Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-10-06

/ VI tHe COWS nau got out or the harm
! lot and wandered across the crAot
The bridge was but a few bundrsa
1 yards away, but Halvor ordered ,bs
! dog across the stream after them.
The shepherd went to the edge OF IN.
| icy water, but refused to 90 fartber
He ordered him In again and again ana
finally, furious at his refusal. ptcke6
up pitchfork handle and hit the doo
between the eyes. knocking him dow,
The Animal was On his feet in a.,
instant and with snarl Of rage sprarz
furiously at bis masters throat. Hal.
vor again swung the handle, this tjnns
blindly; but, fortunately for him. h.
again hit the dog in the forehead and
with such force as to stun him for
several seconds.
The shepherd finally got up. shoox
himself and walked slowly away
HaIvor leaned against fencepost
feeling trife weak, not so much from
fear OF the dog as from the look In bis
eyes when he sprang at him
Twelve years before, on the beach
at Halleberg. he had faced such look
from Johann Jorgenson, who fercely
struggled to free himself from the men
who held him that he might again at.
tack Halvor, whom he accused OF re-
fusing, though In a boat near BY. 10
heed the cries of himself, his father
and brother when they had been run
down in their heavily loaded fishing
boat the night before in a storm by
tourist steamer coming up the ford
One night as Halvor was coming
down the valley road from sinai
town about six miles north of his farm
be saw in the moonlight against the
snow dark form running swiftly
through the trees along the hillside
above him. 1t had the gait and appear
ance of a gigantic wolf, but he In
stinctively knew it TO be his dog. he
whistIed and called. but it neither
slackened its speed nor looked around.
In a few minutes it had disappeared
over the ridge.
He thought OF his grandmothers
tales of the werewolf. the man wolf.
who could change from man to wolf at
will He had been thinking of these
tales often lately. Her stories of war
locks, the storm wind and sea trolls had
never so impressed his childish mind
as these.
When told on a stormy December
night in half whispers, the low room
lighted only by the open fire. the sea
raging on the shore before the house,
the wind moaning through the trees
on the mountain side behind. he could
wildly see the werewolf-the man in
the wolf form-skulking along the edge
of the forest and watching the village
for his enemies.
He had all the ferocity of a wolf and
the cunning of a man. He was the
hunter who never fails" Halvor
knew his American neighbors with
their automobiles and telephones would
laugh at such an idea, but he had been
raised by the sea and had all the su-
perstition of seafaring people deeply
implanted in him.
The refusal of the dog to eat fish
confirmed his fears,
Johann Jorgenson would never eat
fish. explaining laughingly that as he
spent about sixteen hours a day with
hem it was too much like eating his
friends.
Halvor now found it necessary TO
watch the dog all the time; he never
urned his back to him for an instant
AS week after week went by the
train showed in his appearance-gray
,egan to appear in his hair, his face
,ecame more haggard.
One gray January afternoon he was
hopping on a hillside. with the dog
itting in the snow Il short distance
way. watching him.
He was wondering how much longer
e could continue under the present
tate of affairs. He must end it some
ray. Perhaps one of his neighbors
Guild be persuaded on some pretext
, attempt TO shoot the dog.
The idea appealed TO him; he thought
over carefully. He became SO en-
rosSed with it that he forgot for some
linutes TO look up. Just as the large
ID oak that he was choppinG was
bout TO fall he raised his eyes and
NV the dog was not in view.
CHANGING fearfully over his shoulder.
? saw that which he had so long eS-
ected TO see-the dog within a few
'et of his back,
With Il startled cry he sprang for
ard, but in so doing slipped on the
Y hillside and tumbled directly under
q falling tree.
When he was found many hours
ter by the party of neighbors with
nterns. who had been summoned by
5 wife. he was pinned fast under the
ee trunk and had apparently been
nd for hours.
His dog was shot that same night
lille attempting to enter IL sheepfold.
4 farmer living some miles north
Gunderson'S identified the dog as
g that he had formerly owned and
NJ had run away the previous spring
ter having been whipped for worry
: sheep