The Springfield Fox 



ding hound. With mouth opened nearly to 

 his ears, though not at all winded, he panted 

 noisily for a moment, or rather be laughed 

 gleefully, just as a dog laughs by grinning ana 

 panting. 



Old Scarface wriggled in huge enjoyment as 

 the hound puzzled over the trail so long that 

 when he did find it, it was so stale he could 

 barely follow it, and did not feel justified in 

 tonguing on it at all. 



As soon as the hound was working up the 

 hill, the fox quietly went into the woods. I 

 had been sitting in plain view only ten feet 

 away, but I had the wind and kept still and 

 the fox never knew that his life had for twenty 

 minutes been in the power of the foe he most 

 feared. Ranger also would have passed me as 

 near as the fox, but I spoke to him, and with a 

 little nervous start he quit the trail and looking 

 sheepish lay down by my feet. 



This little comedy was played with variations 

 for several days, but it was all in plain view 

 from the house across the river. My uncle, im- 

 patient at the daily loss of hens, went out him- 

 self, sat on the open knoll, and when old Scar 



210 



A 



