A HERMIT'S WILD FRIENDS 



to the tree beyond the dog's reach. After 

 the hounds left, Triplefoot came out of the 

 tree and circled around me. She wanted to 

 make sure that I was the hermit. I examined 

 the pine-tree and found the bark much 

 scratched, where Triplefoot had jumped on 

 to it. The evidence showed that she had fre- 

 quently resorted to the trick, to throw off 

 the hounds. I wish I might end the story 

 of this little three-footed fox in some happy 

 way, but truth has ordered it otherwise. She 

 was shot when running before the hounds, 

 but was not immediately killed. I found her 

 dead body while skirting Magnolia Swamp. 

 She had crawled under a boulder, and had 

 slowly died from her wounds and exhaustion. 

 I buried her, and was glad that her beautiful 

 robe and her mutilated body would not be 

 separated in death. 



THE END. 



304 



