The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-07-11

y
time"
"Yes; and every night, If you are
good, you shall have a big bone after
you have been mesmerized. want you
to go about into the peoples gardens
and houses, and hear all you can, and
then in the evening you must tell me all
about it.
"Yes; but let me 60 now; want to
scratch myself and / can't move nv
Rapidly making the iberating passes,
the young man withdrew his eyes from
the dog, and instantly springing from
the table, it rolled over on the hearth
rug. and, heaving deep sigh, went off
into doze. 1t was evident that the ex-
pertinent had Frustrated the dog, and
left it weak and lanfuid. For the mo-
ment even the bone was forgotten.
Not at first did the full meaning of
the feat he had performed dawn upon
Pickles master. 1t was only by degrees,
as he sat thinking before the dying en-
bers, that the revelation came to him of
what he might accomplish with talk
ing dog He never for a moment enter
tanned the idea of making the discovery
public. Rather should it be to him a
source of secret enjoyment, height
ened by the knowledge that the
whole proceeding was in direct viola
ton of the laws of nature, and as "un-
canny" as the wild revels peculiar to q
witch's holiday.
For many night after that Pickle and
her master talked together for quarter
of an hour in the evening. The doors
were always carefully locked before the
pryliminaries commenced, and the Won
Glabenistic influence was limited to a
short period, as the dog evidently suf-
cred physically if the interview was pro-
longed.
An intelligent and observant animal,
Pickle brought to her master many queer
items of news about his neighbors, and
he encouraged her prying habits, having
already conceived the idea of earning
fame as an amateur detective, and en-
ploying the dog as an unsupported agent.
When Pickle had anything of impor-
lance to communicate, her intelligence
was rewarded with a choice bone; but
when she had been spending the day
with other dogs, and listening to them
instead of to their owners. her converse
ton was not interesting to her master,
and she forfeited the dainty honorarium.
One evening she had been out all day,
and returned long after her usual
time looking very muddy about the
feet and very tumbled and dirty about
the coat Her tail. usually defantly
poised in the air, was curled tightly be-
tween her legs, and she crawled rather
than walked into the library. where
her master was waiting for her.
The door was closed and the curtains
drawn, and then Pickle, looking the pic
ture of downcast doggedness. was lifted
upon the table and Won Glabenized
"You bad dog" exclaimed her master
sharply, what makes you so late?
You've been playing with those low dogs
by the canal Look at your coatl''
mo, l haven't been playing by the
canal, and don't know any low dogs"
"Where have you been. then?'
"Only next door"
"Then, you wicked dog, why didn't
you come into the house before?"
"Because-well, because didn't want
the police detectives to see me-"
"What had you done, Them
"Don't be cross and I'll tell you all
about it. You know little Tommy
Bowles, who lived next door,"
''The boy that comes after my apple
tree?"
Eyes; and you said you'd cut his head
off if you caught him again. Well,
somebody has cut his head off, for his
father found him lying just against the
garden wall without it, and l saw him
picked up, and so l thought I'd listen;
and presently heard them say they be-
lieved you'd done it, but the difficulty
would be to prove it,"
"But never cut Tommy Bowles' head
off,
Eyes, you did"
"What do you mean, dog? Are you
mad?'
"You know you flung broken plate
over the wall this morning. didn't your
"Well?''
"Well, just as you threw it. Tommy
Bowles was climbing up the wall to get
at your apple tree, and it caught his
neck and cut his head right Off"
The young man sprang to his feet in
an instant. A cold perspiration burst
from every pore. He had taken human
life, and his victim lay headless next
door. He turned hurriedly to Pickle for
further information, but the dog had
left the table, and was stretched quietly
on the hearth rug, gnawing bone. The
concentration Of her masters will had
been disturbed. the conditions under
which the phenomena were possible had
been destroyed. How must this awful
danger be faced?
For fully an hour he endeavored vainly
to bring himself into fit state to control
the animals will At last by mighty
effort he succeeded.
pickle, go on; tell me all you heard. "
The influence was evidently weak, for
Pickle, instead of answering, cast visit
fui glance at the half gnawed bone on
the hearth rug.
"You shan't have that bone again at
all, if you don't answer" cried the
master, angrily.
For moment the dog cooked her head
on one side, and appeared to be thinking
then she resumed her narrative, but in 8
hesitating, timorous manner, not usual
with her when talking.
'Did any one see accident,
Picker
''No; but Tommy Bowles' father and a
neighbor who'd dropped in said they'd
heard you threaten to do it over and over
again. Then one of them said, 'Ah, if
that dog of his could sneak. it would toll