Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1914-12-23


farm near Seaton. Wis.
Halyor thought of the last time that
be and Johann had spoken to each
other on the beach at Halleberg. twelve
years ago, when Johann said that he
would settle his account with him IL
it took a lifetime. Seaton was but
twenty-five miles north of Gunderson's
place, and in this country of easy COM
munication he would soon learn of
him.
AS the days went by Halvor brooded
more and more over this disconcerting
news. He watched all passing teams
with feverfsh anxiety. Naturally Of
morbid temperament. he gradually
grew more sullen and morose. His
horses and cattle felt the effect of this
change and Stunned him even more
than before.
One cold November morning several
of the cows had got out of the barn
lot and wandered across the creek.
The bridge was but a few hundred
yards away. but Halvor ordered the
dog across the stream after them.
The shepherd went to the edge of the
icy water, but refused to go farther
He ordered him in again and again and
finally. furious at his refusal picked
up pftchfork handle and hit the dog
between the eyes, knocking him down.
The animal vas on his feet in an
instant and with snarl of rage sprang
furiously ut his masters throat. Hal
vor again swung the handle, this time
blindly; but, fortunately for him, he
again hit the dog in the forehead and
with such force as to stun him for
| several seconds.
The shepherd finally got up. shook
| himself and walked slowly away.
| Halvor leaned against fencepost.
| feeling trifie weak, not so much from
fear of the dog as from the look In his
| eyes when he sprang at him
Twelve years before, on the beach
| at Halleberg, he had faced such look
| from Johann Jorgenson, who fiercely
struggled to free himself from the men
who held him that he might again at
tack Halvor. whom he accused of re-
i =
| 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 small
| town about six miles north Of his farm
he saw in the moonlight against the
| snow a 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
| whistled and called, but it neither
slackened its speed nor looked around.
In few minutes 1t 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 montain side behind. he could
| wildly see the werewolf-the man in
| the wolf form-skuIking along the edge
of the forest and watching the village
| for his enemies.
He had all the ferocity of wolf and
| the cunning of a man. He was the
hunter who never fails" Halvor
knew his American neighbers with
| their automobiles and telephones would
| laugh at such an idea, but he had been
! raised by the sea and had all the SUI
| perstition of a 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 day with
| them it was too much like eating his
| friends.
Halvor now found 1t necessary to
watch the dog all the time; he never
| turned his back to him for an instant.
As week after week went by the
strain showed In his appearance-gray
began to appear in his hair, his face
| became more haggard.
| One gray January afternoon he was
chopping ON hillside, with the dog
sitting in the snow short distance
away, watching him.
He was wondering how much longer
he could continue under the present
state of affairs. He must end it some
way. Perhaps one of his neighbors
could be persuaded on some pretext
to attempt to shoot the dog.
The idea appealed to him; he thought
it over carefully. He became so en-
crossed with 1t that he forgot for some
minutes to look up. Just as the large
,o1 nai, that ha wac phnDpinp was