74 THE GROUSE OF MAPLE RUN. 



down the fences and soon had Tom safe in the wagon. Al- 

 though he was suffering excrutiating torture, I never 

 saw him more cheerful. Joke and story came from his lips 

 in a continual stream, and he kept us in a roar all the way 

 home. We got him in the house and, after bathing his foot 

 in hot water and seeing him comfortable, I turned to go, 

 when he said : 



" I shall have to ride to-morrow and you had better come 

 here and ride over with me." 



(Supposing that he was joking, I took my leave. The next 

 morning I got an early start and went to his house to see how 

 he was. I was greatly surprised to find his team at the door 

 and to see him hobbing down the steps, using his gun as a 

 cane, crying as he saw me : 



" Come on 1 1 had a vision last night and feel that this day 

 will witness the humiliation of our ghostly friend, notwith- 

 standing your superstitious belief in her invulnerability." 



Thinking that his grit was of the "real old sort," I helped 

 him get in the wagon. We drove to the saw-mill, and, leav- 

 ing Tom in the wagon, where he could command the ap- 

 proaches, I took the dogs and started down the run. I had 

 gone but a short distance when I met a man who said he had 

 started a white partridge several times without getting a 

 shot, and that she had gone up the run, and was probably in 

 the big alder cover. I explained the situation to him, and, 

 joining our forces, we prepared to move on the enemy's 

 works once more. Going back to Tom, we sent him round 

 to the lower end of the cover, while we beat up the fringe of 

 willows and the hazel thicket. When Tom arrived at his 

 post we heard him shout, and when we came up learned that 

 he had started her close to the edge, and that her course was 

 still onward and upward. Sending Tom to the upper end 

 beyond the big hemlock, to a knoll, where he C3uld overlook 

 the whole ground, we separated a few rods and beat up to- 

 ward him. We had gone half way up before we found her 

 Irail. I soon heard her rise some distance ahead, and saw 

 her as she came up over the alders, make straight for the 

 hemlock, and alight in its branches. A moment later our 



