The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1883-09-13

She said it with needless energy, and
then She began to walk brisllly onward.
She tired 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
alone, when she suddenly felt called
upon to eXclaim:
"Oh, that dog!'
To be sure, that dog. Tsar was on
the other side of the road. and he did not
seem to be taking any part cular notice
of her, but thus Percie truly remarked
of him:
'He is perfectly enormous"
She forgot about the COW in an in
stant, but she did not speak her opinion
directly to the dog. Neither did she
think Of sketching 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. lie was not mis-
taken about her for one moment
VERY nice girl. Well dressed. Pret-
ty, too; but she's out late Most likely
lltl ldiliilN art lllCiitiS VI lIs OOIIdIll.
| must have an eye ON that young lady.
1t is getting 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 af-
ter
''He is following me!' she exclaimed.
Not q doubt of it, and the fact that
he stopped or went on Just when she
did hardly seemed to help the matter.
1t was getting darker and more shad-
owy every moment, and Percie would
have been almost willing to run, if she
had not feared that il she did the dog
would run, too. He appeared larger
and larger every time she glanced be-
hind her, until she was afraid to look
again, and her breathing grew little
hurried.
"Nobody's any business to have such
dogr' she gasped, in whisper. "lt's
awful
HShe seems to be scared about some
thing, thought Tsar. "Girls are apt
to be timid. All, | see! It's those rag
ged rascals coming down the road. Vii
demonstrating vagabonds. If there is
anything in this world that | hate, it is
tramp"
That is universal sentiment among
dogs Of .Tsar's social standing; but the
three ruilians who were now approach
ing were either ignorant of that fact or
did not know that such dog was SO
very near
siDreadful men!" had been the un-
spoken thought in the mind of Percie
Lee, and it was followed by a doubt as
to whether she should ever again dare
to come down to the cove.
Il must sketch the island, she said,
"but will come in the forenoon"
The three 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 terrible 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 surprise in it than
fear, but it was followed by remarkable
consequences.
Tsar had quickened his lordly pace,
full twenty seconds earlier, and, foI
some reason of his own, he had adj
vanced little under the shadow of the
fence; but his eyes had not wandered
from the human beings in the road be.
fore him. His head and tail We're raised
trifle, and there was very peculiar
expression on his broad, hairy face,
There was no love Of tramps in it al
i all, ee
i'Oh now, we hain't hurt you. You
needn't sguall.n
That was what the second of those
4 three ruliians began to say, when an
awful, wrathful, roaring growl, as o.
warning, sounded from some deep
i iawed cavern among the shadows at the
i right of Rereie Lee, 1t was followed
in one long, elastic, power-expressine
Y bound, by huge dark form that in one
4 second more was crouching in front o
her.
The first and second tramp upset the
third and tumbled over him, so sudder
was the retreat they made, while Tsar
a for their special benefit and more al
4 length, repeated his growl, with a sup
Elementary snarl thatsounded fearfully
like the announcement OF another
spring forward. So
The remarks made by all of thos'
vagabonds, as they scrambled to theil
feet,were in manner complimentary
Ito Tsar, although not intended to b.
so. s.s,.....as---
Pereie lee stood behind her protector
and she could not see, as they did
the white rows of cleaning teeth an'
8 the fierce green light in the threatening
leyes.g She could perfectly understand
, however, that there was an enormou
, ,kamount ofrHerg good dog between he
u andRny sfhfthcs approach of rutfianll
!, insolence. y She was almost astonishe'
n at the sudden feeling of security which
i came upon her and at the entire eas
idwith which she began to breathe again
Tsar did not spring. He did bu
| crouch in that picturesque attitude unit