HAIRY-TAILED PACK RATS 47 



the moment seemed to fear to move, then he sud- 

 denly fell upon his knees, and with hands which 

 shook with excitement, gathered up a handful of 

 the dirty looking pebbles and examined them at- 

 tentively; after which he gave a wild warwhoop, 

 sprang to the door and fired six shots at the un- 

 offending sky. 



Paddy witnessed these antics with the utmost 

 interest and astonishment, and his curiosity was so 

 great that he crept from his hiding, place to the 

 unoccupied bunk and was peering cautiously over 

 its side when he found the man's eyes fixed upon 

 him. The man laughed a wild, naughty laugh, 

 which sent the chills down Paddy's back and took 

 from him all power of flight. 



When last seen the miner and the rat were 

 inseparable companions; they no longer lived 

 at the edge of the snow fields in the Cascade 

 mountains; a wonderful change had come about, 

 for foolish people had given the lonely prospector 

 houses, lands, cattle and horses in exchange for the 

 dark-colored pebbles which they called nuggets, 

 but Paddy Pack Rat had given these little lumps 

 of gold in exchange for some brass cartridges, and, 

 strange to say, neither Paddy nor the prospector 

 ever regretted the trade. 



IF THERE IS ANY ONE WHO CAN TELL 



why the bower bird ornaments its playhouse with 

 bits of bright ribbons, broken glass, and pretty 

 pebbles ; why the crow and magpie devote so much 



i 



