"Thank you, sir! Good bye!"

When the automobile skidded out of sight, leaving a cloud of dust,
Ralph remained standing by the gate, warmed by a new hope which
the doctor's suggestion had kindled in his mind. No longer did
the hundred and twenty-five dollars seem unattainable, no longer
did clouds of gloom and anxiety hide their silver lining! Here
was another way of earning money for his mother's desperate need:
an uncertain, difficult, even dangerous way, to be sure, but one
well worth trying. Yes, he would make the attempt, even though
he hated to take the lives of those splendid creatures of the
air. He determined to get those eagles for the professor.

Full of this plan, he led Keno to the stable, unsaddled and fed him,
and then, while waiting for his mother to call him in to dinner,
skinned the mink he had trapped. His active mind was busy devising
the best way of securing the prize.

In the house, he found his mother less dejected than usual; doubtless
the doctor's visit had had a cheering effect upon her. However,
Ralph said nothing to her of his new hopes, because, after all, they
might prove too slender to build upon; they might lead only to
disappointment. He plunged at once into a lively account of his
morning's hunt, and from that he went on to discuss with her the
first steps to take in the early planting.

The next morning Ralph was up before sunrise. Instead of bringing
his trapping to an abrupt end, he decided to get up at an earlier
hour than before, in order to have time for his daily rounds of
visiting the traps. He did not know which day the professor might