Papa closed his eyes, stroked his whiskers; and Eddie knew the story was coming. This is it,—
One day, when we were camping in Virginia, some of us got leave to go into the woods for chestnuts, which grew there in great abundance. We were busy picking up the nuts, when we heard a scrambling in the bushes. We thought it was a dog.
"Was it a dog?" asks Eddie.
"No, it was not a dog."
"Was it a cat?"
"No, it was not a cat."
"No, it was not a bear."
"Do tell me what it was!"