The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-10-27

4 %N%wS1 the twlttering
bir d S; t h g
whirr and
chirp and buzz of myriads Of insects;
the hot, yellow sunshine on the grass,
and over all the blue, blue sky, with
out heck or cloud. Inside, the rustic
of book leaves, the ceaseless buzz of
the schoolroom. through which the
firm voice of the teacher breaks pleas
antly now and then; the sunshine on
the floor, the little hot faces with beads
of perspiration on white brows: the
bare, dusky, sun-browncd feet swing
ing restly from high benches, and, both
outside and inside, tho scintillating,
scorching, shivering heat of perfect
day in midsummer.
Suddenly a voice rings through the
room high and sharp. with note of
terror in it:
''Oh. Miss Fannie, look at that dogl''
Fannie Leslie. the young Kentucky,
teacher, raises her eyes sbsently from
the page she is correcting, but the
vision that meets her gaze quickly
changes the expression to one Of
horror.
A huge dog stands in the doorway. .
dog lean and lank and hungry. dog
with hot. blood-shot eyes, and long
ropes of froth hanging from his huge
jaws; unqrestionably mad dog.
A mad dog? Ali what more horrible
danger can threaten anyone? The
brave man, unarmed, as Fannie Leslie
is, would shrink from . conflict with
the creature.
Thought Is laggard in moments Of
peace and security, but let danger
threaten, aud thought flashes through
the brain with tho rapidity of light,
showing US within minute space Of
time q vivid picture Of past years,
present danger and half-formed hopes
So Fannie Leslie, during the one
brief moment that the dog hesitated on
the threshold, sees as by . fash the
| whole vista Of life unrolled, and tho
present peril overshadowing it all
Back over her memory, like rush of
waters, flooded her childhood days. her
cottage homo, the village school. her
self little brown-faced, bare-footed
schoolgirl with tangled curls and soiled
apron; the years, passing so slowly it
seemed to her then. but laden with all
the gladness Of childhood
Tho winters drifting like fakes Of snow.
The summers like buds between.
| Then tho dawn of ambition In her
brain, followed SO closely by earnest
ness in heart The little white church,
| with the stream in which she was
baptized flowing near it; the pastors
words on that last day. Her fathers
wrinkled brow and rough hand on her
| hair; her mothers thin, loving
face, and the children-au younger
than hcrsclf-their good-by words
and kisses when she left home
| to teach this school. hsr own
earnestness in assuming the re-
! sponsibility. how she had prayed for
wisdom to bend the twis Alright, how
she had told herself that she would
make any sacrifice for these little ones
intrusted to her care Has the tirae
come when that sacrifice can be made.
and does she shrink from it? The room
Is filed with helpless, frightened chill
drcn. barefooted and thinly clad. This
huge, rabid dog. snarling and growing
and swapping his white teeth, his jaws
/ dripping with deadly poison. is about to
I spring into their midst and deal ont
| death to them She Is their only pres
ent protector. her slight strength is the
only barrier between them and deadly
peril And what can she do. after eli?
| She has no weapon-not even a Stick or
stone is within her reach, and those
slim little hands are too frail to battle
unarmcd with this huge. mad brute.
Were she to try, she could not save the
children. and it would be certain death
to he- Life is sweet. and she is SO
young 10 die! Only twenty. Why. she
had hoped to do so much good before
! she died: TO be useful in her life. She
can escape, if she will, by letting the
children shift for themselves. Shall
she? The temptation is horribly
strong, and for one instant she waivers
Then. with a quick in-drawiDg Of tn.
breath. she resolves TO save the chu.
dren or die in the attempt These
thoughts have swept through her brain
in scarcely -perceptible space OF time
| She rises TO her feet, CAIN and cool and
pale. and her voice Is low and tense
when she speaks:
! Children. sit perfectly STILL Don't
| move. and you shall no: be hurt
A heavy wadded cloak hangs upon the
wall at her side nrimitlva urAn ianr