Year: 1875

"I hit him, did; and it wasn't bad
for flying shot. Come on, Bill; we
mustn't get too far behind Grip. That
fellows too much for any one dog"


Biggest painter ever seen, Jack ~
gasped the party addressed, "but it's
well enough for you to say, come on.
I've got fifty pounds O. fat tmore to kerry
than you hev. Hadn't we better hold
up and load before we go a-kitin' into
that thar swampT


"Time for that when Grip trees him."
sharply responded Jack. "And I'll fight
him bare-handed before I'll lose him.
Bring your bacon along as fast as you
can"


And SO saying, the tall, 1.-the, athletic
young hunter sprang forw ard, and disap-
peared among the tangled array of trees
and thickets before them.


Good footing enough, however, swamp
or no swamp; for although there was but
little snow on the ground, the frost had
been quite severe for several days, and
the December sun had by no means pow
er enough to soften its effect.


The loud baying of Grip came back to
the fat hunters ears i'm way that made
his fingers tremble, as he rapidly re-
charged his double-barrel, but his per-
spring red face and hard-drawn breath
did not promise very speedy recovery
of his wind, for Bill Virgins had been
making wonderfully good time for the
past ten minutes.


The swamp or bit of low and
marshy ground, in which the painter I"
had taken refuge from his pursuers, may
have been half a mile wide at that point
On one side arose a range of wild and
rugged hills, and on the other stretched
an expanse of broken and rocky ground,
still covered with heavy growth of tim
ber, while just at the edge of this latter
wound the narrow road which connected
two of the richest valleys in sll the noun
tain country of Pennsylvania.


Now it so happened that, at this very
day and hour, the rough and solitary
road was made to look a trife less lonely
than usual by the presence Of party of
very respectable-looking travellers.


In front rode very well-dressed and
comfortable-looking young man, on O
well-fed and comfortable-looking gray
mare. A more well-to-do and self
satisfied pair had probably never found
their way over that swamp road; and, il
he did not absolutely own it-road,
swamp, mountain and all--he certainly
looked as if he did.


Just far enough behind him to make
itevident that they were travelling in
company was another "party," even
more satisfactory, in external appear
ance, at least, to the eyes of disintor-
ested observer.


This latter consisted of a long, low
built sleigh, whose runners were now
cutting through the light snow to the
bare ground more than half the time,
drawn by stout, Chunky" pair OF
Canada ponies, and which contained n
brace of human beings, at least one OF
whom was more pleasant to look upon
than was the well-fed young man on the
gray mare.


A young lady, say of twenty summers
or winters, but whose rosy face had de-
cidedly summery expression, not at all
lesscned by the brown curls which es-
capped here and there from under her
warm and cozy hood. Any one with ewes
in his head would have looked at her
first, and might have wondered what her
companion could be saying to bring such
swift procession of shadows across such
a countenancc, not to speak OF an occa-
sional culver of the ripe lips, that had