A TREE-TOP AERONAUT 165 



" Oh-h-h ! " exclaimed the boy, with long- 

 drawn commiseration. But, his curiosity 

 too strong for his pity, he raced forward 

 with the woodman to capture and examine 

 their prize. 



There was no prize to be found. Both 

 had seen the flyer come to earth. Both had 

 marked, with expert eyes, the exact point of 

 his fall. But there was nothing to be seen 

 but a softly disappearing dent in the cushion 

 of moss. 



" Well, I'll be jiggered ! " said the wood- 

 man, fingering his stubbled chin and scrutiniz- 

 ing the nearest tree-trunks with narrowed 

 eyes. 



" Serves us right ! " said the boy. " I'm 

 glad he's got away. I thought you'd killed 

 him, Jabe ! " 



" Reckon I just Uowed him over," responded 

 the woodman. " But now ye know where 

 they hang out, ye kin ketch one alive in a 

 cage-trap, if ye want to git to know somethin' 

 of his manners an' customs eh, what ? 

 When ye've killed one of these wild critters, 

 after all, to my mind he ain't no more in- 

 terestin' than a lady's fur boa." 



As the two man creatures disappeared down 

 the confusing vistas of the forest, the soft 

 dark eyes of the flying-squirrel, dispropor- 



