though he had to spend
most of his time indoors studying, as we shall learn later.

Dave had already given orders to the hostler connected with the
Wadsworth estate, and now this man brought to the front of the mansion
a fine, big sleigh drawn by a pair of sleek-looking, high-stepping
steeds. The sleigh was well provided with heavy robes to protect its
occupants from the cold.

"Oh, Dave, I'm so glad to go sleighing!" burst out Jessie Wadsworth,
as she came bounding down the broad stairway of the mansion to meet
him. "Isn't it just glorious weather?"

"It sure is," he answered, as he gave her a warm glance. To Dave,
Jessie was the most beautiful girl in the world, and just now, clad as
she was in her dainty sealskin coat and her jaunty sealskin hat, she
looked more bewitching to him than ever.

"Going for a ride, eh?" came from Dave's uncle, Dunston Porter, who
had just finished a belated lunch. "Well, have a good time, and don't
let that pair of grays run away with you. John was telling me they are
feeling quite mettlesome lately. I guess they don't get exercise
enough."

"Oh, don't worry, Uncle Dunston. I'm sure I can manage them," answered
Dave.

"Sure you can!" returned his uncle, heartily. "Too bad you couldn't
have asked an old fellow like me to go along," he continued, making a
wry face.

"Why, you can come along if you want to. Can't he, Dave?" burst out
Jessie. "We'd be very glad to have you."

"He's only fooling, Jessie," answered Dave. "You couldn't hire Uncle
Dunston to go sleighing to-day. I saw him cleaning up his shotgun
right after breakfast. And I'll wager he has just come in from hunting
and expects to go out again this afternoon. How about it, Uncle--am I
right?"

"You've got me, Davy," answered the man, with a grin. "You see, I
can't get over my old habit of going hunting when I get the chance.
And now that this snow is on the ground, it's just fine for tracking
rabbits."

"Did you get any this morning?"

"A few. I didn't go very far. This afternoon I am going deeper into
the woods, and I guarantee to bring back enough to make the biggest
rabbit pot-pie to-morrow you ever saw;" and, thus speaking, the uncle
hastened away.

He had spent many years of his life roaming the world in quest of game
both big and little, and now, though of late years he had done his
best to settle down, it was still impossible for him to give up his
hunting habit entirely.

Laura soon appeared ready for