THE SICK BOY 141 



wonder. Naturalists that they were, they had hardly seen 

 a friendship like that before. 



" No one need to be lonesome in the woods," said the 

 squatter. " The world is full of friends everywhere, if you 

 only treat it rightly." 



Audubon was very poor, but he wanted to own that 

 black wolf. 



"For how much would you sell him to me?" asked 

 Audubon. 



" Sell him? Why, I couldn't part with him. See him 

 cuddle up to me as though I were his best friend. I could 

 not sell a heart like that." 



" I will give you five dollars for him." 



" Couldn't think of it. I would be dreadful lonesome 

 without him, all out here in the woods alone. I brought 

 him up to be company for me. It would be like selling 

 one of my children." 



Audubon took out of his pocket a hundred-dollar bill 

 that he had been saving for special needs. 



" Look at that, friend. I will give you one hundred 

 dollars for him." 



The squatter probably never saw so much money 

 before. 



" I would be glad to oblige you, stranger, but I can't 

 part with the animal nohow. It wouldn't be using him 

 right." 



The story in its leading incidents is substantially true. 



