Page:Redcoat (1927).djvu/70

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ness that had come upon him after the loss of his family returned with great intensity. Once again he took up the futile search for his family. He found other fox tracks on the meadows and in the rabbit swamp but none of them were made by his kin. Finally, he became so lonely and so longed for companionship that one evening he went down to the Holcome farm and sat upon the wall a few rods from the farm buildings, and lifting up his nose to the moon, howled pathetically. Finally his wailings aroused Scotty, the farm dog, and he came out and drove the fox away. But even this seemed better to Redcoat than being entirely alone. It was something to have even the farm dog chase him.

Finally one day when the loneliness was greater than ever, he found a fox track in the rabbit swamp which interested him. It was not made by any of his kin, but there was something about it which drew him on. He followed it persistently for several hours. Sometimes he would think that he was very close to the one who made it, but