ry.

It was most refreshing to Seth, this halt beneath the shade of the
bushes where the brook sang such a song as he had never heard before,
and despite the age of the cake his hunger was appeased. Save for the
haunting fear that the officers of the law might be close upon his
heels, he would have been very happy, and even under the painful
circumstances attending his departure, he enjoyed in a certain degree
the unusual scene before him.

Then Snip, wearied with his fruitless pursuit of the butterflies,
crept close by his master's side for a nap, and Seth yielded to the
temptation to stretch himself out at full length on the soft, cool
moss.

There was in his mind the thought that he must resume the flight
within a short time, lest he fail to find a shelter before the night
had come; but the dancing waters sang a most entrancing and
rest-inviting melody until his eyes closed despite his efforts to hold
them open, and master and dog were wrapped in slumber.

The birds gathered on the branches above the heads of the sleepers,
gazing down curiously and with many an inquiring twitter, as if asking
whether this boy was one who would do them a mischief if it lay in his
power, and the butterflies flaunted their gaudy wings within an inch
of Snip's eyes; but the slumber was not broken.

The sun had no more than an hour's time remaining before his day's
work in that particular section of the country had come to an end,
when a brown moth fluttered down upon Seth's nose, where he sat
pluming his wings in such an energetic manner that the boy suddenly
sneezed himself into wakefulness, while Snip leaped up with a chorus
of shrill barks and yelps which nearly threw the curious birds into
hysterics.

"It's almost sunset, Snippey dear, an' we've been idlin' here when we
ought'er been huntin' for a house where we can stay till mornin'. It's
fine, I know," he added, as he took the tiny dog in his arms; "but I
don't believe it would be very jolly to hang 'round in such a place
all night. Besides, who knows but there are bears? We must be a
terrible long way in the country, an' if the farmers are as good as
Pip Smith tells about, we can get a chance to sleep in a house."

The fear that the officers might be close upon his heels had fled; it
seemed as if many, many hours had passed since he took leave of Tim
and Teddy, and it was possible the representatives of law would not
pursue him so far into the country.

He had yet on ha