thing," assented Toby, chuckling as he patted his pocket where
possibly one of those brand new ten-dollar bills snugly reposed, for
Toby believed in going prepared for anything that might happen, and
money is always a good thing to have around; "didn't the C-c-chief tell
me only y-y-yesterday that old Miss Moffat she c-c-called him up and
demanded that he c-c-come and arrest a hyena that was runnin' all around
her p-p-pasture lot; and when he hurried out there, taking one of his
men along, so's to s-s-shoot the t-t-terror, s-s-say, what d'ye think it
was but the next d-d-door neighbor's d-d-dog?"

Bandy-legs heaved a long sigh at this juncture, which of course called
attention to him.

"Hey! what ails you there?" demanded Steve.

"He does look like he mightn't be as happy as you'd think, when we're
bound on such a glorious trip up to the woods," Max remarked.

"Well, I ain't," grumbled the one who was under fire just then.

"Not feelin' sick, are you?" Toby wanted to know, for he could not
understand how anybody could fail to be bubbling over with joy when off
on such a vacation as they had ahead of them; and with fifty dollars in
hand things do look pretty rosy to a boy, it must be confessed.

"Aw! no, I could eat a house!" Bandy-legs shot back at him; "it's all
about Nicodemus again."

"Hello! What's the c-c-cute little rascal b-b-been doing now?"

"Why, you see, ever since that menagerie had to go and break loose, our
Nora, she seems more set against my bear cub than ever. I saw she was
goin' to make trouble first chance she got, and so I've been mighty
careful to keep the cub from slippin' loose from his collar, like he
used to. But that's what he went and done last night, and however the
critter ever got into the house beats me."

"What's that you say; the bear cub didn't try to run away to the woods,
but climbed in through some open window, and got in your house; is that
it, Toby?" cried Steve, holding up his hands in pretended horror, but
grinning at the same time.

"Huh! if you'd heard the yells that our Nora gave about nine o'clock
last night, when she went up to her room, you'd athought it worth while
mentioning," Bandy-legs continued, sorrowfully, yet with a twinkle of
amusement in his eye.

"Wow! that sounds kind of interesting; suppose you tell us more about
it, Bandy-legs," Steve implored, eager to hear particulars.

"Why, seems like," began the other, only too willingly, "her candle blew
ou