90 BEYOND THE PASTURE BARS 



box into the kitchen, and had gone to sleep like 

 the rest of the family. He gaped and grinned 

 and looked about him when awakened, altogether 

 at home, and really surprised that morning had 

 come so soon. He got down and took his saucer 

 of milk under the stove as if nothing unusual had 

 happened. 



We had had a good many 'possums, crows, liz- 

 ards, and the like; so, in spite of this winsome 

 show of confidence and affection, Pinky was borne 

 away once more to the briers. 



That night he did not creep in by the pump-box 

 trough. Nothing was seen of him in the morning 

 and he passed quickly out of our minds. But he 

 still kept his notion. Two or three days after 

 this, as I was crossing the back yard, I stopped 

 to pick up a large calabash-gourd that I had left 

 on the woodpile. I had cut a round hole in the 

 gourd somewhat larger than a silver dollar, in- 

 tending to fasten the thing up for the bluebirds 

 to nest in. 



It ought to have been as light as so much air, 

 almost, but instead it was heavy the children 

 had filled it with sand, I thought. I turned it over 

 and looked into the hole, and lo! not sand, but 

 Pinky! 



