orter, or anything else, in a good cause; and it was a
delight for him to do Vinnie a service; but why did the noble Betterson
stand there and give directions about the trunk, in that pompous way,
instead of taking hold of one end of it? Jack, who had a lively spirit,
and a tongue of his own, was prompted to say something sarcastic, but he
wisely forbore.

"I'll place it here for the present," he said, and set the trunk down by
the doorstep. He thought it would be better for him to see Vinnie and
bid her good-by a little later, after the meeting between the sisters
should be well over; so he turned to Link, and asked where his big
brothers were.

"I d'n' know," said Link; "guess they're down in the lot hunting prairie
hens."

"Let's go and find 'em," said Jack.

Both Link and Lion were delighted with this proposal, and they set off
in high glee, boy and dog capering at each side of the more steady-going
Jack.

CHAPTER XIII.

WHY JACK DID NOT FIRE AT THE PRAIRIE CHICKEN.

"A well?" said Jack, as they passed a curb behind the house. "I thought
you had to go to the spring for water."

"So we do," said Link.

"Why don't you use the well?"

"I d'n' know; 't ain't good for anything. 'T ain't deep enough."

"Why wasn't it dug deeper?"

"I d'n' know; father got out of patience, I guess, or out of money. 'T
was a wet time, and the water came into it, so they stunned it up; and
now it's dry all summer."

They passed a field on the sunny slope, and Jack said, "What's here?"

"I d'n' know; _'t was_ potatoes, but it's run all to weeds."

"Why didn't you hoe them?"

"I d'n' know; folks kind o' neglected 'em, till 't was too late."

Beyond the potatoes was another crop, which the weeds, tall as they
were, could not hide.

"Corn?" said Jack.

"Meant for corn," replied Link. "But the cattle and hogs have been in
it, and trampled down the rows."

"I should think so! They look like the last rows of summer!" Jack said.
"Why don't you keep the cattle and hogs out?"

"I d'n' know; 't ain't much of a fence; hogs run under and cattle jump
over."

"Plenty of timber close by,--why don't your folks make a better fence?"

"I d'n' know; they don't seem to take a notion."

Jack noticed that the river was quite near, and asked if there was good
boating.

"I d'n' know,--pretty good, only when the water's too low."

"Do you keep a boat?"

"Not exactly,--we never had one of our own," said Link. "But one came