The Pageland journal. [volume] (Pageland, S.C.) 1911-1978, 1917-08-08
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
BEAUTY and THE BEAST

stone front 1t darted out from the side
In perfect fury Of angry
excitement and pursued him with par
oxysmal barkings the entire length of
the low fence that separated the lawn
from tho street. A day or two later
the same thing occurred. This time
Wistrom made a threatening demon
suadon with his umbrella. It was an
unwtse thing to do. for 1t did not have
soothing effect on the little animal.
which from that time forth seemed to
lie In wait for the young man, who
lived only few doors away. The mo-
ment he came In sight that brown.
halry streak would shoot from the
passage, leap at him, all but scaling
the tiny pickets, and raise such a
ciamor Of hatred that it seemed tho
whole street must be alarmed. Wis
uom became more and more resent
ful. The dog got on his nerves.
One morning as Wistrom started out
ne noticed that the front gate of the
house with the stone front had been
left open. He gripped his umbrella
lightly and took a deep breath as he
heard the preliminary yelp Of defiance
at the passage entry. The next mo-
ment the dog was at the fence and tho
next he had discovered the open gate
ana was out on the sidewalk at Wis
trom's heels. Wistrom stopped. Tho
dog retreated, still barking furiously ::
he went on and the dog was again yap-
ping at his heels. Then, without turn.
Ing. Wistrom brought his umbrella
around with vicious force and-oh,
1oyl-caught the dog on the ribs.
"Oh, you coward!"
1t was clear, youthful feminine
voice. Wistrom looked up as the
mousse door slammed and q girl with
very pink cheeks and abundant yellow
halr"a very pretty girl-came running
down the steps and caught up the
howling dog In her arms.
How could you be so cruel as to
nit poor little dog like that?" she de-
manded, turning an indignant pair of
very blue eyes ON Wistrom.
II didn't exactly mean to hit him
80 hard" lied Wistrom in some confu.
sion. You see"
But the girl turned her back on him
contemptuously and ran up the steps
and into the house, carrying her pet
with her.
1t was a remarkable thing, but Wis
from Instantly regretted hitting the
dog.
All day long he thought Of the girl
with the blue eyes and yellow hair and
the more he thought Of her the more
poignant became his regret. After all,
on eminent authority. it was the ma
ture and delight Of dogs to bark and
bite and why should they be struck
with an umbrella for following a pure
ly natural impulse7
For weeks Wistrom looked In vain at
the house as he passed for some sign
OF the pretty girl. He did not even see
the dog. On Sundays. when he was at
home all day, he did nothing but sit
by the window watching to see her.
Some time soon. he thought, the chance
would come, and then
1t came at last, that chance. Wis
from was walking down an obscure
street one afternoon when he saw q
foriorn and mud-caked little dog that
was slhvering and whining disconso-
lately In the shelter Of a doorway.
There was something familiar about
the dog, Wistrom thought, and he
stopped to look at 1t more attentiyely.
Yes. 1t was certainly the dog. II there
had been any doubt about it the way
he snarled and snapped when Wistrom
stopped to pick him up would have in
stantly dispelled it. Undoubtedly the
dog had strayed away.
Well, muddy and wet as he was.
Wtstrom slowed him underneath his
coat, to the coats and a white waist.
coats ruin, and half an hour later he
was ringing the bell Of the house with
the stone front. An elderly woman an
swered the ring and went into ecstasies
Of delight at the sight Of the dog. It
was quite q touching reunion. She
the elderly lady-was most grateful to
Wistrom, too, and so pleased to learn
that he was a neighbor. The poor dog,
she explained, had been confined to the
house in consequence Of a ruffianly
young hoodlum having abused him,
and so being let out for exercise had
scampered of.
Wistrom coughed behind his hand.
"Your daughter will no doubt be glad
to see her pet again." he said. politely.
my daughter7"
I-er-supposed the young lady to
be your daughter" said Wistrom. "a
ra thar fall vouno ladv uytfh hlno
eyes"
"Oh." said the lady Of the house,
that was my niece, who was making
me visit a few weeks ago. She went
back to Dubuque and was married last
Thursday. A lovely girl"