e frogs singing their chorus in some little hay of
the lake."

"Yes," remarked Ethan, quickly, "I was listening to their serenade. Some
busters in that lot, too, because you can hear 'em calling more-rum,
more-rum' in the deepest bass. That always stands for the big bullfrogs.
I ought to know, because I'm an experienced frog-raiser. Cleared
sixty-seven dollars from my little pond this very summer; but I've never
seen frogs'-legs quoted _quite_ so high as that Mr. Brandon the
restaurant man down in New York pays me. I guess he favors me a mite
just because he happens to know some friends of Phil's."

Lub knew all about it, but he never let even a chuckle escape from his
lips.

"Well, in that letter you had from him which you showed me," he
observed, "he said he'd never had such fine frogs'-legs before, and
wanted to make sure to keep getting all you had to sell. A dollar a
pound is a cracking high sum, sure it is, but then good things always
bring fancy prices."

That frog pond of Ethan's went with his many other ways for making
spending money. It required almost no time at all to run it. When he
found an opportunity he caught frogs wherever he could find them, and
put them into his preserve. Then, on feeling that he had the right kind
of goods for a gilt-edge market he would make a shipment of a box of
"saddles" neatly arranged, so that they were attractive to the eye of
the proprietor of the fashionable restaurant in far-off New York.

Phil had recommended Ethan to try that place, and had even given him
permission to use his name as a recommendation. Ethan never knew that
the same mail had carried a letter from Phil to Mr. Brandon, who was an
old friend of his, making arrangements to stand for the difference
between the market price of frogs'-legs and the fancy sum he was to send
Ethan every time he shipped him a box.

While Lub was standing there, and apparently enjoying the sight of the
moonlight dancing on the water of the lake near by, he was at the same
time casting occasional apprehensive glances around him.

The woods looked mysterious enough and gloomy too, for the moon had not
risen far in the heavens, and the shadows were long and abundant.

Several times he fancied he saw something moving there on the border of
the dense growth. Finally he appealed to Ethan, because he had
considerable respect for the opinions of his chum, who had studied woods
lore so long.

"You don't think now, that any of that