"Was it a really and truly bear?" she asked. "And did it stand on its hind legs like in the circus pictures over at the Hook?"
"It stood on its hind legs, all right," he told her, "but it wasn't really a bear. We thought it was. It made tracks in the snow just like bear's tracks, but when we had smoked it out we found that it wasn't anything but a man."
"It was Jake Yost, a foolish feller," he explained, turning to Mr. Richmond. "He had his boots on the wrong feet and wouldn't change them back for fear of changing his luck. That was what made his tracks look like bear's tracks."
It tickled them to hear about that, but it didn't tickle us boys much when it happened. It was too scary.
"If you will stop here on your way back to-morrow," said Mary's grandma, "we'll give you a nice dinner. I think you will be wanting one about that time. Mary may walk with you as far as the Hook, if you like, and show you the road."
"I think maybe I'd better go along, too, with my gun," said Mr. Richmond, "on account of the bears."
"Don't you mind his nonsense," she said. "You run along."
So off they went together, Skinny with his rope and tomahawk and Mary with her red sunbonnet, but they kept away from the pasture.
From Pumpkin Hook Skinny went on alone, up the mountain road, whirling his tomahawk around his head and every little while pretending to lasso the enemy, because he knew that Mary was watching him from below.
Then pretty soon he came to a bend in the road. He turned and waved to her, and in a minute was out of sight.