now."

"Is that all? What's he doing?"

"Here he comes. I can see his shoulders all bent over."

"Is he hurt?"

"Of course not, silly."

"Then why is he bent over?"

"I believe he's carrying something. Yes. He has something in his arms.
Goodness, gracious me!"

"What is it?"

"Why, he's carrying a wolf in his arms. But what a funny wolf."

"I insist upon having the glass. I'm the fellow on watch."

"Kit, you're very rude. Don't bother me. Don't you see through me? Am I
not telling you everything that occurs?"

"Oh, what's the use?" Kit shrugged his shoulders in a disgusted way, as
if he were expressing the futility of arguing with a woman, and wishing
that she were a boy, so that he could punch her head and take back his
glass again.

"What's the matter with the wolf?" Kit asked at last, in a sulky tone.

"If you get mad at me, Kit, I won't talk to you." Stella took down the
glass for a moment and looked at Kit severely.

"All right, fire away, but tell me what's going on, for Heaven's sake.
Don't break off in the middle that way."

"It's an awful big wolf, and its hide don't fit it. Its legs stick out
of the skin, and I can see one of its feet. Gracious, it has a queer
sort of a boot on it, and this wolf has human hands."

"Stella, quit your fooling. What is going on out there? This is serious.
It's no time for nonsense."

"I'm not fooling. I'm quite in earnest. Now Ted's lifting the queer
thing onto the saddle, and holding it there."

"Has he killed the wolf, or man, or wolf man, or woman, or whatever
crazy thing it is? I knew there was something queer about it," exclaimed
Kit.

"I'm sure I don't know whether he killed it or not. I couldn't see
through the hill."

"What's he doing now?"

"He has started toward the house, leading the pony and holding the thing
in the saddle. Here! Take your old glass! I'm going to ride out and see
what it's all about."

She thrust the spyglass into Kit's hand, and, with a merry laugh at his
look of disgust, disappeared through the scuttle, and a few minutes
later he saw her riding like mad across the prairie toward Ted.

In the course of a half hour they were both back at the house, and Kit's
curiosity led him to desert his post to find out what Ted's strange
burden was.

Ted lifted something from his saddle and carried it into the house very
tenderly.

Stella was very silent, and followed Ted closely, helping as well as she
could to uphold his burden