The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1895-05-09

But we did not return TO cheyenne
| till the coming of winter drove us in
| I was broke, and Harris was little
better.
He wondered how we'd get through
the winter, and who would grub-stake
us in the spring.
One night Harkins dropped into Tom
my Gringos Little Monte Carlo"
Harkins had a passion for gambling,
and he had sworn never again to touch
card
That night he broke his OATH
With something like $25 TO start with,
he went into game of faro.
When the game was stopped at
o'clock the next morning he had $4,000
in his pocket
He came in and pulled me out of
bed by the heels, got me by the neck,
chucked my head into a bucket Of cold
water thumped me till I got mad and
waded in to lick the stuffing out OF
him.
Then he took me down and sat on me,
while he told me all about it.
1--WE don't need any galoot ter grub
stake us in Their spring, pard!" he cried,
triumphantly. I've got Their rocks ter
do it,
You'll run up against the game
again, and lose every dollar! l de-
clared.
He swore he wouldn't play again for
six months. And he kept his word.
AS soon as we could move in the
spring. we struck for the Sweet Water
region.
We had two pack-mules and an extra
horse, the latter to be used in case one
of the saddle animals became injured.
We were crossing the Laramie range,
when, one night, we fell to talking Of
the Dogs of Death.
We had heard nothing Of the creatures
all winter, save a few odd reports
brought in by stragglers and 'drifters.
And we did not know it went with
Murdells men.
Strange though it seemed, while we
were talking that night of the uncanny
dogs, the. baying of the wierd hunters
came to our ears.
We knew the sound the instant we
heard it.
There they are!' cried Harkins, ex-
citedly.
"And they're coming!" I exclaimed.
''Sure as shooting!
Nearer and nearer came the doleful
sounds, breaking sharper and sharper
with each passing moment.
Its a hot trail!'' declared Harkins.
They're right onter ther game, and
some miserable wretch goes under this
night
Straight toward us the dogs seemed
coming.
[ clutched my rifle.
Painting, grooming, Keeling, a man
broke out of the night and came toward
us. He saw us and fell at our feet,
shrieking:
"Save me-save me from Their critters!
I'm Their last! Their rest are all gone!
Their dogs are
He ended III a wild scream, trying to
crawl away.
Howling fiendishly, great gray brute
came shooting toward the spot.
Before a hand could be lifted the ami
NAL had the fugitive by the throat
It was all over in a moment.
never saw a human being killed
quicker in all my life-and l have seen
many a life ended by violence.
The other dog came numbering out of
the darkness.
One look the creature took at the
body of the dead man and then he
spoke:
''The last of the gang! Ha! ha! Poor
old nanny. The moon is dead!''
Straight UP on his hind legs he rose.
The shaggy, white-glowing robe that
covered him peeled off with motion
of his hands and arms.
A man stood before us!
"Great miracles!" I calculated.
Then we looked at the other creature
to see if it would change into human
being.
No. There was nothing human about
that beast. 1t crouched and growled
over the dead man, it's eyes cleaning
red.
"Who are you?" my companion final
Iy managed to ask.
"Me Lutte Dugan," was the reply.
"Poor old nanny! Bruno and me hunt
'em all down They kill no more. This
be the last. The moon is in it's grave.
The new day will weep. Now I shall
laugh! Ha! ha! hat
Then. before a hand could check him,
he dashed away, whistling to his dog.
He was gone-the dog was gone-we
were alone with the dead man.
."That was old Mis- Dugan's fool boy"
said Harkins, slowly. "They didn't kill
him. after all. He has hunted down
Murdell's gang with the aid Of his dog"
s'But-but the strange light on his
shaggy coat?"
phosphorus"
"How could he run so swiftly on all
fours?'
ssI heard once that he was stolen by
a she bar as had lost her cubs, an
Their critter kept him near year. When
thew recovered him he wuz jest wild
little bar"
do you believe it,"
ST don't know what to believe I've
seen him run on hands an hoofs."
We buried the dead man. Then we
moved our night camp.
More than half the night we talked
over the marvel. 1t seemed absurdly
impossible Had we not seen it with
our ewes, no one could have made us
believe such a story.
In the morning the new day wept,
as our strange visitor had predicted.
And we never again saw anything OF
the Dogs of Death. Nor of Mis- Dug
ans Fool