YOURS WITH ALL MY HEART 



bay. We ran to the southeast window to 

 see what would happen. 



Sure enough, with great flapping of wings 

 and loud, threatening cries, up sailed the old 

 fellow, circling above the hill-top, and mak- 

 ing a fierce swoop for papa, but he gave him 

 a settler with the fence-rail that sent him 

 spinning over the bluff. Only poor papa 

 lost his balance too, striking out so heavily 

 with his unwieldly weapon, and, pitching 

 headlong, slid on his plump stomach half- 

 way down the hill, over the dry, slippery 

 grass. He scrambled to his feet pretty 

 lively, for the old goose was up and on him 

 again. He saw, too, that he had broken 

 his watch-chain and torn off his handsome 

 topaz charm, an old heirloom he cherished, 

 in his fall. He told mamma afterwards: 



"I was beginning to get my dander up, I 

 can tell you, and I didn't feel quite so careful 

 of that old goose when I saw him making a 

 dive to swallow my big topaz. I had got 

 kind o' riled, sliding down hill on my stom- 

 ach, with him flapping and conking behind 

 me." 



He got on his feet just in time to save him- 

 self, caught up the fence-rail and dealt a 



191 



