!" wheezed
Mr. Isaac Brown.

"Which way 'd he go?" asked everybody.

"Right out toward the fields. Like's not the old fellow was just
starting after more of our fowls. I 'm glad we come early,--he can't
have got far yet. We can't do nothin' but wait now, boys. I 'll set
right down here."

"Soon as the coon trees, you 'll hear the dog sing, now I tell you!"
said John York, with great enthusiasm. "That night your father an' me
got those four busters we 've told you about, they come right back here
to the ledge. I don't know but they will now. 'T was a dreadful cold
night, I know. We did n't get home till past three o'clock in the
mornin', either. You remember, don't you, Isaac?"

"I do," said Isaac. "How old Rover worked that night! Could n't see
out of his eyes, nor hardly wag his clever old tail, for two days;
thorns in both his fore paws, and the last coon took a piece right out
of his off shoulder."

"Why did n't you let Rover come tonight, father?" asked the younger
boy. "I think he knew somethin' was up. He was jumpin' round at a
great rate when I come out of the yard."

"I did n't know but he might make trouble for the other dog," answered
Isaac, after a moment's silence. He felt almost disloyal to the
faithful creature, and had been missing him all the way. "'Sh! there's
a bark!" And they all stopped to listen.

The fire was leaping higher; they all sat near it, listening and
talking by turns. There is apt to be a good deal of waiting in a
coon-hunt.

"If Rover was young as he used to be, I'd resk him to tree any coon
that ever run," said the regretful master. "This smart creature o'
Topliff's can't beat him, I know. The poor old fellow's eyesight seems
to be going. Two--three times he's run out at me right in broad day,
an' barked when I come up the yard toward the house, and I did pity him
dreadfully; he was so 'shamed when he found out what he 'd done.
Rover's a dog that's got an awful lot o' pride. He went right off out
behind the long barn the last time, and would n't come in for nobody
when they called him to supper till I went out myself and made it up
with him. No; he can't see very well now, Rover can't."

"He 's heavy, too; he 's got too unwieldy to tackle a smart coon, I
expect, even if he could do the tall runnin'," said John York, with
sympathy. "They have to get a master grip with their teeth through a
coon's thick pelt this time o' year. No; the young folks gets a