Omaha daily bee., 1899-05-28

| hare give one scream of agony and fright,
and then all was still
what hurt the rabbit?" asked Sweetest
Susan. IL think It's a shame," she cried,
when Aaron motioned with his hand to indi-
cate the fox. AS she spoke, old Scar-Face
/ appeared at the door OF the tunnel. At his
! feet lay the rabbit
Sweetest Susan looked appealingly at
Aaron; but appealing looks couldn't bring
the hare back to life.
| IL feel better" remarked old Scar Face,
! licking his chops. IL haven't had a good
dinner in two suns. They are hard to
catch"
"You are getting DID," suggested Aaron.
| Eyes. old but / gave this little creature
fair chance"
at was a quick catch" Aaron declared.
Meat, IL not quick" said old Scar Face
| with an air of pride. I'm old, but not too
old for this-not too old to lead into the
middle winds this great dog you tell off,
what are the middle winds?'" Buster
John asked in a whisper.
Where there is no scent" Aaron ex-
| planned
There Is ecent enough" remarked old
Scar Face, but 1T is lifted from ground and
grass by the winds Yes, will lead this
wonderful dog into the middle winds, and
leave him there; or will carry him to the
| barren places where the ground is red and
| dry, or where the sand has drifted. 1t is
| now three years since / have done more
than trot before the dogs they bring. What
1 need, Son of Ben All, is something to
stir the blood and make me thirsty
This dog they will bring will give you
what you want" said Aaron. "He is called
| Hodo."
what is that, Son Of Ben ALP"
| "It is his name"
"Wel, my name is Woodranger. What
do your kind call me, Son Of Ben Ali?''
"Scar-Face," replied Aaron bluntly.
at is as good as any," said the fox.
"Yes, one name is as good as another when
| you have three meals day." Aaron as
sented.
"There was a time" suggested old Scar
Face, "'when the Son of Ben Ali killed and
| brought me birds; but that time is past"
"You are no longer weak and young.
But l came today to do you better turn
| than that. l came to warn you of this dog
| from strange settlement, whose nose is so
| keen that he never puts it to the ground, and
! whose legs are so strong that he but touches
| the top of ten-rail fence as he goes over.
| Take my word for it; let not another sun
| rise on you here tilf the grass is green again.
| Go to the river; hide in the big swamp; stay
| anywhere Dut mere. Let lne UOS WIN Iue
queer name run down and kill one OF your
brethren. Do you move away for time, and
go where the hunters may not follow
| Old Scar-Face tried to reach with his
| hind foot flea that was tickling him on
| the top of his back near his shoulder and
| in making the effort he stretched out his
| neck, closed his eye and grinned so
| comically that the children laughed.
Come and I'll scratch you," said Aaron.
! Old ScarFace took a step forward but
hesitated. "No, Son of Ben ALL" he said.
''It makes me cold to be too near the new
| ones"
] Whereupon Aaron himself took a step
I forward and scratched old Scar-Face on the
back with pine cone, and this operation
seemed to be so pleasing that the fox kept
time to the scratching by patting the ground
with one of his bind feet, as though he
were trying in this way to aid Aaron. When
old Scar-Face had been thoroughly
| scratched along the spine, where his hind
foot could not reach, he shook himself
| licked his chops and seemed to feel very
| much better.
| And so you think I should move away
from my home, Son of Ben ALL" old Scar
| Face remarked. 'Well, if you had come
| saying, My friend, you are in danger; fly
and remain away many suns tomorrow's
| dawn would have found me miles away
But when you say, Beware of the dogs;
| there Is one called Hodo coming to run
you down. that is different. l want to hear
| this strange dog yelping behind me, not too
| close, but far enough away to make him
| weary. / want to hear the noise of his
yelp, or know that he is running wildly
hither and yonder, sick to know where the
Woodranger has gone"
90 nIa old fri, har
This Hodo has made great talk among
| the hunters. / have warned you; 1t is all
! can do"
| There have been swift dogs after me-
Son of Ben ALI but they have always been
| behind me. Not one of them has ever un-
| tangled the loops of my tangle; not one
have | ever carried into the middle winds
| This strange dog ] should like to carry
there If he has strength enough; once there
| I'll bid him goodbye"
You'll be surprised II he tells you
howdy," suggested Aaron.
so would you, Son of Ben AL"
mo, you're wrong; 1t would be no sur
| prise to me-" Aaron replied. "You have
| won many a race; you have broken down
| many a pack OF hounds; but you are not
as young as you were And something tells
me that II you were in your prime this
|
! know"
"And / know what can do. Son OF Ben
| Ali, and I'll show you when the time comes,
| I'll give this hound a warm scent, and III
cut out for him a journey he'll long re-
member"
This thing of remembering" said Aaron,
depends whether you are we'll enough
to remember. ! hope you'll be we'll enough
for that when the race is over"
Don't worry about me, Son of Ben Ali.
| Many things | know were taught me by
you; many learned myself / have been
putting them all together until now ! want
to see what the strange hound will make of
| them"
We'll so long" said Aaron. you are
warned; that is enough. Go to your rabbit
before he is cold. and I'll go to my work"
! Old Scar-Face disappeared in the tunnel