THE STUTKE AT SHAKE'S. 31 



guess," answered Tom; "but it does se^m kind of 

 strange, for there's Towser among 'em, an' he don't 

 often go very far away from the house." 



" Yes, an' there's some other critter there, too, that 

 don't belong to this farm," said Shane. 



" It's a mule," said Tom. " I wonder where in the 

 nation he cam^ from ? " 



Shane and Tom having come close enough for the 

 animals to see them, the mule started across the field 

 to the point whei-e he had jumped the fence. Towser, 

 seeing the turn affairs had taken, started after the mule, 

 as though chasing it, and made a bee-line for home as 

 soon as he was out of sight of Shane. The other 

 animals scattered in various directions, and Shane and 

 Tom proceeded in the direction the mule had taken to 

 see where it had gotten in. 



