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SQUIRRELS, FOXES, AND OTHERS 179 



headed for the " city-house lot," he told 

 me. 



"The city-house lot," said I; "what is 

 that?" 



" Why, there used to be two or three 

 houses over in this direction. The largest 

 of them, the one that stood the longest, was 

 known as the city house. More than fifty 

 years ago, before my father camo here to 

 live, it was moved to a place on the main 

 road. You must remember it. It was 

 pulled down, or fell to pieces, within six or 

 eight years." 



I did remember it, but had never known 

 its name or its history. The surprising 

 thing about the story was the fact that there 

 was no indication of a road hereabout, nor 

 any sign that there had ever been one; 

 and all the while we were plunging deeper 

 and deeper into the woods, now following 

 a footpath, now leaving it for a short cut 

 among the trees. By and by we came to a 

 drier spot, and an old cellar-hole. This was 

 not the city-house cellar, however, but that 

 of some smaller house. About it were evi- 

 dences of a former clearing, though a casual 



