“But I didn’t leave that tree. I knew that coon couldn’t have jumped out of the tree and I also knew he went up the tree, so I was sure he was in the tree right then.
“I barked louder than ever, and though the master whistled and called, I still barked and jumped about.
“Suddenly I thought if I kept very still a minute that coon might show his head, so I stepped close to the tree and stood in the shadow and kept quiet. It wasn’t more than a minute before, just as I thought, out poked the head of that coon to see if I had gone.
“Well, I just barked some then and I danced, and pretty soon master came running back and I jumped and barked right under the place where I had seen the head of Mr. Coon.
“‘Ah, you are right, boy,’ I heard the master say, softly, and then bang went his gun and Mr. Coon dropped to the ground.
“‘Good old boy, you can’t be fooled, can you, Rover?’ said master, patting me on the head; ‘you can’t be beat for coon-hunting. Come along home and show what we got.’
“The next night they had a great time at the master’s house. He told them all how I treed that coon and how I stuck to it in spite of his going away and calling to me to go along.
“I was patted on the head and made a great deal of, and every time I see the master with that coon cap he wears I feel very happy.”
Mr. Dog stopped and looked sad again, and Mr. Tom Cat said: “Oh, cheer up, Mr. Dog, the master will soon be wearing that cap again, and he will remember how you caught the coon. That is a good story to tell. Now we will listen to what Mr. Rooster has to tell us.”
Mr. Rooster said he would tell them about the new rooster that came to the barn-yard one day.