New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-02-17

brown forest floor and on the scattered underbru-h
aured him. Presently, standing out in conspicuous
isolation great crimson tOadstool caught his eye.
He wanted the beautiful thing intensely, TO play
with But he was afraid. Leaning his face against
the old fence he gazed through desirously- But the
silence made him more and more afraid If only
the squirrel would come back and play with him,
he would not be afraid. He was on the point o.
giving up the beautiful crimson tOddStOOd and turn
ing back home, when he d little gray bird hop
ping amid the lower limbs OF spruce in among the
shadows IsIc-a-d decided whlsted the little gray
bird, blithely and reaSsurIngly- At the shad-
and the stiffness lost their terTOrs. The Kid
squeezed boldly through the fence and started IN
for the glowing toadstOOl
Just as he reached the colored thing and stopped
TO seize it, sharp TIP, tzlpl and a rustlns oi
stiff feathers startled him. Looking up he saw q
bright eyed brown bird running hither and thither
before him, trailing one wing on the ground as L
unable to fly. 1t was such pretty birdl And =
seemed so tame, The Kid felt sure he could catch
II Grabbing up the crimson toadstool and holding
it cutched his bosom with one hand he ran eagerly
after the brown bird. The bird, a willy old hen
partridge, bent on leading the intruder away from
her hidden brood, kept futtering laboriously on
lust beyond his reach, till she a dense patch
of underbrush. She Just about 70 dive into tins
thCket when she leaped into the air, instead. with
a frightened squawk, and whrred up into the
branches of lofty birch near by.
Bitterly disappointed, the Kid gazed up after he-.
still Clutchng the bright toadstool 10 his breast
Then by instinct rather than by reason. he dropped
his eyes TO the thicket, and stared IN To wha:
had frightened away the pretty brown bird
At first he could see nothing. But 70 his
sensitive little nerves came a feeling THAI
something was there. Gradually his ewes,
aCCustomng themselves to the gloom. be
gan 10 dIsentange substance and shadow
Then suddenly he detected the form Ci
gray, crouching animal He saw its tuftei
ears. Its big round face, with mouth hall
open grinnIngly. Its great, round. pale
yellow green eyes were staring straight -
him.
In his fright the hid dropped his toad
stool and stared back 4 the gray animal
His first impulse was to turn and run bur
somehow, he afraid 10 do that-atr,s,i
10 turn his back the pale eyed. crouch
ing shape As he gazed. trembling. he saw
that the animal looked Ike a huge graz
cat. At this thought he felt trIfie re-
assured Cats were kind and nice L. play
with. y big cat wouldn't hurt him he
felt quite OF that. But when. afte-
minute or two OF moveleSS glazing The
big cat, never taking its round ewes IRON
his face, began 20 creep straight toward
hum, StealthIlV without a sound. then p :
terror all came back In the EXTREMITY 2
his fear he burst out CRYING not very Isu..
but softly and pIutully, If he h4-5
knew what he doing. His little L...
hanging straight down at his Sides rs
head bent slightly forward he stood ht.--
lessly staring at this strange. terrible ~
creeping toward hm through the th.,-..
Sonny meanwhile. had grown urt
the moment the Kid climbed throug-
bars into the pasture. The Kid had
gone into the pasture before SonnE
up, turned round. and Law down IN
position that he could see lust wh.-
child was doing. He knew the little
belonged to Joe Barnes. and he
not let anything belonging TO Joe b..
get lost or away When the Rid reached
edge OF the woods and stood looking thrnu-.
her,