rt to call back his
manhood, was now the howling urchin no longer, though he did look a
little chap-fallen, nor had he yet left off rubbing his legs. "Dar's my
little man, come back to tell me how my frien' Cap'n Kenton is gittin'
along. While he was gone I thought I heerd a buffalo bull-calf ober dar
in de woods a bellerin' as if Grumbo had him by de tail; but when I went
to look fur him I couldn't find him. Den I thought it mus' be a wilecat
kitten a-mewin' ober dar in de woods, but couldn't find a kitten nudder.
Wonder ef my little man couldn't tell me what it was I heerd."

The little man looked as if he knew nothing at all about the matter, and
was quite willing to take Burl's word for it and let the noise in
question pass either for the bellowing of a buffalo bull-calf or for the
mewing of a wild-cat kitten, he cared not a whistle which. By this time
Burl had climbed back over the fence into the field, and was now slowly
turning his horse and plow to run his next furrow.

"Well, Bushie, me an' ol' Corny's had our blow. So we mus' pitch in agin
an' go to scratching', an' keep a-scratchin' an' keep a-scratchin'; ef
we don't, our little marster won't hab no roasin'-ears fur summer, no
johnny-cakes an' punkin-pies fur winter. So you jes' stay whar you is,
an' when de dinner horn blows I'll put you on ol' Cornwallis an' take
you home a-ridin'."

And with a pleasant smell of fresh earth and growing herbs floating
about them in the air, plow and plowman went their way, the singing
recommencing with the work, as naturally as consequence follows cause:

"Squirly is a pretty bird,
He carries a bushy tail,
He eats up all de farmer's corn
An' hearts it on de rail.
He hearts it on de rail, young gals,
He hearts it on de rail."

Louder and louder, higher and higher rose the giant voice, till filling
all the hollow clearing, it overflowed the leafy walls of forest green
in waves of jocund and melodious sound.

Chapter IV.

HOW SOMEBODY WAS LOST IN THE PARADISE.

For an hour or two the plowing and singing went cheerily on; Bushie, the
while, shifting his perch upon the fence to keep himself on a line with
the furrow next to be run. When the plow was not in sight he amused
himself by watching the squirrels at play, or the birds at
nest-building, or the crows where they still kept their station on the
blasted limb of the oak. By this time the assembly had grown more noisy
and obstreperous than