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Christmas Eve on Lonesome and Other Stories by John Fox
page 69 of 74 (93%)
understand that sneaking. Why they didn't all jump and race and bark as
he wanted to, he couldn't see; but he was too polite to do otherwise
than as they did, and so he sneaked after them; and one would have
thought he knew, as well as the rest, the hellish mission on which they
were bent.

Out of the woods they went, across a little branch, and there the big
cur lay flat again in the grass. A faint bleat came from the hill-side
beyond, where Satan could see another woods--and then another bleat, and
another. And the cur began to creep again, like a snake in the grass;
and the others crept too, and little Satan crept, though it was all a
sad mystery to him. Again the cur lay still, but only long enough for
Satan to see curious, fat, white shapes above him--and then, with a
blood-curdling growl, the big brute dashed forward. Oh, there was fun in
them after all! Satan barked joyfully. Those were some new
playmates--those fat, white, hairy things up there; and Satan was amazed
when, with frightened snorts, they fled in every direction. But this was
a new game, perhaps, of which he knew nothing, and as did the rest, so
did Satan. He picked out one of the white things and fled barking after
it. It was a little fellow that he was after, but little as he was,
Satan might never have caught up, had not the sheep got tangled in some
brush. Satan danced about him in mad glee, giving him a playful nip at
his wool and springing back to give him another nip, and then away
again. Plainly, he was not going to bite back, and when the sheep
struggled itself tired and sank down in a heap, Satan came close and
licked him, and as he was very warm and woolly, he lay down and snuggled
up against him for awhile, listening to the turmoil that was going on
around him. And as he listened, he got frightened.

If this was a new game it was certainly a very peculiar one--the wild
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