The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-10-22
T FL e p r e S s.
MONDAY MORNING, OCT. %.
Annexed by the Tsar.
NV. o. stoddard. in the Atlantic.l

DoyOnu Lne ursI. =, -
upon the grass, close by couple Of we'll
picked bones The second was an equally
empty steel collar, with strong chain at
tached. The end of the chain was hooked
into staple at the side of the kennel door,
Tsar was dog to look twice at. His ia
ther had been Siberian bloodhound and
his mother an English mastiff, and DR.. Cor
ham would have trusted him to pull down
wild bnl or to ring a church bell, if he
could once have seized with his massive
jaws the nose of the one or the ringing-rope
of the other.
Tsar made no audible remarks, but there
was no difficulty at all in divining his medi-
tations.
"They have fed me an hour before sun
down, for some reason, and now they've
gone off and neglected me. No muzzle. no
chain, no master around, and all the coun.
try left open to me. 1t is state of affairs
TO which am not accustomed at this time
OF day. Ii there were another bone with
meat on 1t, I'd know exactly what to do.''
He put out great paw and turned the
$ muzzie over. Then he walked toward and
smeled of the helpless collar. Then he
peered solemnly into the kennel. There was
mystery about the whole matter, and it
seemed to suggest visit to the front gate.
That, too, was wide open, as witness to
the haste required by the summons of the
last patient and Tsar could therefore walk
out and look up and down the shady road
for an explanation of his own case He
could not see any at first, for there was moth
ing to be learned from a flock of geese,
three befs, and one stray calf The very
pig that was roofing under the walnut-tree
PAD him no manner of attention.
Tsal shrugged his broad shoulders to make
sure about the collar, paved his nose for a
moment in memory of his muzzle, and
turned for look at the gate. There it was,
with very dingy old tin sign on one post
whose faded letters read sDr. Heber Cor
ham," and with very new sign on the 9th
er post, whose bright, fresh gliding an
nounced "Dr. Heber Gorham, Jr.,n as also
ready for patients.
That was all right, and it occurred to Tsar
that walk would be good for his health.
He acted on the suggestion promptly
enough, but with dignity, as became dog
OF his size; and no voice from the house re-
called him, as he marched away down the
road towards the sea. A sniff of salt air
would be just the thing for his digestion, af-
ter the hearty dinner he had eaten at the
kennel
The sun was getting very low towards the
horizon, and yet away down there on the
rock at the head of the cove curly headed
young lady of nineteen, or Whereabouts, was
still seated. bending over a portfolio spread
across her lap. From time to time she cast
anxious Chances from the lines she traced
upon the green sheet of Bristol board under
her hand to the more and more shadowy
island, out here in the mouth of the cove.
"That will d." she said. SIT looks big
ger than the boat, now, bat it isn't big
enough for the tree. must make the tree
smaller; the cows back, too,-it's half as
long as the island There is always some
thing dreadful the matter with my waves''
She worked at the waves for few minutes.
'If had time, I'd try to put in the sunset.
Dear me, how late it isl 1t will be almost
dark when get home. 1t gets dark SO
quickly, nowadays, after it once begins"
She rose a little hastily, but she gave the
island very long last look, as she closed
her portfolio,-loDg emo igh for a bystander
to have read her name, in gilt letters, on the
leather cover,-'Percie Lee.'' But no one
was there 10 read, tor loneler spot than
that would have been hard to find, however
well adapted it might be for the making of
marine sketches.
Percie was in the road in half a minute
more, and she could but see that the shad-
ows we're frightening rapidly. She refec-
ted; ut is only for little way beyond DR..
Gorham's, but won't mind it from that to
the village. | do hope / shall not meet He
Der Gorham. l will not speak to him, if |
do. won't even see him. He has not
called since he came back from Europe and
nope ne never VIII. L Q6t6St him.
She said it with needless energy, and then
she began to walk briskly onward. She
tried hard, too, to persuade herself that she
was only wondering whether, in her sketch,
she had made the horns of the COW bear
proper proportion to the upper branches of
the tree ON The island. She was really |
almost thinking sincerely about the COW, |
and the COW acne, when she suddenly felt
called upon to exclaim:
"Oh, that dogr
To be sure, that dog Tsar was on the |
other side of the road and he did not seem |
to be taking any particular notice of her, |
but thus Percie truly remarked of him!
che is perfectly enormous''
She forgot about the COW in an Instant |
but she did not speak her opinion directly |
to the dog. Neither did she think of sketch |
ing him, although he was certainly worth
it. She seemed hardly TO care TO look at
him.
Tsar, on his part, had taken good look at
Percie Lee. He was not mistaken about her |
for one moment.
every nice girl. Well dressed. Pretty,
too; but she's out late. Most likely her
family are friends of DR.. Gorham. l must |
have an eye on that young lady. 1t is get |
ting dark"
That eye was what startled Percie SO |
dreadfully, moment later; for she hap |
pened to look behind her, and there was |
that vast creature solemnly stalking after |
her.
HE is following mep' she exclaimed.
Not doubt of it, and the fact that he
stopped or went OH just as she did hardly |
seemed to help the matter. 1t was getting
darker and more shadowy every moment,
and Percie would have been almost willing
to run, if she had not feared that if she did
the dog would run too. He appeared larger
and larger, everv time she anced behind
her, until she was afraid to look again, and
her breathing grew a little hurried.
"Nobody's any business to have such a
dogP' she gasped in a whisper. Sits aw-
fui.''
''She seems to be scared about some
thing" thought Tsar "Girls are apt to be
timid. All, seel It's those ragged rascals,
coming down the road. Misunderstanding
vagabonds. If there is anything in this
world that l hate, it is tramp
This is universal sentiment among dogs
of Tsar's social standing; but the three ruff
fans who were now approaching were either
Ignorant of that fact, or did not know that
such dog was so very near.
dreadful menp' had been the unspoken
thought in the mind of Percie Lee, aud it
was followed by doubt as to whether she
should ever again dare to come down to the
cove.
81 must sketch the island" she said, "but
will come inithe forenoon
The threee men were walking abreast now
and they were plainly determined not to
turn to the right hand or the left for Percie
Lee. She had just time to grasp that terri
BILE idea and to feel her heart jump, when
one of them actually spoke to her.
She never knew what he said, and her
only reply, as she retreated few steps, was
an altogether unintended little scream. 1t
was not a loud one, and there was more sur
prise in it than fear, but it was followed by
remarkable consequences.
Tsar had quickened his lordly pace, full
twenty seconds earlier, and, for some reason
of his own, he had advanced little under
the shadow of the fence; but his eyes had
not wandered from the human beings in the
road before him. His head and tail were
raised trife, and there was very peculiar
expression on his broard, hairy face. There
was no love of tramps in it at all.
ooh now, we hain't hurt you. You
needn't squall."
That was what the second of those three
rufians began to say, when an awful,
wrathful, roaring growl, as of warning,
sounded from some deep-jawed cavern
among the shadows at the right of Percie