spite of himself, the bear drew back--not
intending to retreat, indeed, but only to consider. As it chanced,
however, seeing out of only one eye, he backed upon the handle of a
hay rake which was leaning against the wall. The rake very properly
resented this. It fell upon him and clutched at his fur like a live
thing. Startled quite out of his self-possession, he retreated
hurriedly into the moonlight, for further consideration of these
unexpected phenomena. And as he did so, across the yard the kitchen
door was flung open, and Mrs. Gammit, with the gun, rushed forth.

The bear had intended to retire behind the barn for a few moments, the
better to weigh the situation. But at the sight of Mrs. Gammit's
fluttering petticoat he began to feel annoyed. It seemed to him that
he was being thwarted unnecessarily. At the corner of the barn, just
under the jutting limb of the birch-tree, he stopped, turned, and sat
up on his haunches with a growl. The old turkey-cock, stretching his
lean neck, glared down upon him with a terse _qwit! qwit!_ of
disapproval.

When the bear stopped, in that resolute and threatening attitude, Mrs.
Gammit instinctively stopped too. Not, as she would have explained had
there been any one to explain to, that she was "one mite scairt," but
that she wanted to try Joe Barren's gun. Raising the gun to her
shoulder, she shut one eye, looked carefully at the point of the
barrel with the other, and pulled the trigger. Nothing whatever
happened. Lowering the weapon from her shoulder she eyed it severely,
and perceived that she had forgotten to cock it. At this a shade of
embarrassment passed over her face, and she glanced sharply at the
bear to see if he had noticed her mistake. Apparently, he had not. He
was still sitting there, regarding her unpleasantly with his one small
eye.