"Sometimes the deer come right down, specially in winter. Last winter there was a bear came down and stole one of our hogs, but we got him."
"Got the hog back? Wasn't he hurt?"
"Hurt! Guess he was. The bear killed him. But we followed the bear, and we got him,—Vosh Stebbins and father and me."
Porter tried hard to look as if he were quite accustomed to following and killing all the bears that meddled with his hogs; but Pen exclaimed,—
"Now, Susie, you needn't be scared a bit. There won't be a single bear—not where you're going."
"Won't there?" said Susie almost regretfully. "How I'd like to see one!"
There was a great deal more to be said about bears and other wild creatures; and, just as breakfast was over, there came a great noise of rattling and creaking and shouting in front of the sitting-room windows.
"There he is!" said Corry.
Susie and her brother hurried to look; and there was Vosh Stebbins with Deacon Farnham's great wood-sleigh, drawn by two pairs of strong, long-horned, placid-looking oxen.
"Couldn't one pair draw it?" asked Porter of Corry.