The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1910-06-10
CHAPTER vi


upper pools. There were three ta
perch gill-strung on a forled wlthe un'
der the overhanging bank, and fourtf
was rising to the bait yhen the peace
ful stiffness was rudely rent by q
crashing in the underground, and
great dog, Of a breed hitherto unknown
70 Paradise bounded into the little
glade 70 stand glaring AZ the fisherman
his teeth barred and his black hairs
bristling.
"Oh, pleased Don't hurt my dog!'
said a rather weak little voice out Of
the rearward void
you come round here and call him
Off o. me-"
Tie IS not wishing TO hurt you, or
anybody" said the voice. Down, Hec-
tor"
The Great Dane passed from sus-
picIous rigidity and threatening lip
twitchings TO mighty and frivolous
Eamboliugs, and Thomas Jefferson got
up to give him room. a girl was try
ing 20 make the dos 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-
ful surprise 10 20 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 i'm 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 brier-torn frock; girl
whose bones showed braZenly at every
angle, and whose only claim 70 sec
ond glance lay in her thick mop OF
reddish-brown hair and in pair OF
great. slate-blue eyes two sizes too
large for the thin face. a double con-
clusion came and sat in Thomas JEFF
fersous mind. she was rather to be
contcmptuously pitied than feared;
and as for looks-well, she was not to
be thought of i'm the same day with
black-eyed Nan Bryerson. When the
dog was reduced TO quietude the small
one repaid Thomas Jcfiersou'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! / reckon
you don't knew who 1 am, I'd have
killed your dog if he'd jumped on me
maybe"
You sre Thomas Gordon Your
mother took care Of me and prayed
for me when I was sick. Hector is a
an extremely good dog. He would
not jump at YOU
It's mighty lucky for him he didn't"
Dragged Thomas jefferson, with very
crcditable imitation of his fathers
grim frown. Then he sat down on tho
bank of the stream and busted himself
with his hshing-taCkle as if he consid-
cred the incident closed.
What is it that you are trying to
do?" asked Ardea, when the silence
had extended TO the third worm i'm
paIed on the hook and promptly abb
stracted therefrom by a willy sucker
lying at the bottom Of the pool.
I was Gshin' some before you and
your dog came along and scared all
the perch away" he said, sourly. Then,
turning suddenly on her: Why don't
you so ahead and say it? Is it cause
you're afcard top
Il don't know what you mean
I know what you're going to say;
you are going to tell me this is your
grandfather's land and run me off. But
/ amt aimin' to 90 till I'm good and
ready"
You are such a funny boy" she re-
marked and there was something in
her way of saying 1t that made Thorn
Tot E1 In T9 la,
and inferior, though he was sure there
must be an immense age difference u |
his favor Il think you are mean !
mean" she sobbed, with an angry
stamp of her foot Il want to go
ho-omel"
"WelI, I reckon there amt anybody |
holdin' YOU" said Thomas Jefferson, |
brutaIy. He was intent on fixing the |
sixth worm on the hook in such fash |
ion as permanently to discourage the |
bait thief, and was coming to his own |
in the matter Of self-p possession with |
grateful facility. 1t was going to be |
notably easy to bully her-another |
point Of difference between her and |
Nan Bryerson.
Il know there isn't anybody holding |
me- but-but I can't find the way"
You want me to show you?" he |
asked, putting all the ungraciousness |
he could muster into the query.
You might tell me, l should think |
I've walked and walked"
I reckon I'd better take you; you
might get lost again." he said, with !
gloomy sarcasm. Then he consumed |
all the time he could for the methodi-
cal disposal of his fishing tackle. 1t
would be good for her to learn that
she must wait on his motions.
She waited patiently sitting on the
ground with one arm around the neck
of the Great Dane; and when Thomas
Jefferson stole a glance at her to see
how she was taking it, she looked so
tired and thin and wOebegone that he
almost let the better part Of him get
the upper hand. That made him sur
lier than ever when he finally recov-
cred his string of fish from the stream
and said: well, come on, if you're
comm"
He told himself, hypocritcally, that
1t was only to show her what hard
ships she would have to face if she
should try to tag him, that he dragged
her such a weary round over the hills
and through the worst brier patches
and across and across the creek, doub-
ling and circling until the easy mile
was spun out into three uncommonly
difficult ones. But at bottom the mo-
tive was purely wicked In all the
range Of sentient creatures there is
none so innately and barbarously cruel
as the human boy-child; and this was
the first time Thomas Jefferson had
ever had a helplessly pliable subject
10 OBJ 40