The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1912-04-18

Title or Gentleman J1m." They hadn't
charged him with carrying q tooth
brush, but they had found out that he
combed his hair at least once In two
days, and no one had offered to .chum
up with him!
Forty rods beyond the residence OF
Judge Horton, for this the big house
was and it was his daughter Edith in
the hammock, the tramp sat down
again. There was no hurry. On his
left was a four-acre lot grown up to
thistles, and it was a bit of scenery
for the wayfarer. His eyes had
roamed over the field when they were
brought back to the highway to rest
on a big mastiff coming towards him
on the jump.
Mad dog!" whispered the tramp
after watching for moment.
Head held high-eyes O. fiendish,
green-slavering at the mouth. Those
were the true signs. The tramp stood.
up and grasped the stout stick by
which he carried his old satchel over
his shoulder. The dog came straight
at him, but at the last moment
swerved aside and passed on. He
was half-blind in his agony, and he
may have taken the man for a
shadow
Gate open and girl in the ham,
mock!" whispered the tramp. "WiIi
he turn in? Ii he does she will scream,
and what then? l mustn't take
chances!'
The dog had forty rods to- go by
the road, and the man, by leaping the
fence and making short cut had
only about twenty-five. One jump and
he was over the fence, and then he
struck a oinder-tnack gait.
The dog stopped for few seconds
at the gate and then turned In. just
then the girl sat up in the hammock,
and seeing both tramp and dog she
screamed. The tramp let out another
link, and he was at the foot of the
steps when the mad beast came racing
up with growls of agony or anger.
With a full swing of his stick the
tramp bowled the dog over, and three
or four more blows finished him.
What what is it," demanded the
girl
Just mad dog, MISS was the re
ply as the dusty outing cap was lifted.
He's dead and there's nothing to
fear"
But i want to know"
Just a mad dog"
And the tramp had reached the gate
when Judge Horton and his wife came
driving up, and the Judge leaped out
and seized the man by the collar and
exclaimed:
Hold on, herel l want to know
what's been going on!"
Don't let him get away, father!"
cried Edith as she came running.
Whats he done =
why, he killed big mad dog that
was after mel / want to know his
name and make him accept thanks"
"Just mad dog" replied the tramp
with a deprecating smile.
The Judge handed him $40 bill,
and when it was refused he cast
around to give reward in some other
way.
Look here" he said after bit,
there's four solid acres of thistles
over there belonging to me. | want
'em cut down and rooted out. I'll give
you SO an acre to do it, and you can
get board with the farmer just below"
The next day the tramp went to
work with scythe and spade, and 1t
was a twenty-days' job he had. Three
or four times in that stretch Judge
Horner visited the field and tried to
draw the worker out, but he did not
succeed very well. On two occasions
Miss Edith called him to the roadside
fence to praise and pump. but all the
information she got made brief re-
port to her father!
Say, papa, you know | studied
Greek?"
ut was some folderol like that.
believe"
'And can understand it quite well,
and what do you think?"
Il think you can't"
"And yesterday when I was passing
the thistIe-fieId / heard cur tramp
swearing in Creek"
"Did. Ell? Then must warn him
that all swearing around here must be
done in English"
II was the tramp's last day on his
lob when a strange auto rolled up to
Judge Horizons mansion, and an hour
later his honor and his visitor en-.
tered the field and walked up to the
weary We and sunburned toiler.
"Ames. / didn't think it was In your
said the visitor as he held out bis
hand.
"Father!"
"We've kept little track of you.
you see."
And Miss Edith? Well man has
only to save a girl from mad dog
and hydrophobia, and then excite her
curiosity and romance, and what's the
result? Not over a years courtship
before marriage, and it is eminently
proper at that.