Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1917-05-03
CHAPTER I.
The Miracle.

Kazan lay mute and motionless, his
gray nose between his forepaws, his
eyes half closed. Yet every drop OF
the wild blood In his splendid body
was racing In a ferment Of excitement,
every nerve and hber Of his wonder
ful muscles was tense as steel wire.
Quarterstrain wolf, three-Quarters
husky" he had lived the four years
of his life In the wilderness. He had
felt the pangs Of starvation. He knew
what II meant to freeze. He had
listened to the wailing winds OF the
long Arctic night over the barrens. His
throat and sides were Scared by bat
tie, and his eyes were red with the
blister Of the SHOWS. He was called
Kazan, the Wild Dog, because he was
a giant among his kind and as fear
less, even, as the men who drove him
through the perlls Of frozen world.
He had never known fear-until
now. He had never felt In him before
the desire to run-not even on that
terrible day in the forest when he had
fought and killed the big gray lynx.
II was his first glimpse Of civilization.
He wished that his master would come
back into the strange room where he
had left him. 1t was u room filled with
hideous things. There were great hui
man faces on the wall, but they did
not move or speak, but stared ut him
IN q way he had never seen people
look before.
Suddenly Kazan lifted his ears q
little. He heard steps, then low voices.
One Of them was his masters voice.
But the other-it sent little tremor
through him! Once, 80 long ago that
It must have been in his puppyhOod
days, he seemed to have had a dream
Of q laugh that was like the girls
lnugh-a laugh that was all at once
filled with a wonderful happiness, the
thrill Of a wonderful love, and a
sweetness that made Kazan lift his
head as they came In. He looked
straight at them, his red eyes gleam-
ing. At once he knew that she must
be denr to his master, for his masters
arm was about her. In the glow OF
the light he saw that her hair was
very bright, and that there was the
color Of the crimson bakneesh vine In
her face and the blue OF the bak-
neesh flower In her shining eyes. Sud-
denly she saw him, and with little
cry darted toward him.
"StopI" shouted the man. "He's
dangerous! Kazan-"
She was on her knees beside him, all
fluffy and sweet and beautiful, her
eyes shining wonderfully. He saw the
man running forward, pale as death.
Then her hand fell upon his head, and
the touch sent a thrill through him
that Quivered In every nerve Of his
body. With both hands she turned up
his head. Her face was very close,
and he heard her say, almost sob
bingly:
"And you are Kazan-dear old IA
ian, my Kazan, my hero dog-whO
brought him home to me when all the
others had died! My Kazan-my
hero"
And then, miracle Of miracles, her
face was crushed down against him,
and he felt her sweet, warm touch.
In those moments KazHn did not
move. He scarcely breathed. II seemed
a long time before the girl lifted her
face from him. And when she did,
there were tears in her blue eyes, and
the man was standing above them, his
hands gripped tight, his Jaws set.
II never knew him to let anyone
touch him--with their naked hand" he
said in q tense, wondering voice.
Move back quickly, Isobel. Good
heaven-look at that"
Kazan whined softly, his bloodshot
eyes on the girls face. He wanted to
feel her hand again; he wanted to
touch her face. Would they beat him
with a club, he wondered, II he dared
He meant no harm now. He would
kill for her. He cringed toward her,
inch by inch, his eyes never faltering.
he heard what the man said-"Good
heaven! Look at that"-and he
shuddered. But no blow fell to drive
him back. His cold muzzle touched
her flmy dress, and she looked at him,
without moving, her wet eyes blazing
like stars.
"See!" she whispered. See"
Now his muZzle Travelled slowly up
ward-over her foot, to her lap, and
at last touched the warm little hand
that lay there. His eyes were still on
her face; he saw a queer thrObbing In
her bare white throat, and then a
trembling Of her lips as she looked up
at the man with q wonderful look. BE,
too, knelt down beside them, and put
his arm about the girl again, and pat
ted the dog on his head. Kazan did
not like the mans touch. he mis-
trusted II, as nature had taught him
TO mistrust the touch Of all mems
hands, but he permitted II because he
saw that II in some way pleased the
girl.
Kazan, old boy, you wouldn't hurt
her, would your" said his master soft
~. I'VE both love her, don't we. boyf
Can't help II, can wei And she's ours,
Kazan, all oursI She belongs 70 you