Strangely enough, Tom seemed to understand dog language for the first time in his life, for the bark said to him as plainly as you please: "Climb on my back sonny, and I'll have you out of this in a jiffy." The lad lost not a moment in obeying. Aided by the affectionate boosts of the Andirons he soon found himself lying face downward upon the broad, shaggy back of the faithful beast. He closed his eyes to shut out the blinding snow for a moment, and then-- * * * * * Tom sat up and rubbed them, for there was no snow, no avalanche, no Alp, no St. Bernard dog in sight. Only a friendly pair of andirons staring fixedly at him out of the fireplace of his father's library: the poker standing like a grenadier at one side, and the bellows, hanging from a brass-headed nail on the other. Beside these, lying on the rug beside him, his head cocked to one side, his eyes fixed intently upon Tom's face, and his tail wagging furiously, was Jeffy, not a St Bernard, but a shaggy little Scotch terrier. "Hello, Jeffy!" said Tom, as he rubbed his eyes a second time. "Where have you been all this time?" [Illustration: "Was it you who rescued me from the avalanche?"] "Woof!" barked Jeff, and cocking his eye knowingly. "And was it you who rescued me from the avalanche?" Tom asked. "Woof!" replied Jeff, as much as to say he wouldn't tell. "Well, it was mighty good of you, if you did, Jeffy," Tom said, gratefully. "Only I wish you could have taken me to the Candydike or the Lobster shop instead of straight home--because I'm not only hungry Jeffy, but I should very much have liked to visit those wonderful places." "Woof!" said Jeffy. Which Tom took to be a promise that his rescuer would do better next time. The little party has not been off again since, but the other night some pieces of newspaper were thrown into the fire place and all but one of them were burned. Righty held this one under his claw and Tom, while trying to get a word out of his friend, caught sight of it. "Hello," said Tom, as he read what was printed on the clipping. "The astronomers at the Lick observatory have discovered a new constellation in the southeast heavens. It is of huge dimensions and resembles in its outlines the figure of a rhinoceros or some such pachydermatous creature." "Well, I never!" he cried, as he read. "I say, Righty, do you believe that's the old Hippopotamus?" And Righty said never a word, but the look in his eye indicated that he thought there was something in the notion. [Illustration] The End