CHAPTER XIV. 

 AN OCTOBER DIARY— CONCLUDED. 



October 21. — I found a pair of magnificent emer- 

 alds this evening — small, it is true, but they made up 

 in brilliancy all they lacked in size. Dark though it 

 happened to be, they glistened as I had never seen 

 gems glisten before. They seemed almost to be sources 

 of light and to illuminate their immediate surround- 

 ings. When within reach I stopped — and they were 

 not there. The weasel that owned them was not green, 

 whatever the tint of those wonderful gems. This was 

 the weasel, I suppose, that has been running at large in 

 the cellar, and darting among the apple - barrels, when 

 not wishing to be seen. I speak advisedly, for at times 

 he is bold as a hawk, and ready to fight if molested. 

 Better a weasel than the rats he preys upon, so long 

 may he flourish ! 



I took my fence-rail spider a handful of flies this 

 morning, but she was out of humor and returned me 

 no thanks. Indeed, she did not deign to notice in any 

 way my contribution to her larder. So far as I could 

 discover, nothing had gone wrong with the elaborate 

 web ; and the cause of the sulkiness could only be at- 

 tributed to over-feeding or injury. She sat, or, more 

 properly, stood, in the door of her den and looked at 



