Little Bighead 101 



of Shep faithful Shep, who had watched 

 all night at his side and was now gently lick- 

 ing his face to awaken him. 



The sun was just mounting over the 

 eastern rim of the prairie, and a score of un- 

 known birds were twittering and scolding 

 in the small cottonwoods by the river. The 

 ducks were quacking and gabbling as they 

 fed in the sedges along shore. The whole 

 vast stretch of mother earth was waking 

 into the fulness of another day. 



Bennie sat up and rubbed his eyes and 

 tried to remember where he was. Then it 

 all came over him in a flash. He and Shep 

 were alone by the great river and his father 

 and mother and Tommy were somewhere 

 to the north. He was to look up old Brindle 

 and bring her to the river bank, and his 

 father was to bring the schooner and the 

 rest of the family to their place of 

 rendezvous. 



Bennie made a hasty breakfast on some 



