always something interesting afoot, ° — minks, 

 or muskrats, or a skunk, or a big owl, — so 

 I hailed him with joy. 



" Hello, Johnnie ! what you after to-day — g^^ OfBeech 

 bears?" 7>afrid^e 



But he only shook his head — a bit sheep- 

 ishly, I thought — and talked of all things 

 except the one that he was thinking about ; 

 and presently he vanished down the old road. 

 One of his jacket pockets bulged more than 

 the other, and I knew there was a trap in it. 



Late that afternoon I crossed his trail and, 

 having nothing more interesting to do, fol- 

 lowed it. It led straight to the bullbrier 

 thicket, where the old beech partridge roosted. 

 I had searched for it many times in vain 

 before the fox led me to it; but Johnnie, in 

 some of his prowlings, had found tracks and 

 signs under a cedar branch, and knew just 

 what they meant. His trap was there, in the 

 very spot where, the night before, the old 

 beech partridge had stood when he jumped 

 for the lowest limb. Corn was scattered 

 liberally about; and a blue jay, that had fol- 

 lowed Johnnie, was already fast in the trap, 



