Mower County transcript., 1908-12-02

bet you didn't have a dream last
night" j.
Mike simply stared.
you did see a man and a dog. I'll
stake my life on it."
"How do you know, Tommy"
where was it the man disap-
peared?"
Right over there" answered Mike,
pointing in the direction of the open
ing in the bushes.
"Then, that's where you saw a real
man and real dog go. I found an
opening and a path right there, and in
the path were fresh prints of a mans
bare feet and dogs feet. There is
somebody else around this locality,
Mr.. Michael Aloysius O'Connor. But
who In thunder can it be? Who
could be going around bare-footed with
a dog? Surely, not Andre or Felipe,
and I don't think It could be Riaz.
There are too many burrs and rocks
along the bank for anybody with the
price of a pair of shoes to be going
'bare-footed."
"Shall we investigator" asked Mike.
'Of course, but We must be mighty
careful. It may be that one of those
gangs the copper was telling us about
has its headquarters around here, and
If we ever stumbled on to It, it would
all be off with two fellows I'm &C.
quainted with. What have you to sug-
gest?"
"Well. afore we follow up that path, :"
said Mike, I'VE might climb up the
cliffs and see If we can locate any
tents or shacks from distance. We
might be able to get a line that way.
Then, if we can't see anything up
there, we'll simply have to take a
chance and pick our way along that
path till it brings US somewhere or
another. And we might as well start
right away" -:
Half an hour later Jerry and Mike
were climbing the cliffs on the other
side of the stream, but, although they
got good view of the land, they
saw no sign Of .habitation. They had
almost reached the base of the cliff
when the faint barking Of a dog
reached their ears
did you hear It,. Tommy" asked
Mike.
1It was that same dream dog of
yours, Nike"
"Then, by golly, 1t wasn't dream
after all, was it? It sounds just like
1t sounded last night. The barking
of the dog sounded nearer and nearer,
and the two secluded themselves.
TITS lucky we hid the boat in the
grass" said Jerry.
"Oh, an Athlone man thinks of a
thing or two," whispered Mike.
Presently they saw a big dog run up
the bank, barking as though in play,
and then plunged into the water: AS
1t swan back to the bank an old man,
bent with age, moving slowly, ap-
peared in view.
That's the old divil," whispered
Mike, "and now can get look at his
face. BY golly, he must be 1000
years old, and I'll bet he don't weigh
16 pounds. Did you e1& see such a
skinny old cuss?"
A few minutes later the old man
reached spot within 20 feet of where
the boat was hidden, and sat down Ia
boriously. In faint, trembling Span
ish he talked to the dog.
Eyes, you shall have food" said
he, his arms around the dripping dogs
neck, "and you shall have sport. But
what are you going to do when old
Jose is gone, faithful brother? Who
will play with you then? Who will
get you fish and game? Who will help
you Here he brought his hands to
hiss eyes and shook with: sobs. With
great labor he:"got to- his. feet and
started to retrace his steps. Jerry: and
Mike picked their way after him, 60
ing through dense, .underbrush, and,
TO their surprise, they soon reached a
pathway. They no longer heard the
bar king of the dog.
~ Let US follow this path" sug-
gested Jerry, and moment later he
was leading Mike through the brush
alongside the crooked pathway. After
half an hour they came to an open
space, and the path was lost.
"Now, where do you suppose the old
divil wint?" said Mike, scratching his
head. There's nothin' afore US now
but the mountains, and we don't know
which way to CO."
They decided to lie in wait another
time for the old man and to station
themselves near the opening in the
underbrush. When they returned to
the camp they tried to figure out who
the man could be and what he was do
ing in this part of the country, far
away from any habitation and, judg-
ing from the words they had heard
him speak, with only his dog for q
companion.
For three days, from the first sign
of dawn to the fall of night, one or
the other was stationed at spot i'm
mediately across the river from the be-
ginning Of the pathway in the bushes.
But not once did the old man or his
dog appear.
II guess we'll have to go out and
h,rn% a