"No, you could only hear him at midnight," replied his sister—"that is, if the story were true."
"It is only like a fairy story, then?" asked Harry.
"All these stories are fairy stories," replied Mary; "and here is another.
"A Basque legend relates that a certain husbandman had two oxen stolen from him by two wicked thieves. He sent his laborer after them, but he did not return. Then he sent his housekeeper, and his dog, and finally he decided to go after the thieves himself. He was so angry that he lost his temper, and in punishment for the remarks he made he was condemned to continue his search through the sky for all eternity. There you can see him now. The two oxen are the first two stars, then follow the two thieves, and lastly the two servants, the husbandman, and the little dog."
"Where is the little dog?" asked Harry.
"Look at the three stars in the handle of the Dipper," replied Mary. "Now look at the middle star, and if you have good eyes you can see a little star close beside it. Here, look through this opera-glass and you can see it better."
"I see it now," said Harry, as he looked through the glasses. "So that is the little dog?"
"Yes," replied his sister; "and the Arabians gave it the name of Alcor."
"Dear little Alcor," said Harry, as he continued looking at him, "I am going to look for you every evening now, because I can see the Great Dipper from my window."
"So you can," replied Mary; "I forgot that it faced north.