"Ye torment!" he roared angrily, as he struggled to his feet.
"G'way from hyar, or I'll skeer ye out'n yer wits!"

The small boy ruefully gathered his members together, and after the
men had started on their journey he sat down on a pile of wood hard
by to give Birt his opinion of Andy Byers.

"He air a toler'ble mean man, ain't he, Birt?"

But Birt said he had no mind to talk about Andy Byers.

"SKEER ME!" exclaimed Rufe, doughtily. "It takes a heap ter skeer
ME!"

He got up presently, and going into the shed began to examine the
tools of the trade which were lying there. He had the two-handled
knife, with which he was about to try his skill on a hide that was
stretched over the beam of the wooden horse, when Birt glanced up
and came hastily to the rescue. Rufe was disposed to further
investigate the appliances of the tanyard left defenseless at his
mercy, but at last Birt prevailed on him to go home and play with
Tennessee, and was glad enough to see his tow-head, with his old hat
perched precariously on it, bobbing up and down among the low
bushes, as he wended his way along the path through the woods.

The hides had all been replaced between layers of fresh tan before
the men left, and Birt had only to fill up the space above with a
thicker layer, ten or fifteen inches deep, and put the boards
securely across the top of the pit, with heavy stones upon them to
weight them down. But this kept him busy all the rest of the