"'By-by,' says he to himself. 'Out doors will do for me!' And here he come! Neither the visitor nor me was expecting him. He blocked the feet out from under us and sat his master on top. We got up in time to see a winged bulldog, with a tail ten foot long, bounding merrily over the turf, searching his soul for sounds to tell how scart he was, whilst a desperate bob-cat, spitting fire and brimstone, threw dirt fifty foot in the air trying to lay claws on him."
[Illustration: Searching soul for sounds to tell how scart he was]
"As they disappeared over the first rise I rolls me a cigarette and lights it slowly.
"'Just by way of curiosity,' says I; 'how much will you take for your dog?'
"'My Heavens!' says he, recovering the power of speech. 'What kind of animal was that?'
"'Come in,' says I, 'and take a drink—you need it.'
"So we gathered up the ruins and tidied things some, while the new man sipped his whiskey.
"'My!' says he, of a sudden. 'I must go after my poor dog.'