d care of Ney."

"Yes, sir," said he, "I certainly will."

"You're a good dog, Franco," he continued, patting his head, "to come
with me,--very good dog, Franco, to choose the coarse hay for a bed
under the old General's crib, rather than that good warm carpet, for the
sake of coming with me. I'll make you a little house, Franco,--I
certainly will, and I'll put a carpet on the floor. I'll make it as soon
as I get home."

And Jonas did, the next evening after he got home, make Franco a house,
just big enough for him; and he found an old piece of carpet to put
upon the floor. He put Franco in; but the next morning he found him in
his old place under the General's crib. Franco liked that place better.
The truth was, it was rather warmer; and then, besides, he liked the old
General's company.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER V.

SIGNS OF A STORM

One evening early in February, the farmer told Jonas that his work, the
next day, would be to get out four or five bushels of corn and grain,
and go to mill. Accordingly, after he had got through with his morning's
work of taking care of the stock, he took a half-bushel measure, and
several bags, and went into the granary. The granary was a small, square
building, with narrow boards and wide cracks between them on the south
side. The building itself was mounted on posts at the four corners, with
flat stones upon the top of the posts, for the corners to rest upon.

The open work upon the side was to let the air in, to dry the corn; and
the high posts and the flat stones were to keep the mice from getting in
and eating it up.

Jonas put a short board across the top of the half-bushel, and sat upon
it. Then he began taking the corn and shelling it off from the cob, by
rubbing it against the edge of the board. As he sat thus at work, he
occasionally looked up, and he could see out of the open door of the
granary, into the farm-yards.

It was a very pleasant morning. The sun shone beautifully; and now and
then a drop fell from the roof on the south side of the barn. The cattle
were standing, basking in the sun, in the barn-yard, and in the sheds,
where the sun could shine in upon them. The whole area of the barn-yard
was trodden smooth and hard by the footsteps of the cattle; and broad
and smooth paths had been worn in every direction, about the house.
Behind the barn was a large sheep-yard, also well worn with the
footsteps of the sheep. A great many sheep were there,--now a