“Now,” went on Uncle Henry, “extend the line that came from Orion’s belt, curving it slightly downward after it passes through Sirius, and you will have the dog’s backbone. Put in the chalk dots as we find the stars, Pete. Now draw lines upward and downward from Sirius, at right angles to the backbone line and you will have the dog’s forelegs and ears. At a point on the backbone about twice the length of the foreleg from Sirius, you will find another fairly bright star, and below it a little way another star. Connect these two and keep on with the line, at right angles to the backbone, and you will find one hind foot. The other is not far in front of it. Yes, that’s right, Betty, there’s a star in the tip of his tail, too. And the three stars near Sirius make Canis Major’s nose.”
The children soon finished the skeleton and Uncle Henry took the chalk and put the flesh upon it. Then the dog of Orion looked like this:
“He’s a faithful old fellow, isn’t he?” said Betty, “to always follow Mr. Orion around like that?”
“I’m not always sure,” said Uncle Henry, “whether the dog of Orion would always be so faithful if it wasn’t for the rabbit that is always just ahead of him, almost under Orion’s feet.”
“Oh, show us the rabbit!” cried Betty. Her father had promised her that when they all went to live in a house in the country, she should have a pair of them for her very own.
“All right, Betty,” said Uncle Henry. “You can find Lepus, the rabbit, yourself. The three rather faint stars just below Orion’s right foot make the curve of his back. Join them together with a curved line and extend it forward and downward until it passes through two brighter stars. The lowest of these is in the fore-shoulder of the rabbit. Now draw lines backward from both of these brighter stars, at about right angles to the line that joins them, and you will find the rabbit’s hind hip and hind foot. He is lying down for a moment to rest. You see he’s been galloping away from Canis Major for such a long time that he is tired.”
“Poor little rabbit!” cried Betty, and her little face looked so pitiful in the light of the electric torch that Uncle Henry hastened to reassure her by saying that the big dog had never yet caught the rabbit, and by the very nature of things never could. Then she took heart to go on putting in the stars.
“Now,” said Uncle Henry, “you can find the star in the rabbit’s eye by drawing a line forward from the upper one of the brighter stars, and the star in his fore-foot by drawing another forward and downward from his fore-shoulder. That finishes his skeleton, all except his ears. They are made by finding four faint stars just under Orion’s left foot, and using two of them in each ear.”
“Now can I draw his outline in, too?” asked Betty. “I want to make every bit of him myself.”