"You little divil," he growled, "I'll break
your cussed neck"; but he did not. He lifted the nasty, sticky little
beast and fondled him as usual, while Jill, no worse--even more
excusable, because less trained--suffered all the terrors of his wrath
and was double-chained to the post, so as to have no further chance of
such ill-doing.
This was a day of bad luck for Kellyan. That morning he had fallen and
broken his rifle. Now, on his return home, he found his provisions
spoiled, and a new trial was before him.
A stranger with a small pack-train called at his place that evening
and passed the night with him. Jack was in his most frolicsome mood
and amused them both with tricks half-puppy and half-monkey like, and
in the morning, when the stranger was leaving, he said: "Say, pard,
I'll give you twenty-five dollars for the pair." Lan hesitated,
thought of the wasted provisions, his empty purse, his broken rifle,
and answered: "Make it fifty and it's a go."
"Shake on it."
So the bargain was made, the money paid, and in fifteen minutes the
stranger was gone with a little Bear in each pannier of his horse.
Jill was surly and silent; Jack kept up a whining that smote on Lan's
heart with a reproachful sound, but he braced himself with, "Guess
they're better out of the way; couldn't afford another storeroom
racket," and soon the pine forest had swallowed up the stranger, his
three led horses, and the two little Bears.
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