258 MISCELLANEOUS. 



darkness. I fancied I could see a pair of large fiery eyes 

 glaring upon me, and hear the dry leaves rustle, as a 

 monster catamount, probably the mate to the one that had 

 just been killed, crawled stealthily toward me. I thought of 

 all the harrowing stories I had heard and read, of terrible en- 

 counters with these monsters ; how people had been eaten up 

 by them, and only a boot or a hat had been left to tell their 

 fate. I sprang to the furnace, pulled all the fire out, threw the 

 burning brands into a hole near by, and lit out for home at a 

 rate that would make Maud S. envious. Every few seconds 

 I looked back over my shoulder to see if the catamount was 

 coming, and imagined that I was only saving my life by run- 

 ning faster than he could. When I arrived at the house I 

 stopped outside the door until I had recovered my breath 

 and cooled off. When I went in the folks inquired why I had 

 come home so early ; why I didn't stay and boil down the 

 sap, as I had set out to do. 



"Well," I said, "it was kind of lonesome out there all 

 alone, and I concluded to leave it till morning. ' ' My good 

 mother said she thought that was a wise conclusion, and this 

 is the first time I ever confessed the true cause of my going 

 home so early that night. 



I return to the house, and again slake my thirst at the 

 cool spring. Just below the spring stood the old milk-house, 

 through which flowed the cool water from the spring. What 

 delicious cool milk, and hard, yellow butter used to stand in 

 this cool retreat. I remember once I caught a neighbor's dog 

 in the milk-house. He had pulled the pin out of the door- 

 post, and opened the door with his paw. I discovered him 

 just as he entered, before he had time to do any damage ; but 

 he had gone there with mischievous intent. Besides, I had a 

 grudge against him, for once when I had gone to his master's 

 house he had bitten me. Now I had him where I wanted 



