140 Vixen 



He was a j^retty little fellow, like a cross be* 

 tween a fox and a lamb. His woolly visage 

 and form were strangely lamb-like and inno- 

 cent, but one could find in his yellow eyes a 

 gleam of cunning and savageness as unlamb- 

 like as it possibly could be. 



As long as anyone was near he crouched 

 sullen and cowed in his shelter-box, and it was 

 a full hour after being left alone before he vent- 

 ured to look out. 



My window now took the place of the hol- 

 low basswood. A number of hens of the breed 

 he knew so well were about the cub in the 

 yard. Late that afternoon as they strayed near 

 the captive there was a sudden rattle of the 

 chain, and the youngster dashed at the nearest 

 one and would have caught him but for the 

 chain which brought him up with a jerk. He 

 got on his feet and slunk back to his box, and 

 though he afterward made several rushes he 

 so gauged his leap as to win or fail within the 

 length of the chain and never again was brought 

 up by its cruel jerk. 



As night came down the little fellow became 

 very uneasy, sneaking out of his box, but going 

 back at each slight alarm, tugging at his chain, 

 or at times biting it in fury while he held it 

 down with his fore-paws. Suddenly he paused 



