I feel like eatin' a good supper. You tie him up
to-morrow afternoon, so we shall be sure to have him," he turned to say
to Mrs. Price, who stood smiling at the door.
"Land sakes, dear, he won't git away; you'll find him right there
betwixt the wood-box and the stove, where he is now. Hold the light,
'Liza Jane; they can't see their way out to the road. I'll fetch him
over to ye in good season," she called out, by way of farewell; "'twill
save ye third of a mile extra walk. No, 'Liza Jane; you'll let me do it,
if you please. I've got a mother's heart. The gentlemen will excuse us
for showin' feelin'. You're all the child I've got, an' your prosperity
is the same as mine."
IV
The great night of the coon-hunt was frosty and still, with only a dim
light from the new moon. John York and his boys, and Isaac Brown, whose
excitement was very great, set forth across the fields toward the dark
woods. The men seemed younger and gayer than the boys. There was a burst
of laughter when John Henry Brown and his little brother appeared with
the coon dog of the late Mr. Abijah Topliff, which had promptly run away
home again after Mrs. Price had coaxed him over in the afternoon. The
captors had tied a string round his neck, at which they pulled
vigorously from time to time to urge him forward. Perhaps he found the
night too cold; at any rate, he stopped short in the frozen furrows
every few minutes, lifting one foot and whining a little.
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