The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-10-14
A DOGS
REVENGE
BY EDWIN c. MOORE


X | go to the telephone and take dowr
scuffie and words distant from the in
strument-"Oh, my God"-the grow
Of dog, then his bark.
] have heard that bark for years and
know it well. 1t comes from Bruin,
the Robinsons' dog. There are more
sounds-confused. uninteligible except
so far as they indicate strife-Bruin' s
barking, mans harsh voice and
ehrieks. A door is slammed and all is
quiet.
Il / drop the receiver, run downstairs,
:catch up pitchfork as l pass the barn
and hurry down the hill. try to so up
the incline as fast as ! came down the
slope, but l can't do 1t. Nevertheless
when I reach the red farmhouse
vault the fence and go through the
wide open door into the hall. | hear
the whining of dog, follow 1t and
open bedroom door. Mrs Robinson is
lying on the floor gasping. Bruin Is
bleeding from many cuts. Neverthe-
less he rejoices at the arrival of succor,
q "asoAh3 Ills tHAis JbAhPihh dp VA ZIG
and running back and forth between
me and his mistress.
The first thing to do is to bring a
doctor. / find the telephone receiver
lying on a table beside the instrument.
/ call up the central office and for
physician from the town over the Hill
to the southwark, then lifted Mrs. Rob
49,
neighbors for help. 1t is fully twenty
minutes before the first one arrives.
Thank heavens, it is a woman! A few
minutes later man comes. ! wait no
longer. ] am burning with thirst to
strike the perpetrator of this outrage. /
I do not stop to learn IL property has
been taken by which | may identify
him.
"Fool"' ] exclalm. You should |
have killed the dog. Come, Brur
Going downstairs three steps at a
/, time. l turn In at the barn, put bri- |
= die on horse and, not waiting to sad !!
die him, with the pitchfork as my
only weapon. sally forth. Bru has |
gone on with his nose to the ground. |
He's not bloodhound. but is hunter,
and that is nearly as good. I question /
IL the man has twenty minutes start.
On the way Bru raised his head and
gave a low growl, but lowered his
nose again and on overtaking man
walking passed him without notice.
The man looked at me curiously. Then
1t occurred TO me that | must be a
caricature of knight Grant, without
saddle and a pitchfork instead of a
lance.
Bru ran. trotting a little beside
him. Having noticed the blood he had
lost, l wondered how he had the
strength to go on. | feared he would
give out before we could overtake the
fugitive. He smelt revenge as well as
the villain. and doubtless this kept
him up. If ever a dog had the in ;
stinct that man may feel for venge- ,
ance it was Bru.
Presently he left the road and. !
crawling through a fence. entered a ,
thicket. could not follow mounted.
so throwing the reins over a post l !
Bibtttdtd WI 1toNs bttitNth Ahhl VIC &
were nearing the end. for the man [
would not 20 far through the tangled T
underwood. He had doubtless gone in a
there TO hide. ~
growl from Bru and the sound of 4
breaking bushes. both where he was Z
and ahead of him. Beating aside the I
brush l strained every muscle to get on. v
I was not far behind the dog and the o
dog was not far behind sound Of
breaking underbr1Ish. He was giving
sharp, quick barks. He burst into an
open space. I after him.
A man on the other side Of the open- =,
Ing had turned and was leveling pis- =
tol at the dog. But Bru. giving furious 7
eapS. was a hard mark to lift. The !,
first ball did not touch him. and there :
was no time for another. Bru sprang
'or the mans throat. With his left
land he attempted TO push Of the dog.
With the other he was trying TO draw al
/ knife. He had got IL out and was \
bout to make lunge az the dogs n
'ody. Just under the forelee. when ]. p
vho am more expert with a pitehfork
han any other weapon. caught bis arm
'etveen the two prongs This gave n
lru full swing. and he buried bis teeth q