Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1896-03-19

Ponto looked up, but his head
dropped, and he grumbled: DO you
think that l would be hanging around
lere if had stolen a chicken Why,
I'd be eating it."
But this remark did not divert my
suspicious. On the contrary. it con-
hrmed them. Katherine said /
EMMY to the cook, 1T is Ponto.
Alas. it is Ponto.
What had seen in Ponto's eyes was
terrible. l swear to you. reader, that
am most serious. l had distinctly
seen there an almost human lie.
! 1t is rather difficult to explain my
meaning. Fonto wished to assume an
appearance of sincerity in his glance
ana ne did not succeed, because that
Is impossible. even to man 1t is
said by profound philosophers that in
men the power of lying is confined to
speech: mat the power OF throwing
lalsehood into glance is possessed only
! by women.
Ponto exhausted himself in vain eff
forts to lie With his eyes. But this
unsuccessful falsehool Was even more
/ ihti iiiIhdtlHS tna' an aVOWil.
looked fiXed!y at Fonto. Here,
| Ponto, said ]. take this" and l Of
Tered him the second chicken. which
Katherine had just finished plucking.
Ponto looked at me reliectively.
Hum" he said, lyon evidently sus-
poet me. Why do you give me 4
chicken today? You never gave me a
! whole chicEon hnf thu
| chicken in his mouth and Immediate
~ deposited it on the floor at my feet.
and, looking up in my eyes, he said:
You must think am fool
| lnstinctiyely said 20 myself: Thief!
Scoundrel! You have betrayed me. You
are perfidious dog Your honest ca
nine existence of loyalty has now come
to an end, and you have been as false
as if you were only n mn" But pat
ing him on the back. l aided aloud:
| Good POnto honest Poato, nice POnto."
The Discrimination was rather too
| deep for POnto. Urged on by the sa
worry smell of the chicken he took it
between his jaws and started to go.
But before he reached the door he turn
ed several times and locke. at me care
fully in order to see If he could fathom
| my thoughts. AS soor as he had left
the kitchen l closed The door and be-
gan spying upon him through the blinds
of the window. He vent c few PAGES
as II intending to dcvoHr his prey, and
then stopped, placed the chicken on
the ground and thought deeply for a
long time. Several times he looked at
the kitchen door with mis- false and
treacherous eyes. Then, giving up all
attempts TO seek an explanation salts
factory to his mind, ne contented him.
self with the fact that he had the chick
en-, picked it up and departed AS he
disappeared in the distance l could see
that his sometime timid tail. which had
hesitated throughout our entire CONVEX
sation. had again became bold and firm.
| PontO's tail said: Bah. | have both
| chickens. Nobody saw ME take tho first
| Hurrahv'
] stealthily followed him from afar,
| and surprised him in the act of hastily
scratching hole in the ground with
his powerful forepaws. The chicken
that had given him was lying on the
ground and in the hole he was digging
lay the other chicken. | was heart
broken. My friend Porto retained the
instincts of his remote ancestors. the
foxes and the wolves. and buried his
provisions. But. alas. being a domest-
Gated animal, and having become the
| companion of mankind, he !.ad learned
to lie.
| Under the eyes Of mo treacherous and
now shame-faced Ponto ! made IN a
! little package of TIE longer feathers
of the two chickens, and deposited this
! little feather buster en- my working
| table. Whenever thereafter | was en-
gagged at work and Ponto came bring
ing his ball and said, with a light and
| easy air, Come. come! Lay aside that
rubbish and let us play ball" | in
variably lifted the little feather buster.
Then Ponto would drop his treacher-
! Gus head. His tail would sink between
his legs and adhere to his quiveriny
body, while the ball wouiG fail from
his nerveless jaws. AS he looked at
me he would say, rs it possible that
you are SO ruthless, so unforgiving? Do
you never rardon?"
Weeks passed. and .lad not yet par
doned Ponto. But hc was indefatig
| able in his attempts to win me over.
So one morning when he came to me
| again. and when l seize: the poor
little feather buster and DOR Ponto was
about to withdraw, ! said to him:
Look, Ponto," quoth |. Look upon
this for the last time. Thus perishes
the only token OF your fault" and |
hurled the feather buster into the fire.
Ponto carefully watched the feather
buster burn. Then, without any hys-
teric manifestations OF joy, without
leaps or skips, but nobly. simply, with
dignity, he came and rroffered his pa ~
The crime was forgotten. We were
friends again.
POnto was glad thai be had been for
given. but he was not nearly SO GLAD