Part 3 (1/2)
”Not exactly”
”Ye gambled for him?”
”No”
”Raised him from a colt, then?”
”No”
”Stole him?”
”Notsurveyor, laughing, shook his head
”Then how in the nadoms did ye come by him, if ye didn't find him, nor steal hii'n tew ye?”
”I borrowed hihbor, and drove him to a shohere the old elephant broke loose and had the handling of him for about a second and a half The owners of the elephant paid the daet well; but he is now scarcely lame at all I can show you the scars where he was hurt”
The two had approached the wagon during this talk; and now the old ood deal of curiosity
”That your dog tew?”
”Yes, sir Here, Lion!”
”Cost ye suth'n, didn't it, to bring yer anireat deal When ood horses were scarce and high-priced out here, and advisedbehind,--could I, old Lion?”
”Who mout your friends be?”
”Mr and Mrs Lanman, at North Mills; and Mrs Lanman's brother,--my boss, as you call him,--Mr Felton, the surveyor They ca ood chance if I should come It was in winter; I drove Snowfoot in a cutter, and crossed the Detroit River on the ice just before it broke up There the sleighing left ht a saddle, and made the rest of the journey on horseback That was rather hard on the dog, but I got the stage-drivers to give him a lift once in a while”
”What did you say your name was?” the old man inquired
”I don't think I said But I will say now My nadon My friends call me Jack”
”And it ain't yer naht up to it My friends like it, and so I keep it”[1]
[Footnote 1: See ”FAST FRIENDS”; also the previous volumes of this series,--”JACK HAZARD AND HIS FORTUNES,” ”A CHANCE FOR HIMSELF,” and ”DOING HIS BEST,” in which is given a full account of the young surveyor's early life and adventures]
”Wal, Jack,--if you'll rank me with your friends, and le' reat, flat hand,--”I s'pose we part yer, and say good by I'll shoulder h the woods; you'll find a better road than the one we coe of the perairie I sha'n't forgit this job”