he jumps the rope," said Sallie.

"First, I'll have him dig up the acorns, as that's easier," spoke Bob.
"Here, Squinty!" he called. "Find the acorns! Find 'em!"

While Squinty had been munching on the apple, the boy had dug a hole,
put some sweet acorn nuts into it, and covered them up with dirt.
Squinty had not seen him do this, but Squinty thought he could find the
nuts just the same.

There were two ways of doing this. Squinty had a very sharp-smelling
nose. He could smell things afar off, that neither you nor I could smell
even close by. And Squinty could also tell, by digging in the ground
with his queer, rubbery nose, just where the ground was soft and where
it was hard. And he knew it would be soft at the place where the boy had
dug a hole in which to hide the acorns.

So, when Bob called for Squinty to come and find the acorn nuts, even
though the little pig had not seen just where they were hidden, Squinty
felt sure he could dig them up.

"He'll never find them!" said Sallie.

"Just you watch!" exclaimed the boy.

He pulled on the rope around Squinty's leg. At first the little pig was
not quite sure what was wanted of him. He thought perhaps he was to jump
over the rope after another apple. But he saw no fruit waiting for him.
Then he looked carefully about and smelled the air. The boy was very
gentle with him, and waited patiently.

And I might say, right here, that if you ever try to teach your pets any
tricks, you must be both kind and gentle with them, for you know they
are not as smart as you are, and cannot think as quickly.

"Ha! I smell acorns!" thought Squinty to himself. "I guess the boy must
want me to do the first trick, as he calls it, and dig up the acorns.
I'll do it!"

Carefully Squinty sniffed the air. When he turned one way he could smell
the acorns quite plainly. When he turned the other way he could not
smell them quite so well. So he started off in the direction where he
could most plainly smell the nuts he loved so well.

Next he began rooting in the ground. At first it was very hard for his
nose, but soon it became soft. Then he could smell the acorns more
plainly than before.

"See, he is going right toward them!" cried the boy.

"There, he has them!" exclaimed Sallie.

"Oh, so he has!" spoke Mollie. "I wouldn't have thought he could!"

And, by that time, Squinty had found the hole where the boy had covered
the acorns with dirt, and Squinty was chewing the sweet nuts.