hnnie Green cried. "They belong to Red. But you can
leave them with me."

The miller tossed the bundle to him.

The boy Red, wearing Johnnie's clothes, was watching everything that
went on, from behind a tree. He waited until Johnnie had untied the
hard, wet knots in the clothes. Then he stepped out from his hiding
place.

"Let's swap!" he said. And while they were swapping, old dog Spot took a
swim in the mill pond. Somehow he felt that all was well again.

X

DROPPING HINTS

On the table in the kitchen of the farmhouse was a leg of mutton. Farmer
Green had left it there and gone away. And Mrs. Green had stepped out of
the kitchen--nobody knew for how long.

At least old dog Spot and Miss Kitty Cat didn't know. They were left
there in the kitchen alone--alone with the leg of mutton.

"Ahem!" said Miss Kitty Cat to old dog Spot. "Don't you think you'd
better go and see what's become of Farmer Green?"

She was unusually pleasant, for her. As a rule she had little to say to
Spot, except to scold at him.

"I'm comfortable here, thank you," Spot answered. "Farmer Green must be
out of sight by this time. So I won't bother to chase after him."

"You could smell out his track, couldn't you?" Miss Kitty Cat suggested.

"Perhaps!" said Spot. "Perhaps! But as I said, I'm comfortable here. I'm
going to stay right here in the kitchen." Out of the corner of his eye
he looked at Miss Kitty Cat. He could see that she was somewhat
displeased by something or other. Her tail was beginning to swell
slightly. And that was a sure sign that she was losing her temper. But
when she spoke again her voice was as sweet as honey.

"What a beautiful day to go hunting!" she remarked as she sprang into a
chair beside the window and looked out. "The woods must be full of
birds."

"No doubt!" said Spot dryly. "I went hunting early this morning; and
there was plenty of game then."

"Ha!" Miss Kitty exclaimed suddenly. "Do I hear the cows in the
cornfield?"

Now, Spot loved to drive the cows out of the corn. But for a wonder, he
never even moved an ear.

"I hope the sheep haven't scrambled over the stone wall," Miss Kitty Cat
mewed. "If they have, Farmer Green would want you to get them back into
the pasture for him."

"Yes!" said Spot with a yawn. "I'm sure he would. And if he needs me he
knows where he can find me."

Miss Kitty Cat's tail was growing bigger every moment. And the fur on
her back was beginning to stand o