“No, no, Robert,” she said at length, in reply to some appeal from her brother, “we must not go.  I know it would be better for us to sell out and go to Philadelphia.  But it cannot be; we must never leave this spot.”

“Surely, Betsy,” urged her brother, “you cannot be so wild as to suppose—­”

“No!” she interrupted, “I never dare even hope for that now.  I know my lost darlings are not in this world, and yet—­and yet why not hope? why not think that perhaps—­”

A shadow fell upon the threshold.  What wonder that the mother sprang forward with a cry of joy!  What wonder that Farmer Hedden, looking from the field, came bounding toward the house!  Po-no-kah was there—­Po-no-kah and little Kitty!

Laughing,—­crying,—­clasping her dear Kitty frantically to her heart, then gazing at her at arms’ length, Mrs. Hedden raised her eyes to the Indian, and gasped faintly—­

“Rudolph? the boy—­is he—­”

She could say no more.

“Yes—­boy all good,” answered Po-no-kah, eagerly, “white man say break heart see two—­he here.”

Just then Farmer Hedden, Tom Hennessy, and Rudolph rushed in.

Oh, what a meeting that was!  And Bessie, too, was there before they knew it.  Such laughter—­such tears—­such shouts of rejoicing had never been known in the Hedden cottage before!

Soon the barking of a dog was heard.  Rudolph sprang from his father’s arms: 

“Oh, it’s Bouncer!” he cried; “let me see him.  Here, Bouncer!”

Bouncer indeed came leaping in at the call, but it was not the Bouncer, though it was a great, shaggy fellow, worthy of the name.

Rudolph started back; the dog, too, eyed him with a suspicious look.

“That isn’t Bouncer!  Where is he, mother?” exclaimed the poor boy, looking up with a bewildered glance.

Po-no-kah slunk aside.

“Do tell me where Bouncer is,” he repeated,

“We are all here but him.  Here, Bouncer!  Bouncer!” and he ran to the door.

Bessie wound her arms about his neck.

“Rudolph, darling,” she sobbed, “don’t cry.  Bouncer was killed on that day.  He saved my life, Rudolph—­”

“Bouncer dead!” screamed the boy.

Just then the new dog, seeing Bessie and her brother so close together, felt that he had a right there, too.  With many a frantic leap and bound he endeavored to draw Rudolph’s attention, until, finally, the tearful eyes of the boy were turned upon him.  Then, if ever a dog tried to do his best, that fellow did.  He sprang into the air, barked, tumbled, leaped, whined, wagged his tail till it almost spun, and, finally, licked Rudolph in the face until the chubby cheeks shook with laughter.

All this time Tom’s Indian dress had scarcely been noticed.  At last Mrs. Hedden, grasping both his hands, exclaimed: 

“Why, what in the world have you been doing with yourself?  I knew you, though, the moment you came in.  Oh, Tom, how you have suffered!”