h.

All had seen bears, but none had ever come so near before, and even
brave Eph felt that the big brown beast slowly trotting up the door-yard
was an unusually formidable specimen. He was growling horribly, and
stopped now and then as if to rest and shake himself.

"Get the ax, Tilly, and if I should miss, stand ready to keep him off
while I load again," said Eph, anxious to kill his first bear in style
and alone; a girl's help didn't count.

Tilly flew for the ax, and was at her brother's side by the time the
bear was near enough to be dangerous. He stood on his hind legs, and
seemed to sniff with relish the savory odors that poured out of the
window.

"Fire, Eph!" cried Tilly, firmly.

"Wait till he rears again. I'll get a better shot, then," answered the
boy, while Prue covered her ears to shut out the bang, and the small
boys cheered from their dusty refuge up among the pumpkins.

But a very singular thing happened next, and all who saw it stood
amazed, for suddenly Tilly threw down the ax, flung open the door, and
ran straight into the arms of the bear, who stood erect to receive her,
while his growlings changed to a loud "Haw, haw!" that startled the
children more than the report of a gun.

"It's Gad Hopkins, tryin' to fool us!" cried Eph, much disgusted at the
loss of his prey, for these hardy boys loved to hunt, and prided
themselves on the number of wild animals and birds they could shoot in a
year.

"Oh, Gad, how could you scare us so?" laughed Tilly, still held fast in
one shaggy arm of the bear, while the other drew a dozen oranges from
some deep pocket in the buffalo-skin coat, and fired them into the
kitchen with such good aim that Eph ducked, Prue screamed, and Sol and
Seth came down much quicker than they went up.

"Wal, you see I got upsot over yonder, and the old horse went home while
I was floundering in a drift, so I tied on the buffalers to tote 'em
easy, and come along till I see the children playin' in the holler. I
jest meant to give 'em a little scare, but they run like partridges, and
I kep' up the joke to see how Eph would like this sort of company," and
Gad haw-hawed again.

"You'd have had a warm welcome if we hadn't found you out. I'd have put
a bullet through you in a jiffy, old chap," said Eph, coming out to
shake hands with the young giant, who was only a year or two older than
himself.

"Come in and set up to dinner with us. Prue and I have done it all
ourselves, and Pa