Posted by She Who Tracks La Longue Carabine on February 25, 2000 at 20:00:47:
In Reply to: Re: Lookin' For Hector posted by Miss Marcia on February 25, 2000 at 18:46:58:
: : Evenin', Miss Marcia!
: : I been trampin' these woods all day lookin for my hound. Have ye seen anything of . . . . .? Well, fer land sakes, there he is! He was trottin' along with me and Hurry Harry and Sheriff Twigg last night on the path to Bumppo's just as quiet as can be, and all of a sudden he's nowhere to be found, and now I find him all curled up asleep on yer veranda like he's took over the house. How comes he to be here?
: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
: Well, Howdy, She! Y'all come on in and set a spell. You're wonderin' about Hector's bein' here at my house, eh? Well, I don't rightly know why, but he showed up here last night as I was mopin' around...I mean, RELAXIN'...on the front porch. He seemed ever so anxious to be friends with me, what with lickin' my foot, and give me sweet little snuffles, and eager whines. It was obvious to me that this here dog needed some tender lovin' care. No offense, She, but maybe you've let your Quest for Yon Longhunter take over your life to the point that you've forgotten all about your best friend, here. A dog deserves better than THAT, ya know. Y'all ought to be ashamed. Why this pup was purely starvin' for some good vittles, and I gave him a whole platter full of roast turkey that I had made for someone who was apparently otherwise DE-tained last night.
: Hector seemed to like my food and my attention just fine, and he hasn't shown the slightest inclination to leave my side all day long. Say, She, if you're about to head off to the woods again for another of your wilderness treks, what say you leave ol' Hector here with me, just until your return? Why, he's gettin' up there in years, doncha know, and all that lopin' along the trails behind you can't be good for him, now can it? He needs a warm bed by a cozy fire, and lots and lots of good things to eat. It's the least you can do for a hound that's been your loyal companion for so many years, don't you agree?
: Will you consider this? Please consider this!
: Miss Marcia
Ye are a kind soul, Miss Marcia, to be so consarned about Hector; yes ye are. Sartain, I been thinkin' o' other things lately than the hound, but I wouldn't like to be guilty o' neglectin' him. Truth is, he's been actin' kinda strange lately - spent the last week cowerin' under my canoe, and for what reason I have no idee. He's been refusin' food and wouldn't even come in by the fire outten the cold night.
Howsever, I been thinkin' on this recruitin' campaign that's goin' on at Fort Frederick, and I might just be interested in goin' down there, in which case I sure would appreciate yer keepin' Hector until I get back. I hear the Royal Americans are part of the campaign, and since La Longue Carabine has acted as scout and guide for the 60th ever since he was a younker, I might have a chance of meetin' up with him around the Fort. Mayhap Hurry Harry will be interested in goin' along, too to join the hunters.
Meantime, I promised to bring ye in another bushel of corn from the corncrib, so I'd best be livin' up to my promise. Come on, Hector, let's go down to the corncrib and see what we can find.
Hector:
(head snaps up, eyes snap open) ArrrrrrFFFFFFFF!!!! YIPEYIPEYIPEYIPEYIPEyipeyipeyipeyipe . . . ZZZooooooommmmmmmmm
(disappears into the woods heading for the river)