The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-03-14
The EVENING STORY
MFR. Wenfworth's Dog.
(By Donald Allen.l

1t was o'clock in the afternoon on
a certain day when Miss Ethel Blaine
LETT the manor house known as The
! WILLOWS for a walk down the highway
and then a turn to the left into the
hills. There was a cave there among
the rocks and scrub pines, and it was
her intention to pay it a visit.
At just the same hour on the same
afternoon, Mr.. Hugh Wentworth left
the manor house known as The Pop
lars for a walk up the highway and
then turn to the right into the hills.
There were partridges among the
make victims. He was accompanied
by his dog. It wasn't hign-bred dog
| and thing of beauty, but he had a
| mission to perform before getting off
the earth.
The distance between The Willows
| and The Pop1ars was two miles. There
wasn't a willow within three miles of
| The Willows and there wasn't a pop
lar within four miles of The Poplars.
| Miss Blaine had just returned home
from a year out west, and Mr.. Went
worth had been civil engineering in
| the south.
| Miss Ethel found the cave all right.
It wasn't much of cave One sitting
down in it was only four feet from the
| entrance.
There was romance there, however.
One could sit down On stone and
hear the pines awh1spering, the squir
rels chattering and the partridgeS
clucking. One could think of the In
dian maiden who committed suicide
there rather than wed a rich young
white man. Counterfeiters and horse
thieves had used that cave. Gallant
| knights had slept there and cooked
their own breakfast of bacon and eggs
while out on tours to rescue damsels
all forlorn. Lovers had sat there and
pledged their vows.
No place could have been better
adapted to meditation. True, a sort of
animal odor chung to the cave, but one
could think Of the past and wonder
over the future. Many girls have to
mediate on street corners and in back
yards. Miss Ethel had sat in the cave
meditating for a long half hour, and
had become sleepy over it, when the
dog of destiny aroused her. He uttered
a bark close by, and she heard hui
man voice not far away crying out:
s'Sic 'em, Rover! Go for it, old boyi"
At the back end of the cave there
was small tunnel between jagged
rocks. The girl thought she heard a
stir back there. and the animal odor
became more pronounced.
Hunt him down-hunt him DOWN.
cried the voice as the dog barked and
whined.
The dog appeared at the mouth of
the cave and glared and growled at
the girl. He had seen girls before, but
never one in a cave. She wasn't on his
masters land. but she was in ambush
and a suspicious person. And the
dogs master, who seemed to be delay
ed by the tangle, shouted again.
go in, Rover-go I'M BY George, I
believe it's a fox! After his scalp, old
mAn!''
Then red fox, whose den was at
the back end of the cave. and who had
been keeping tab on the girl from the
first, made a rush for freedom. At the
same moment the dog made rush into
the cave.
Miss Ethel rose UP, to be knocked
down again, and while the animals were
fighting beside her body up came Mr..
Wentworth and blaZed away with his
shotgun. He was an excitable young
man He put as many shots into the
dog as he did into the fox, and at least
one struck the girl in the hand and as
sisted her materially to scream out
Dog and fox wrang1ed away into the
pines together, and the partridge hunt
er stepped forward and exclaimed:
Heavens above, but I've killed
grill"
mo, you haven't" was the reply
as Miss Ethel arose and held out her
bleeding hand. mo. you haven't kill
ed me. but it isn't your fault. You
meant to do it,"
my dear Miss Miss"
"Oh, you needn't make any excuses!
How can you say you didn't see me
before you fired? OF course. you saw
mel
sBut I didn't-believe me, I didn't!
I'm sorry, you know! I never can for
give myself. Here-let me bind your
hand with my handkerchief. All, the
shot did not penetrated 1t struck and
glanced off. The scratch will be well
in a week.
cit may. or blood poison may set
in. never saw such a piece of care
lessness. Why didn't you look to see
If I was here before you fired? Why,
you might have fired all the shot into
my facet"
But you see. my dear Miss
Miss he replied as he was busy
rendering first aid, how did know
that there was girl IN this cave! I
didn't even 1r,~r~ there was cave.
1 didn't know there was fox in the
cave. I ought to have known-yes,
ought to have known. but didn't, you
see. and I beg ten thousand pardons.
1 beg to assure you that the wound is
but I say you might have killed a
Eyes. yes, but I didn't, and I can
never be grateful enough Do you
feel weak and dizzy Miss Miss
.And that dog of yours" she said.
without needing his questionable
must be an idiot of a dog."
HE is-he surely is.
HE ought to have waited till the
fox got out of the cave
1T Enow-I know. and I'll speak to
him about it, That is, I'll give him a
thrashing. Yes, he should have invi-
ted the fox to come out. You believe
me when 1 say I regret the incident
don't your"
'sWhy-why. L suppose I do, and I
hope it will be a great moral lesson
to you"
at Wilt surely will"
Then, if your gun is unloaded, and
vour dog can behave himself, you
may walk to the highway with me-
I do feel a bit weak. and don't care
to faint away here"
nv name is Hugh Wentworth, of the
The Poplars. II you feel faintness
coming On I will look for some water