four of them, belonging to the foreman—he was particularly popular; and to one, a long-legged little girl of about eleven, he was almost as devoted as to Merivale himself. She was alternately his playmate and his tyrant.
The name which Merivale had bestowed upon his pet was "Mishi-Pishoe," the word by which the puma or panther is known among the Ojibway Indians. But he was always called "Mishi" for short, and would answer to this name as promptly as a well-trained dog. He would also come to heel for his master, like a dog. In fact, under Merivale's training he acted much more like a dog than a cat, except that he could purr like an exaggerated cat when pleased, and wag his great tail in nervous jerks when annoyed.
The railway was a good half-day's journey from Merivale's ranch, and Mishi, who had never before seen a train, was terrified beyond measure by the windy snortings of the great transcontinental locomotive. He came near upsetting his master in his efforts to get between his legs for protection.
Merivale would have liked to take his favourite into the Pullman with him, but against any such proposal the conductor, out of consideration for the feelings of nervous passengers, was obliged to set his face. The young puma was therefore locked in an empty box-car, with a bed of clean straw, a
