Shoe-leather! That was something quite new to him. He nibbled at it,
didn't seem to think much of it, crept along up to the top of the shoe,
sniffed at the sock, and came at last plump upon the Child's bare leg.
"Was he going to try a nibble at that, too?" wondered the Child
anxiously, his blue eyes getting very big and round. But no. This
live, human flesh--_unmistakably_ alive--and the startling Man smell of
it, were too much for the nerves of his shrewship. With a squeak of
indignation and alarm he sprang backward and scurried off among the
weed-stalks.
"_There_, now!" thought the Child, in intense vexation. "He's gone and
given the alarm!" But, as good luck would have it, he had done nothing
of the kind. For a red fox, trotting past just then at a distance of
not more than ten or a dozen feet, served to all observers as a more
than ample explanation of the shrew's abrupt departure. The fox turned
his head at the sound of the scurry and squeak, and very naturally
attributed it to his own appearance on the scene. But at the same time
he caught sight of those two motionless human shapes sitting rigid
behind the poplar sapling. They were so near that his nerves received
a shock.
Pages:
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205