Tommy, however, was the indirect cause of the worst disaster of all, after an interim of several weeks when the daily damage had been merely the natural wear and tear of grass scratched up, an occasional roll in a flower-bed, or the mauling of a young chicken.
This happened a couple of months after Miss Letty’s arrival, when the most serious haying of the season was in progress and the last loads of long, firm timothy were to be taken in that afternoon.
Tommy took the pups from their yard soon after dinner and played with them for some time. Happy, who was rested from her motherly cares, the puppies now being weaned and quite independent, had taken up her old hunting trips, and this afternoon had gone off with Waddles, Mr. Wolf, Colin, Quick, and Tip after a vain effort to take the pups with her.
After a while Tommy, tired of play, lay down on the grass, and let the pups crawl over him. Presently he heard the rumbling of heavy wheels, and the great hay wagon carrying Baldy and a couple of extra hands went out of the barnyard the back way.
“I’m coming for the last load ride,” called Tommy.
“You’d best be quick then; this’ll be it, and it’ll be a full one, for Miss Letty and Miss Jule and Anne are all waiting up in the lot to get aboard.”
“Wait, oh, wait a minute for me; it’s dreffle hot running so far,” wailed Tommy. But Baldy did not hear because the wagon creaked so.
Tommy knew that he ought to put up the puppies, but they seemed to be fast asleep, the wagon was already out of sight, he must go with his sweetheart, for it was Miss Letty’s first ride on a load of hay—in short, he turned and ran after the cart without looking back.
The children’s father often took photographs of birds and flowers to illustrate the magazine articles and books that he wrote, and that morning he had made a beautiful picture in the old mill glen of a wood-duck just leaving its nest in a hollow tree with its young. It was a very rare picture indeed, for these birds nest in deep woods, and he could not have taken it except that a bright streak of sun chanced to come through a gap and fell on the birds.