"I'd made up my mind to hide the Bi--dictionary in the old shack here until it was time to bring it to light again. When I got to that break in the cañon wall, down here, I put the horse up the break and rode to the shack, and then--I made a mistake." He paused to silently review this mistake, then continued: "Instead of dismounting and carefully covering the book with the leaves, as I'd ought to 'a' done, I jest slung it into the shack, letting it fall where it would. I heard it fall, soft like, on the leaves, and then I went on home. My wife, she had supper all ready, and I sot down and et it. I told her I was going to start right off, as soon as I'd done eating, for town. She kind o' objected to my going then; said she'd been wanting to go herself, to help you folks when it come to proving up. That made me some mad, for I wan't figuring on helping you then. But all the time that I was eating supper, and all the time that she was talking, I kept thinking: 'S'pos'n some one should come along past that shack, look in there, and see that book lying there?' I felt that I'd ought to 'a' covered it up with leaves"--"and Robin Redbreast painfully did cover them with leaves," ran the silent under-current of my thought, while I listened gravely to Mr. Horton's elucidation of the mystery of the book. "I felt it so strong that nothing would suit me, at last, but I must make my way back there and cover it before I started for town. So, while my wife thought, after I'd mounted again, that I was riding toward town, I was sneaking back up the cañon. I tied my horse near the break in the wall, and went to the shack on foot, this time. It was as dark as a stack of black cats inside the shack. I couldn't see a thing--I stooped down, and was feeling 'round 'mong the leaves for the book, when I run up ag'in' a surprise." Mr. Horton dropped the branch, now denuded of its needles, and stared thoughtfully at the bruise on his hand. "That dog--he wan't dead, as it turned out; he hadn't even gone back, or gone before. He was all there and ready for business--I had time to study the thing out whilst I was a lyin' on my back, last night, starin' up into his eyes that was glarin' down into mine, through a chink in the logs--and I figured it out that he'd follered me, quiet, after I'd mounted; then, when I threw the book into the shack, he'd gone in there and stayed with it. He knew that it belonged to his folks, and he meant to guard it. He did, too. As I was stoopin' down, feeling 'round, something gave a yell, all at once, that made my hair stan' up, stiff and spiky, all over my head, and, next thing, something--some animal--sprung at me with such force that I reeled and fell back ag'in' the side of the shack, and then--the shack it fell, too. I do' know's I fainted!" Mr. Horton continued, reflectively; "I never have lost conscientiousness as I know of, but there was quite a spell that I didn't realize where I was, nor what had happened. When I