ews
to discuss on the Fork.

"What's that by the cabin-door?" said Sandy, falling back as he looked
up the trail and beheld a tall white, or light gray, animal smelling
around the door-step of the cabin, only a half-mile away. It seemed to
be about as large as a full-grown calf, and it moved stealthily about,
and yet with a certain unconcern, as if not used to being scared
easily.

"It's a wolf!" cried Oscar. "The Sunday that Uncle Aleck and I saw one
from the bluff yonder, he was just like that. Hush, Sandy, don't talk
so loud, or you'll frighten him off before we can get a crack at him.
Let's go up the trail by the ravine, and perhaps we can get a shot
before he sees us."

It was seldom that the boys stirred abroad without firearms of some
sort. This time they had a shot-gun and a rifle with them, and,
examining the weapons as they went, they ran down into a dry gully, to
follow which would bring them unperceived almost as directly to the
cabin as by the regular trail. As noiselessly as possible, the boys
ran up the gully trail, their hearts beating high with expectation. It
would be a big feather in their caps if they could only have a gray
wolf's skin to show their elders on their return from Chapman's.

"You go round the upper side of the house with your rifle, Oscar, and
I'll go round the south side with the shot-gun," was Charlie's advice
to his cousin when they had reached the spring at the head of the
gully, back of the log-cabin. With the utmost caution, the two boys
crept around opposite corners of the house, each hoping he would be
lucky enough to secure the first shot. Sandy remained behind, waiting
with suppressed excitement for the shot. Instead of the report of a
firearm, he heard a peal of laughter from both boys.

"What is it?" he cried, rushing from his place of concealment. "What's
the great joke?"

"Nothing," said Oscar, laughing heartily, "only that as I was stealing
around the corner here by the corral, Charlie was tiptoeing round the
other corner with his eyes bulging out of his head as if he expected
to see that wolf."

"Yes," laughed Charlie, "and if Oscar had been a little quicker, he
would have fired at me. He had his gun aimed right straight ahead as
he came around the corner of the cabin."

"And that wolf is probably miles and miles away from here by this
time, while you two fellows were sneaking around to find him. Just as
if he was going to wait here for you!" It was Sandy's tu