nco," said Jonas.

"He's coming," said Josey, who remained with Oliver at the sled.

The dog was slowly and timidly approaching the bread which Jonas held
out towards him.

"He's coming," said Josey. "His name is Franco. I wonder how Jonas
knew."

"Franco, Franco," said Jonas again. "Come here, Franco. Good Franco!"

The dog came timidly up to Jonas, and took the bread and butter from
Josey's hand, and devoured it eagerly. While he was doing it, Jonas
patted him on the head.

"He's very hungry," said Jonas; "bring the rest of your bread and
butter, Josey."

So Josey brought the rest of his luncheon, and the dog ate it all.

After this, he seemed to be quite at ease with his new friends. He staid
about there with the boys until the sleds were loaded, and then he went
down home with them. There they fed him again with a large bone. Jonas
said that he was undoubtedly a dog that had lost his master, and had
been wandering about to find him, until he became very hungry. So he
said they would leave him in the yard to gnaw his bone, and that then
he would probably go away. Josey wanted to shut him up and keep him, but
Jonas said it would be wrong.

So the boys left the dog gnawing his bone, and went up after another
load; but before they had half loaded their sleds, Oliver saw Franco
coming, bounding up the road, towards them. He came up to Jonas, and
stood before him, looking up into his face and wagging his tail.

CHAPTER III.

FRANCO

Franco followed the boys all that forenoon, as they went back and forth
for their wood. At dinner, they did not say any thing about him to the
farmer, because they supposed that he would go away, when they came in
and left him, and that they should see no more of him in the afternoon.
But when Jonas went out, after dinner, to get the old General, to
harness him for work again, he found Franco lying snugly in the
General's stall, under the crib.

At night, therefore, he told the farmer about him. The farmer said that
he was some dog that had strayed away from his master; and he told Jonas
to go out after supper and drive him away. Josey begged his uncle to
keep him, but his aunt said she would not have a dog about the house.
She said it would cost as much to keep him as to keep a sheep, and that,
instead of bringing them a good fleece, a dog was good for nothing, but
to track your floors in wet weather, and keep you awake all night with
his howling.

So the farmer told