s to be hindered
in a coon-hunt.

"Oh, Rover's too old, anyway," explained the affectionate master
regretfully. "I 've been wishing all this afternoon I 'd brought him;
but I did n't think anything about him as we came away, I 've got so
used to seeing him layin' about the yard. 'T would have been a real
treat for old Rover, if he could have kept up. Used to be at my heels
the whole time. He could n't follow us, anyway, up here."

"I should n't wonder if he could," insisted John, with a humorous
glance at his old friend, who was much too heavy and huge of girth for
quick transit over rough ground. John York himself had grown lighter
as he had grown older.

"I 'll tell you one thing we could do," he hastened to suggest. "There
's that dog of 'Bijah Topllff's. Don't you know the old lady told us,
that day she went over to Dipford, how high he was valued? Most o'
'Bijah's important business was done in the fall, goin' out by night,
gunning with fellows from the mills. He was just the kind of a
worthless do-nothing that's sure to have an extra knowin' smart dog. I
expect 'Liza Jane 's got him now. Perhaps we could get him by
to-morrow night. Let one o' my boys go over!"

"Why, 'Liza Jane 's come, bag an' baggage, to spend the winter with her
mother," exclaimed Isaac Brown, springing to his feet like a boy. "I
've had it in mind to tell you two or three times this afternoon, and
then something else has flown it out of my head. I let my John Henry
take the long-tailed wagon an' go down to the depot this mornin' to
fetch her an' her goods up. The old lady come in early, while we were
to breakfast, and to hear her lofty talk you 'd thought 't would taken
a couple o' four-horse teams to move her. I told John Henry he might
take that wagon and fetch up what light stuff he could, and see how
much else there was, an' then I 'd make further arrangements. She said
'Liza Jane 'd see me well satisfied, an' rode off, pleased to death. I
see 'em returnin' about eight, after the train was in. They 'd got
'Liza Jane with 'em, smaller 'n ever; and there was a trunk tied up
with a rope, and a small roll o' beddin' and braided mats, and a
quilted rockin'-chair. The old lady was holdin' on tight to a
bird-cage with nothin' in it. Yes; an' I see the dog, too, in behind.
He appeared kind of timid. He 's a yaller dog, but he ain't
stump-tailed. They hauled up out front o' the house, and mother an' I
went right out; Mis