120 A Day with the Grouse. 



to them and they all judged of our plans 

 for the day from something in our man- 

 ner that the gift had not been given us 

 to realize ourselves. Dogs seem to see 

 their masters' thoughts, and their de- 

 ductions are all made while the phi- 

 losopher is waiting for something more 

 definite ; and although the quickness of 

 their conclusions is antagonistic to good 

 analyses of our motives, they turn at 

 each limitation of their understanding to 

 a friendly supposition, and it is with a 

 wag of the tail instead of a growl that 

 they await further information. I re- 

 spectfully refer philosophers to the dogs. 

 We were not out of the door before 

 Don and Belle had bounced through ahead 

 of us, and the frightened hens about the 

 stone steps ran and flew ca-dark-ut-ing in 

 great confusion back to the barnyard and 

 over the fence into the orchard. A chilly 

 crow unhunched himself from a frosty rail 

 and flopped heavily along over the fields 

 of corn-shocks and ungathered pumpkins, 

 and out of the stiff frozen grass fluttered 

 a few migrating sparrows as we rustled 



