At Whispering Pine Lodge

over the fur farm during the nights to come. He had been impressed with the signs of anxiety which Obed plainly betrayed, when speaking of his belief concerning so

Obed had built up after many moons, was simply terrible. The more he considered it the greater became

cabin; evidently he had tired of looking over the books, which might do very well to pass away a long evening, or a rainy day when time dragged, but coul

or themselves for any sort of thing, the pair hastened to join him. And Max, upon being poun

teve, "that We ought to be figurin

b we fetched along. This mountain air is something terrible when it comes to toning up jaded appetites. I feel as if I had a vacuum down about

g-g-get a b-b-bully g-g-good sleep tonight; unless Max fixe

ooked d

was referring to was on the point of duty. We've agreed to stand back of our new friend, Obed, and see to it

Toby, pretending to cla

ing, all the same, and I also agree with your noble sentiments. Sure we're expecting to stand up for Obed and his pets; and we're likewise intending to

ne way or another, since the other fellows were in the habit of looking up to Max as their leader. "We can fix it up in regular

to keep an anchor to windward, or else lose something we prized a heap. Ever since we dug up all those mussels in the Big Sunflower, and found dandy pearls inside some of them

h rather think up some g-g-good s-s-scheme that would ease the

" demanded Steve; "you do get off the most mysterio

d to make m-m-machinery take the place of h-h-hand power. What's the need of our s-s-staying awake p-p-part of the nig

not take a great deal of stock in the other's ability for conceiving clever ideas: "and a pre

eople don't want to depend on the old-time methods that were good enough for their grandfathers. Toby thinks one of us might suggest a scheme whereby we coul

, Max," snapped Toby; "and any

never mind arguing, Toby; it's all right, and I'm only joking. I get the

hat, having been the first to make the suggestion

arked, without once stuttering, which fact proved tha

do you call that, I'd li

avenue that the intended thief has just g-g-got to use in c-c-coming up to the b-b-bait. Then a c-c-cord is s-s-strung so the thief p-p-presses against the s-s-same, just like Max here fixes his c-c-camera nights, when he wants to s-s-snap off a skunk or a 'coon by f

her hastily replied. "But it strikes me that'd be a pretty rough deal for us to p

avagely, "he's a t-t-thief, and

irdshot starts out on its errand a whole lot like a bullet. It doesn't commence to scatter till it gets just so far away from the muzzle of the gun; depending on the size of the bore, and the way the barrel is choked. I've known a charge o

as he shivered at the gruesome picture Steve's words drew be

a hand in the

ut discussing this matter, we ought to remember that there's one chap who

when you say that, Ma

out our plans. Now, it may be Obed will have a scheme of his own that'd knock any we mi

where amidst his enclosures, perhaps making certain preparations for insuring the safety of h

without hesitation; and the woods boy smiled broadly when he heard how his

rds. I haven't got the time right now to tell yuh jest how I learned that my foxes was agoin' tuh be in danger; somebody I knew wrote me a letter, and warned me, which'll have tuh be enuff jest now tuh explain. Since I got tha

if you didn't, and we were left in charge here, one of us might fall int

with me right now, we'll take a look at the contraptions, which, of course, yuh understand, are on

n what Obed had just said. Even Max showed an eagerness to go forth and examine the said traps. He could specu

beckoning finger that enticed them to foll