The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-08-05

| civic SHINING of which he was regu-
| larly and inveterately guilty.
NO." he said, when placed the end
| of the rope to which she was tied in
his hand. mo, you don't mean it
And his mouth opened wide and he
grinned all over his damnable moon
face.
Il kind of thought somehow, you
didn't like me-" he explained. Wasn't
1T funny for me to make sub a mis-
take? And at the thought he held his
sides with laughter.
what is her name?" he mana ged
to ask between paroxysms.
'Bellona," said.
HE! he!" he Uttered. what fun
ny name!"
I gritted my teeth, for his nirth put
them on edge, and snapped out be-
tween them: "She was the wife Of
Mars, you know"
Then the light of the full moon began
to suffuse his face, until he exploded
with: WELL L guess she's a widow
nowi Oh! no! no! E. he! he! Ho!"
he whooped after me, and 1 turned and
fed swiftly away over the hill.
The week passed by, and on Satur-
day evening 1 said to him: You go
away Monday, don't your"
He nodded his head and grinned.
'"Then you won't have another chance
to get a mess of those trout you just
'dote' on"
But he did not notice the sneer.
"Oh I don't know" he chuckled. I'm
going up tomorrow to try pretty hard"
Thus was assurance made doubly
sure, and I went back to my house lit
orally hugging myself with rapture.
Early next morning / saw him go by
with a dip-net and gunnysack, and
Bellona trotting at his heels. 1 knew
where he was bound, and cut out by
the back pasture and climbed through
the underbruSh to the top of the noun
tain. Keeping carefully out of sight,
1 followed the crest along for couple
of miles to a natural amphitheater in
the hills, where the little river ramped
down out Of a gorge and stopped for
breath in a large and placid rock
bound pool. That was the spoil
sat down on the Group of the noun
tain, where 1 could see all that oc-
CURED, and lighted my pipe.
Ere many minutes had passed, John
Claverhouse came plodding up the bed
of the stream. BellOna was amblina
about him, and they were in high
feather, her short, snappy barks ming
ling with his deeper cheStnoteS. Ar
rived at the pool, he threw down the
dip-net and sack, and drew from his
hip pocket what looked like a large
fat candle. But 1 knew it to be a stick
of giant" for such was his method
of catching trout. He dynamited them
He attached the fuse by wrapping
the 'giant" tightly in piece of cot
! ton. Then he ignited the fuse and tos-
sed the explosive into the pool.
Like a flash, Bellona was into the
pool after it. I could have shrieked
aloud for very joy. Claverhouse yelled
at her, but without avail. He pelted
her with clods and rocks, but she
swan steadily on till she got the
stick of giant" in her mouth when
she whirled about and headed for
shore. Then, for the first time, he
realized his danger, and started to
run. AS foreseen and planned by me,
she made the bank and took out after
him. Oh, tell you, it was great! AS
1 have said, the pool lay in sort Of
ampitheater. Above and below, the
stream could be crossed on stepping
stones. And around and around up
and down and across the stones, raced
Claverhouse and Bellona. I could
never have believed that such an UNI
calmly man could run so fast. But
run he did, Bellona hot-footed after
him, and gaining. And then, just as
she caught up, he in full stride, and
she leaping with nose at his knee, there
was sudden flash, a purst OF smoke,
and terrific defamation, and where man
and dog had been the instant before
there was naught to be seen but big
hole in the ground.
Death from accident while engaged
in Illegal fishing" That was the YER
dict of the coroner's jury; and that is
why pride myself on the neat and ar
tistic way in which finished off John
Claverhouse. There was no bungling,
no brutality; nothing to be ashamed
of in the whole transaction, as | am
sure you will agree. No more does
his internal laugh go eehoing among =
the hills and no more does his fat e
moon-face rise UP to vex me. My daysat
are peaceful now, and my nights SLEEP
deep. Jack London.
San Francisco. July, 1902.