Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II AN ACQUAINTANCE HARRY was not at all pleased with the running of his pony in the rabbit race before breakfast. He had selected him from the many horses Uncle John had kept at the ranch for the purpose of giving the boys a chance to please themselves; and while the other boys were discussing the race and commenting enthusiastically upon Leveller's wonderful speed, Harry silently devoured his share of the tempting viands Tony placed before our heroes. He realized that he must have a faster horse in order to follow the pack with Walter, who was sure to be in at every death. He further realized that the club was extremely anxious to see more of the sport so successfully opened with a young and inexperienced pack, and that as soon as the dogs had become sufficiently hardened, deer coursing would be in order. After breakfast, Arthur and Eugene placed the well-filled lunch basket Tony had given them in one of the canoes, and paddled down the stream, determined to capture a string of the bass Uncle John had talked so much about. Walter, Jack, and Paul took the setters and started for the prairie, which left Harry alone, as he had declined to join either party. He went into the house and selected a book, which he endeavored to read in the shade of one of the large oaks; but his mind was not in it, and the book was soon returned to the case. Tony could be heard humming familiar songs as he busied himself with the breakfast dishes, while Pietro's voice was now and then heard as he spoke to the different ponies during the operation of grooming. The greyhounds were sleeping soundly in the sunshine, tired from their exertions of the early morning. For want of something better to do, Harry walked out to the neat little stable in the rear of the lodge. He always enjoyed seeing...