“By th’ great horn spoon!” exclaimed Bantie. “You shore are some pet! Frenchy Burgoyne said uh mouthful when he said that yuh didn’t allow strangers to trespass. Li’l cat, yuh cost me jist twenty dollars rent but yore shore worth it—every cent. I plumb hates to take yuh back but uh bargain’s uh bargain. As uh bare-back rider of grizzlies I takes m’ hat off to you, li’l bob-cat.”
Outside, Magpie and Tellurium leaned against each other and watched the wolf bid farewell to humanity.
Finally, evidently with misgivings, the bear slid down out of the tree. It gazed at the two with melancholy in its little eyes and then waddled off into the willows down Sleeping Creek.
Tellurium sat down heavily on a log and wiped his bald head with a wet handkerchief.
“This is gittin’ to be th’ dangdest——”
“Look!” exclaimed Magpie, pointing to the open root-house door. The little gray kitten was perched on the top step and its little ears twitched as it looked cautiously about before coming out.
“What General Sherman said about war, goes double fer cats!” remarked Tellurium.
Magpie scratched his neck thoughtfully for a moment and then started off down the Sleeping Creek trail on a half run.
“Where in —— yuh goin’?” yelled Tellurium.
Magpie stopped for a moment and considered the little kitten on the root-house door, before he yelled back: