Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1910-10-07
CHAPTER vi.

tumn, Thomas Jefferson was fishing
luxuriously in the most distant of the
upper pools. There were three fat
perch gill-strung on a forked withe I'M
der the ~overhanging bank, and a fourth
was rising to the bait, yhen the peace
full stiffness was rudely rent by a
crashing in the underground, and a
great dog, of a breed hitherto unknown
to Paradise, bounded into the little
glade to stand glazing at the fisherman,
his teeth barred and his black hairs
bristling.
"Oh, please! Don't hurt my dog!"
said a rather weak little voice out CT
the rearward void.
you come round here and call him
off o. me-"
HE is not wishing to hurt you, or
anybody" said the voice. Down. Hec-
tori"
The Great Dane passed from sus-
picious rightly and threatening lip
twitchings to mighty and frivolous
.~gambolings, and Thomas Jefferson got
up to give him room. A girl was try
ing to make the dog behave. So he
had a chance to look her over before
the battle for sovereignty should be-
gin.
There was a little shock Of disdain-
full surprise to go with the first glance.
Somehow he had been expecting some
thing very different; something on the
order of the Queen of Sheba-done
small, of course-as that parsonage
was pictured in the family Bible-a
girl, proud and scornful, and possibly
wearing a silk dress and satin shoes.
Instead, she was only a pale, tired
baby in a brier-torn frock; a girl
whose bones showed brazenly at every
angle, and whose only claim to a sec
ond glance lay in her thick mop of
reddish brown hair and in a pair OF
great, slate-blue eyes two sizes too
large for the thin face. A double con-
clusion came and sat in Thomas JEFF
ferson's mind: she was rather to be
CONTEMPORARY pitied than feared;
and as for looks-well, she was not to
be thought of in the same a with
black-eyed Nan Bryerson. When the
dog was reduced to quietude, the small
one repaid Thomas Jefferson's stare
with a level gaze out of the diversified
eyes.
WAS it that you were afraid Of
Hector" she asked.
HUH" said Thomas Jefferson. and
the scorn was partly for her queer way
of speaking and partly for the foolish
ness of the question. HUH! l reckon
you don't know who l am. I'd have
killed your dog IL he'd jumped on me
maybe"
you are Thomas Gordon. Youl
mother tool are Of me and prayed
for me when 1 was sick. Hector Is &
an extremely good dog. He woult
not jump at you"
ITS mighty lucky for him he didn't,
Dragged Thomas Jefferson, with a very
creditable imitation of his father!
grim frown Then he sat down on thu
bank of the stream and busted himsel
with his fishing-tackle as if he consid
cred the incident closed.
What is it that you are trying t.
do?" asked Ardea, when the silenc'
had extended to the third worm i'm
paled on the hook and promptly alb
stracted therefrom by a willy sucke
lying at the bottom of the pool.
Il was fishin' some before you an
your dog came along and scared al
the perch away" he said, sourly. Then
turning suddenly on her: why don
you go ahead and say 1t? Is it 'caus
you're afeard to-"
Il don't know what you mean"
II know what you're going to say
you are going to tell me this is you
grandfather's land and run me off. Blu
1 amt amin to go till I'm good an
ready"
You are such a funny boy" she re
marked, and there was something |
her way of saying it that made Thorn
as Jefferson feel little n infantil
and inferior, though he was sure Their
must be an immense age difference
his favor. II think you are meal
meant" she sobbed, with an angr
stamp of her foot. IL want to 6
ho-ome!"
well, 1 reckon there amt anybod
holdin' you" said Thomas Jefferson
brutally. He was intent on fixing tn
sixth worm on the hook in such fash
ion as permanently to discourage tn
bait thief, and was coming to his ow
in the matter of self possession wit
grateful facility. 1t was going to /
notably easy to bully her-anotht
point of difference between her an
Nan Bryerson.
81 know there isn't anybody holdir
me, but-but 1 can't find the way"
you want me to show your"
asked, putting all the ungraciousne.
he could muster into the query.
You might tell me, I should thinl
I've walked and walked"
81 reckon I'd better take you; yC
might get lost again." he said, vii
gloomy sarcasm. Then he consume
all the time he could for the method
cal disposal Of his fishing tackle.
would be good for her to learn tn
she must wait IN his motions.
She waited patiently. sitting on Il
ground with one arm around the me-