The Elbert County tribune., 1908-06-04

AND
HIS PARD
y rulLIr vEaaILL nIouEls
scepyriehtl

Old Grizzly Ben and Roger, his dog.
came slowly driving their army Of
dirty gray sheep across the barren
shoulder Of the mountain.
it was late afternoon. The two were
dusty. weary and silent They had
brought the stupid animals SO far. to
change the pasture. that both were
fairly disheartened by physical ex-
haustion. The dog was the shepherd.
in fact, 30 far as alertness Of eye. ear
and intuition were employed. but the
sheep afforded him less worry than
he cleaned from the look on his mas
ter's sun-tanned countenance.
A large and powerful dog was Roger.
more like a wolf than a collie. in his
bigboned. shaggy way. but with all a
collies tenderness OF expression In his
eyes, especially now as he watched
the face OF the master at his side.
The day had been hot and all those
Old Ben was more than merely tagged.
The bone, the sinew. the timber of
his physical and mental being
were ready for collapse. Such
exile as the man and dog had
known is leveling thing. Under it's
influence Ben had become something
less than n man. while the dog. con-
versely, had become something more
than brute. Partners they had been
for years; to-day at last they were
equals.
When they came to the edge of the
Devils Ladder" something automatic
stirred the man to a species OF alert
ness. He drew his hand across his
dusty brow. but his mind was still
reversed. He saw his dog lope pa
tiently forward to turn the sheep from
the treacherous brink, but 1t seemed
like some hideous blunder
Screaming out, in his mental aber-
ration. the man ran heavily ahead,
working frantically against the dogs
wise efforts. for the very first time
since their partnership. But being
the saner for the moment the dog
pressed his stratagem with all his splen-
did craft and presently won the situa-
ton. He passed the sheep by the cliff
in safety-all save three that we're
laggard. These weary truants Old
Ben SO alarmed as he came aggressive
iy toward them that they squattsd
where they were in stupid indeclsion.
Roger attempted to hasten them for
ward. in its fear the first one abrupt
iy leaped outward, sheer over the ter
rible Ladder Its mates followed
tlindly. and shot far down-so far that
the thud they made at last could never
be heard at the brink above, where
Ben was staring down the wall.
The rage OF madness that suddenly
came upon the herder was dreadful
thing to see.
You fool" he cried. In the broken
condition OF his mind. you fool of
dog!" and raising his stick he struck
his partner twice. across the back
and leg. with all the strength of his
frenzy.
Something terrible happened, deep
in the nature OF the faithful Roger
the animal come to be more than just
dog. Amazed for moment, appar-
emily incapable OF crediting his senses.
the tender-eyed old fellow looked up
at his partner with long, beseech-
ing question In his dumb expression,
and then such a sickness broke In on
his heart that he sank to the earth
with singular note of despair
He had never been struck; he had
never been cursed or scolded He had
grown to his age of wisdom with Ben,
loving what the man had loved, suffer
ing what he had suffered, sharing
what he had shared, and abiding at his
side with trust and affection immeas-
urable through Joy and pain and calm
n Nd Of oIf f1ra hal k<--
more than merely friends and com.
panions. since a time behind which a
dogs brief memory could not explore.
There was nothing-there could
never be anything-to tell what Roger
underwent in the something within
him which. II less than soul, was cer-
tainly more than a heart. He lay on
the earth, at Ben's dusty feet and
knew not what was occurring, while
his heart swelled more than heart
may endure-and SO was utterly
broken.
Dazed, unstrung. in a cropping way,
Old Ben hastened forward again with
the sheep. He passed his hand across
his forehead as before. but still with
out avail. His brain refused to clear.
At length as he staggered instinctively
to the old-time camp on the HILL he
wondered at what he had done, while
he gazed about him vaguely for his
dog. For the very first time he had
come to the end of day without the
comrade OF his joys and sorrows at his
side.
The sun, like red-hot disk of metal,
seemed burning its way. edge down
ward, into the solid substance of the
hills. The crickets began their sweet
iy melancholy songs that so accentu-
nte the solitude and vast. unbroken
silences. Roger still remained away,
back there by the Ladder" where he