The San Francisco call., 1909-11-20
&C.

away you'd have a hard time doing
IT, I'm thinking, for If / know the
ieast DIT of dog language that poor fell
low loves you with the whole Of his
DIS grateful heart. and you couldn't
hard
pany for u.s.
The months had rolled around and
ma ~, brought the eve Of another
Thanksgiving day
me professor and Dan sat before
t,,s, Sne nre with the dog, we'll and happy,
peslde them. They talked of that night.
year before, when Dan had come.
hungry and homeless, to the profess
sor's door
They talked of the turkey dinner
they were to have the next day, for the
professor no longer took his lonely
meals at the hotel: they talked of the
studies the boy had taken up and
their plans for his future. And then
the professor had gladdened the boys
heart by telling him that he had done
wen IN the year that had passed; that
ne was proud of him and expected
great things of him in the year that
was to come and the dog crept close
to Dams knees and looked up into his
face as if to say:
And don't you remember the time
homeless, and you took me in and were
good to me--and have been good to me
ever since?"
At last they went to bed.
Dan had little room of his own
now, opening off the sitting room. Be-
yond was the professors bedroom.
The dog had a rug spread for him at
the foot of Dams bed
In one corner of the sitting room was
a large, old fashioned, iron SAFE In it
the professor kept papers and valuable
manuscripts, the few pieces of jewelry
his wife and boy had possessed and, in
one corner, in small, locked iron box,
his own small savings.
There was no bank in the little town.
and the professor felt rather suspicious
of those in the distant city,
The amount was not large, but IT
represented years of labor and saving.
1t might have been more but for the
fact that large, generous hearts and
large estates seldom go together.
The professor was never long absent
from home. No one else had the key
to the combination lock. The safe was
rather too large to be carried off bodily
and its appearance was not promising
enough for any one to attempt to drill
1T open. So the professor gave himself
very little concern about it.
Dan fell asleep as soon as his head
touched the pillow, as healthy boys
will
He was awakened by low, threat
ening groWl from the dog and opened
his eyes to see him standing with his
hair erect and his teeth showing.
He was not dog who barked much.
"He never wasted time talking Dan
always said. HE just took hold and
held onl''
Dan looked out into the sitting room
and saw, by the dim light of the fire,
two men carrying the safe between
them. They had taken off their shoes
and were noiselessly making for the
door, which was wide open and through
which draft of bleak night wind was
blowing into the room.
Dan slipped softly out of bed, laid
his hand on the dogs head to quiet him
and stole into the professors room
The professor sprang from his bed
and out into <the sitting room
AS he went he grabbed UP smooth,
shiny stick of wood from the blk box
near the fireplace and, holding it out
like pistol, shouted:
Drop that or I'll shootw
The fire blazed up just then and the
men, completely surprised, saw the
professor, apparently armed, close
upon them. followed by a big boy and
a vicious dog.
They dropped it," as they were told,
almost upon their bare toes.
Then they ran.
Look here, Bill Smith and Tom Ed
wards, know you bothi" shouted the
professor after them. "and il ever you
show your faces around here again I'll
have you both in the county JAIL"
Dan and the professor closed and
locked the door and built up the fire.
Then the professor sat down In front
OF the fire and opened the safe.
He showed Dan the chain and locket
his wife had worn, with lock of his
little boys hair in 1t. He showed him
their pictures and the books they had
loved.
Then he took out watch-a boys
watch.
Dan" he said, this was Ralph's
watch.
HE wore IT and he priced it highly,
for / had given 1t to him, and he took