Middletown transcript., 1903-01-10
AN OUTLAW TRIBE
RY FRANK LILLE POLLOCK.


doorway, and on the opposit'
| wall another shelf seemed t,
have served as a sort of table
Evidently other travellers hat
been harbored here before me
for the floor was heaped will
twigs of hemlock and spruce
now dry and rusty red.
I carried an armful of this ma
terial back to the fireplace fo1
tilder, and split out one of the
window-frames for kindlin G
Jacks spirits had frightened
upon getting under shelter, an6
he was manifesting enthusiasm
over hole which he had discov
cred in Il remote corner of the
floor. From it's small size con
cluded that it was a woodchuck' {
burrow, and from the dogs con
duct I imagined that the owner
was at home, for he became sc
noisy that 1 was finally compelled
to suppress him with severity.
A blazing fire on the great
hearth made a world of differ.
ence in the appearance of the de-
serted house. Outside the rain
still dripped dismally, but scarce
ly any of it came through the
roof, and Jack and I supped in
considerable comfort on a couple
of partridges and a lump of hard
bread. I was tired, and after I
had dried myself as well as I
could, I dragged in a lot of the
hemlock twigs and lay down be-
fore the fire.
I was awakened from heavy
slumber by Jacks loud barking.
I must have slept a long time,
for the fire had burned almost en-
tirely out; only few ash-cov-
cred brands glimmered on the
hearth. I was greatly annoyed
at the disturbance, and although
I could not see the dog, I called
angrily to him to be quiet.
He must have mistaken my
tone for one of encouragement,
for I heard him make sudden
rush across the floor. There
was an outburst of snarlings, a
sudden, sharp, catlike "yowl, "
and the sound of a vicious rough
and-tumble scrimmage in the
darkness. I jumped up, wide
awake now, but before I could
make any further movement
Jack had broken away from his
enemy and rushed back to me
for protection. He was whining
and quivering with rage and ex-
citement.
From the other side of the
room, from his unseen antago-
mist, I could hear low, purring
growl, rising occasionally to a
shrill snarl, like that of a bellig-
erent tom-cat. Although I could
make out neither form nor out
line of the animal, I was pres
emily emily able able to to distinguish dissttin a pale
greenish glimmer of eyes.
1t was not difficult to identify
their owner. It could be moth
ing but lynx, | thought, that
had strayed in some way into
the cabin. So I was not par
ticularly alarmed, for the Can
ada lynxis neither very ferocious
nor hard to kill, and I picked up
my gun from the wall and cooked
it. At the click the eyes seemed
to regard me more intently, and
the growing snarl rose a note
or two. I aimed squarely be-
tween the phosphorescent points
and pulled the trigger.
The flash blinded me, and I
could see nothing. A savage
snarl followed the shot, and Jack
dashed yelping into the smoke.
There was a confused scamper-
ing of feet across the boards
toward the inner doorway and
more outcries from the dog, who
seemed to have followed his
wounded antagonist into the
second chamber
| tried to poke up the fire, but
it was too nearly extinct, and l i
lighted a match. The room was
empty, but in the middle of a |
shot-torn space on the roughly
boarded floor lay broad patch
of blood. Il
Jack was standing in the door
way, barking violently and look
ing back, to me for encourage
ment, and I could see red streaks
on his white hide before the
match burned out.
l was considerably surprised
that the shot at close range had
not been fatal, but l reloaded nv |
discharged barrel, lighted an
other match and cautiously an.
DrOachad tho door T, A.