Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1918-03-06
AMan and
His Dog
BY Julia Nance



Copyright. 1917, Western Newspaper Union.)
Charing Thornton was not an cas-
lily satisfied young man and the work
men employed by him to repair and
put in order the beautiful old country
place left him by q rich aunt laDOred
for fully six months before he was sat
isfed with the results. But today the
last carpenter had gone to his home in
the village and Thornton with pipe
in mouth and hands in his pockets had
strOiled slowly over the lawn, viewing
the gables from all pOints-and he
pronounced the work good.
at took time and thought" he re-
marked aloud to the clean-limbed, big
eyed mastif Nero, his constant COM
panion, "but it paid, old chap. The
old place hasn't looked so well for
generations. I'll wager, and the re-
suit justifies all the time and money
spent. Don't you think SOP"
The dog wagged his tail and looked
up into his masters face as if to ac-
quieSce in both statements, and the
young man, with q final appreciative
glance at the great mansion half
buried among the trees, led the way
down a winding little bride path to
the river that ran about the foot of
the grounds.
81 ought to remember where that
swimming hole is" he continued.
Don't you recOll@ct how we used to
spend the whole afternoons in the
water, Nero? Or was it your father
yybo rJovnJ with mo whom T J-oc 81 how
here? Time flies so fast that I cannot
separate one generation OF dogs from
another" and he laughed as he patted
the dogs smooth flank. Another turn
in the pathway brought them within
sight of a quiet little pool in the wind
ing river and Thornton struck his thigh
approximately.
''Here it is, by Jove!" he cried, mot
q thing changed. The same smooth
rock where we used to UNDERSTAND,
by the powers above, some one is TAX
ing q dip now, for there are his
clothes -
The young mans gray eyes had
caught sight of q small pile Of clothing
resting just where he had dropped his
own, many time, years before. Be
fore the two had taken another step,
the sound of steady, gentle splashing
came to their ears, and q moment later
curly yellow head appeared from
around q slight bend in the river, while
the CLEAN of two white, Well-shaped
arms showed through the water. A
CHEEKY, girlish face looked at Thorn
ton for q moment, and then the little
swimmers expression changed, and
with a cry of surprise, she turned and
started quickly for her hiding place.
But before Thornton could utter a
cry Of warning to the child, the treach-
erous whirlpool, which he knew only
too well, had caught her and drawn
her beneath the surface. Thornton
sprang to the edge of the stream and
threw off his coat. He heSitated q
second to make sure that the child
was being taken away from shore, and
then plunged in. Nero, thinking it
some new game, followed quickly and
master and dog swan swiftly to the
spot where the child had disappeared.
But before Thornton reached it, the
great dog had realized the seriousness
of the affair, and as the girls head
with the pale face, and the big eyes
closed, came to the surface again, the
intelligent dog swept past Thornton
and thrust his nose under the white
arm nearest him. Then he turned and
made his way back to shore, the half
unconscious child clinging to his great
neck. Thornton, too astOnished to
speak, followed as fast as he might
and lifted her out of the water as Nero
reached the shadows. She did not
speak or move, and Thornton, who had
had experience in such matters before
caught up his coat, wrapped it about
her, and began to shake her gently
Presently the big blue eyes opened
1angudly, and the little lungs, relieved
of the water, began to breathe again.
'YOu are safe now," said Thornton,
reassuringly. eve are going to put
you to bed, between some warm
blankets and
He stopped, for there in the pathway
above them stood a girl whose fresh,
pure beauty fairly took his own breath
away.
"What has happened?" she cried,
catching sight of the child in Thorn
tons arms. 'Is she hurt? On, darling,
what have you been doing?" and she
ran forward, Thornton motioned her
back gently. "She was in the water"
he said, "and we frightened her. She
went under, and we got her out. She's
safe now. If you will kindly bring
her frOck and things L will carry her.
She is far too weak to walk, and too
heavy for YOU"
The girl whose face was Drettier