The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-07-13
THE EVENING STORY
a Dog in a Manager.

a Dog in Manager.
While spending few weeks at q
fishing village on the Atlantic coast
made the acquaintance of one of the i.
Villagers. with whom 1 used to sit on
the dunes and chat. One afternoon o
water. and as he passed up the beach.
seeing my companion, his face lighted
up with pleasure, and they exchanged
q few words cordially.
He seems to like YOU" I remarked
after the young man mad gone.
'Well, yes" responded my COM
panfon. ''I did him a favor once, but
1t was nothing more than a duty"
gave 1t.
my friend Cap'n Joe Milford when
he died asked me TO look after his lit
tie girl Molly. About the time Molly
two greatest misfortunes that can
happen to a girl-she lost her mother
and she got mixed up in a love affair
with man that was no good-that
is, he was in love with her, and she,
not being in love with any one else at
the time, listened to him. Then along
comes John Ruddock. a fisherman
from down the coast, and settles here,
looking for better fishing ground than
what he'd been trying. Johns son
Paul was then twenty-three years old
and as likely a young fellow as one
would find anywhere. AS soon as
1nOI1J 0uulIOrQ sees MIN she ldlIS III
love in earnest, and that leaves the
other fellow. Rufe Scott, out in the
cold.
Scott acted very ugly. He didn't
| trouble Molly much, nor did he trou-
bic Ruddock, for he daren't. He just
took it out in sulking whenever he met
either of them. 1t struck me that If I
| were Paul wouldn't like to meet him
out alone in the dark unarmed. But.
time went on, and Scott didn't do any
thing to show how he felt except by
his looks. which were plain enough.
1 s"One day a sudden Squali came up,
and little while after ii had blown
over Molly Milford come to me white
as a sheet and says:
Uncle Phil'-she called me uncle
though l was no relation-'UncleP Phil
been blown over by the squall and
| sunk!'
'I ran into the house, grabbed my
glass and, going to the beach, only a
glass to bear on the ocean. l could
make out a man nearly two miles out
swimming for his life. 1 watched him
for minute or two and made up my
mind that he was laboring hard and
would never get to the shore unless
some one helped him. Tossing the
glass to Molly, 1 ran down to the
shore, where lifeboat was kept The
only person I met was Rufe Scott. I
told him of Paul Ruddock's fix and
asked him to help me get the boat be-
yond the breakers. He hesitated a
moment, but couldn't stand the look I
gave him, and, taking hold of the boat
together We got her nose down into
the surf.
out
| This meant for him to go with me.
He was about to make some ugly re-
ply. refusing to do SO, when he caught
sight of Molly coming. Then he got
into the bow and took up an oar
1%aT-k -1I,r -
out when the waves came in lower, I
jumped in at the stern, seized my oar
and together we pulled beyond the
foam into deep water.
| "Rufe being for'a'd and I aft it
wasn't necessary for him to pull as
hard as I. But I noticed that he was
doing good work. which relieved my
mind, for 1 was afraid he would shirk
But I soon found by looking ahead
that the scoundrel was pulling me
around. Indeed, Rufe having the port
oar, could look over my left shoulder
and see Paul-that is, whenever he
rode the crest of a wave. 1 stopped
rowing, and turned around, stood up
and raising my oar. said:
"'You miserable dog, if you do that
again I'll brain you and throw your
carcass overheard Then 1 sat down
and kept my eye on the stern of the
boat and Molly at the same time, keep
ing the two in line. Then suddenly
Rufe stopped rowing. I turned on him
fight.
Il haven't any call to help Paul
RuddecE, and I won't. That is all
there is about it
ts You won't, eh ??
! 81 dropped my CAR caught his on my
arm, got at him. and before he could
get a grip on me tumbled him over
| board.
There I said Swim back to the
girl you're trying to get even with
| Heading the boat toward Paul I
ing a big squirt. Having my face to-
ward Rufe 1 saw him swina for a point
below Molly. and 1t was evident he
didn't want to meet her. She was too
| intent to see whether I would succeed
or not to notice him. and, landing a
quarter of a mile away from her he
skunk up the beach and disappeared be-
hind a dam. That's the last he was
ever seen in the town. He knew well
enough that it would not be best to
show his face there after the story I
would tell.
ct reached Paul when he was pretty
we'll tuckered out, got him into the boat
and pulled him ashore. Molly helping
at seeing her lover alive. though we
needed to get him home and wrap him
in hot blankets. He soon righted and
married Molly the following au-
tumn.'
"And the man who Just came iu,"
asked. ''is Paul Ruddock?'
''That's right. I could have anything
in the world he's got except his wife"
r. EDWARD MILLS.
He Wants to Know.