ut a whole week went by, and no Frisk. The ham-bone got quite dry;
and Dash was sure poor Frisk must be ill or dead.

At last one day, when Dash had lost all hope, he heard the pit-a-pat
of four small feet in the yard. He had just gone in his house to take
a short nap; but, I can tell you, he made but one jump out, for there
was Frisk, on all fours, to be sure, but with his blue pants on his
hind-legs, his red coat on his fore-legs, with the coat-tails, one on
each side of his own tail, which was up in the air in an arch of joy,
for here he was a real, true run-a-way.

Dash flew to meet him. "Why, Frisk!" he cried; "make
haste--fast--come--get right in my house. Don't mind if you tear those
old coat-tails with the thorn-bush. There! that's the thing!--here you
are, all safe! Now tell me, how _did_ you get off?"

Frisk had run so fast that he could not speak; he could just pant, and
lay his head on Dash's, with a look full of love. At last he said: "O
Dash! I have run off in the midst of the play--the show-man struck me
so hard for what I could not help--for my cap fell off--and I did
think I must die with the pain. O Dash! if you knew what I have gone
thro', your heart would break, and you would say, I did right to run
a-way." The big tears ran down his nose, and his sobs did seem as if
they would choke him; and Dash gave such a long howl of woe, that it
makes me cry as I write these words, and I am quite sure you will cry
as you read them.

Then Dash got out all his best bones to feed poor Frisk, who ate as if
he had not seen a bone an inch long in a month.

When he had done, Dash said: "Now, dear Frisk, if you feel like it,
tell me all you have gone thro'."

So they sat down, and while the tears ran down Dash's nose, Frisk told
the rest of his sad tale.

PART IV.

THE CONCLUSION OF FRISK'S TALE.

You will bear in mind, Dash, that I left off where the good child fed
me with bread. Well, this made me strong, and I went on my way. Soon I
heard a sound, like that of a flute or fife; it was quite near, but I
could see no one. All at once, a great mob of boys and men came down
the road, and made a crowd close by me. I went in the midst of them to
find out what it all meant. Dear me! it was some-thing queer to be
sure. There was a man with a big drum fast to his back, which he beat
with a drum-stick tied to one of his feet. In the front of his coat
was a set of Pan's pipes, out of which he blew the tune th