d teasing the cat; and at last, as
evening was coming on, had curled himself up in the big easy-chair
facing the fire, and had begun to read once more about the marvellous
things that happened to little Alice in Wonderland. Then, as it grew
darker, he laid aside the book and sat watching the blazing logs and
listening to the solemn ticking of the high Dutch clock against the
wall.

Then there stole in at the door a delicious odor of dinner cooking
downstairs,--an odor so promising as to roast chickens and baked
potatoes and gravy and pie as to make any little boy's mouth water; and
presently Davy began softly telling himself what he would choose for
his dinner. He had quite finished fancying the first part of his feast,
and was just coming, in his mind, to an extra large slice of apple-pie
well browned (staring meanwhile very hard at one of the brass knobs of
the andirons to keep his thoughts from wandering), when he suddenly
discovered a little man perched upon that identical knob, and smiling at
him with all his might.

This little man was a very curious-looking person indeed. He was only
about a foot high, but his head was as big as a cocoanut, and he had
great, bulging eyes, like a frog, and a ridiculous turned-up nose. His
legs were as slender as spindles, and he had long pointed toes to his
shoes, or rather to his stockings, or, for that matter, to his
trousers,--for they were all of a piece,--and bright scarlet in color,
as were also his little coat and his high-pointed hat and a queer little
cloak that hung over his shoulder. His mouth was so wide that when he
smiled it seemed to go quite behind his ears, and there was no way of
knowing where the smile ended, except by looking at it from behind,
which Davy couldn't do, as yet, without getting into the fire.

Now, there's no use in denying that Davy was frightened. The fact is, he
was frightened almost out of his wits, particularly when he saw that the
little man, still smiling furiously, was carefully picking the hottest
and reddest embers out of the fire, and, after cracking them like nuts
with his teeth, eating them with great relish. Davy watched this
alarming meal, expecting every moment to see the little man burst into
a blaze and disappear; but he finished his coals in safety, and then,
nodding cheerfully at Davy, said:--

"I know you!"

"Do you?" said Davy, faintly.

"Oh, yes!" said the little man. "I know you perfectly well. You are the
little bo