THE SICK BOY 141 



wonder. Naturalists that they were, they had hardly seen 

 a friendship like that before. 



" No one need to be lonesome in the woods," said the 

 squatter. " The world is full of friends everywhere, if you 

 only treat it rightly." 



Audubon was very poor, but he wanted to own that 

 black wolf. 



" For how much would you sell him to me ? " asked 

 Audubon. 



" Sell him? Why, I couldn't part with him. See him 

 cuddle up to me as though I were his best friend. I could 

 not sell a heart like that." 



" I will give you five dollars for him." 



" Couldn't think of it. I would be dreadful lonesome 

 without him, all out here in the woods alone. I brought 

 him up to be company for me. It would be like selling 

 one of my children." 



Audubon took out of his pocket a hundred-dollar bill 

 that he had been saving for special needs. 



" Look at that, friend. I will give you one hundred 

 dollars for him." 



The squatter probably never saw so much money 

 before. 



" I would be glad to oblige you, stranger, but I can't 

 part with the animal nohow. It wouldn't be using him 

 right." 



The story in its leading incidents is substantially true. 



