Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1905-08-31
A DOG IN
Al MANGER
[Original.l

villagers, with whom l used to sit on
the dunes and chat. One afternoon a
young fisherman came In from off the
water, and as he passed up the beach,,
seeing my companion, his face lighted
up with pleasure, and they exchanged
a few words cordially.
"He seems to like you," 1 remarked
after the young man had gone
"Well, yes" responded my compan-
ion. II did him a favor once, but it
was nothing more than a duty"
I pressed him for the story, and he
gave it.
MY friend Cap'n Joe Milford when
he died asked m to look after his lit
tie girl Molly. About the time Molly
grew to be a woman she met with the
two greatest misfortunes that can hap
pen to q girl-she lost her mother and
she got mixed up in a love affair with
a man that was 40 %good-that Is, he
was in love with her, and she, not be-
ing 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 n
would find anywhere. AS soon as
Molly milford sees him she falls in
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-
BILE 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 I wouldn't like to meet him
out alone in the dark unarmed. But
time went Oh, and Scott didn't do any
thing to show how he felt except by
his looks, which were plain enough.
zone day a sudden squall came up,
and a little while after it had blown
over Molly milford come to me white
as a sheet and says:
"'Uncle PhiT-she called me uncle,
though 1 vas no relation-'Uncle Phil
she said, Paul Ruddock's boat has been
blown over by the squall and sunk"
81 ran into the house, grabbed my
glass and, going to the beach, only a
few hundred yards away, brought the
glass to bear on the ocean. I could
make out a man nearly two miles out
swimming for his life. I watched him
P0v, a ~ir,,+o an two or1 yrn10 I'M
mind that he was laboring hard and
would never get to the shore unless
some n helped him. Tossing the
glass to Molly, 1 ran down to the
shore, where a lifeboat was kept. The
only person 1 met was Rufe Scott. 1
asked him to help me get the boat be-
yond the breakers. He hesitated q
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.
"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.
Watching my chance to run the boat
jumped in at the stern, seized my oar,
and together we pulled beyond the
foam into deep water.
"Rufe being for'a'd and l aft, it
wasn't necessary for him to pull as
hard as I. But 1 noticed that he was
| mind, for l was afraid he would shirk.
But l oon found by looking ahead that
the scoundrel was pulling me around.
Indeed. Rufe having the port oar, I
could look over my left shoulder and
see Paul-that is, whenever he rode the
crest Of a wave. 1 stopped rowing,
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,
keeping the two in line. Then sudden
ly Rufe stopped rowing. I turned on
him again, and he had his oar up.
ready to fight.
81 haven't any call to help Paul
Ruddock, and 1 won't. That is all there
is about it,
"'You won't, eh?'
81 dropped my oar, caught his on my
arm, got at him, and before he could
get a grip on me tumbled him over
board.
There l said. Swim back to the
girl you're trying to get eve with
Heading the boat toward Paul, I
took both oars and pulled ahead, max
ing a big squirt. Having my face to-
ward Rufe, I saw him swim for q
point below Molly, and it was evident
he didn't want to meet her. She was
too intent to see whether l would sue.
coed or not to notice him. and, land
ing Il quarter Of a mile away from her.
he skunk up the beach and disappeared
behind a dam. That's the last he
was yer een in the town. He knew
we'll enough that it would not be best
to show his face there after the story
! would tell.