The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1920-01-01

Adrian Blair paced the dusty cOun-
Try road just beyond the limits Of Elm
wood in the somber and dissatisfied
mood. Ee had been discarded by
woman who had attracted him, but
heart
Miss Blanche WOrden had been to
him model of worthy girhood-until
he had found her out. The shock had
come devastatingly. He had really
liked the peerless beauty. One day
he had covertly coaSed her pet and
favor:te, dimihutive black and white
Fiji, a novelty among CANNES. to fol-
low him from the WOrden home pre-
paratory to embelishipg the animal
With pretty collar.
1T will give me an excuse to hurry
back and pass another delightful
hour with Blanche" he feicjtated
himself Then missing his tiny COM
panion he began search that ended
in complete disappointment. That
was an hour of scurrying and veXa-
ton for Adrian. He offered every boy
he met liberal reward for the re-
covery of Fiji. Then, crestfallen,
somehow fearful, he went to the Wor-
den home.
1t was his last visit the very last.
Adrian had seen pettish girls in Il
tantrum, but it was nothing to
Blanche. She went into Mysteries
over the loss of her pet. She up
braided Adrian and scolded him,
stamped her pretty foot, her face
grew set and vicious looking. She
finally fell back upon resentment. In
fact she dropped the mask Of urban
ity completely, and when Adrian
called the following morning she was
not at home, and before the week was
out he knew that she had dismissed
him as a sutor ard that Wallace
Trcgo vas now her favored chcv"li"r.
Eff was lost to Blanche and she
lost to AflriaM When he came to
think matters over s;fsibiy, however,
he was convinced that he had scored
4 lucky escape from a siren with 4
bad temper and Of nitting loyalty. lie
did not exactly fancy being pointed
to as a discard speedily superseded.
He held but one further communica'
indite formal note stating that
neither time, money nor diligence
should be spared to recover the lost
Fiji Later he went for a week of
rest and reorganization of his dis
t,lrbed faculties TO the little town ot
Elmwocd The road he now trav.
ersed was part of his regular '.aiiV
hike He strobe along, swinging his
walking stick, when scUdding figure
flashed pass him. 1t was that Of a:
tiny animal wearing a blanket mae"
of some light material. This did not
so completely cover the creature ti!'t
Adrian could not make out color ana
form.
"Fif." he shouted, and started
after the flying animal. but when he
had gone hardly fifty feet, through III"
open gateway of a farmhouse 4 great
maStiif came plunging with a SAVAGE
groWl. seized the little ANIMAL tore Us
blanket to tattrrS. threw Fiji in the
air, and was about to seize it again
in it's vicious jaws when Adrian
reached the spot and gave the aggrp>'
sor a rap that sent it bowling ont Of
view. !
you poor little eXile!" spoke :
Adrian sympathiZingly as lie tonk ny
the trembling, whimpering refugee :
and then the cloth fragments scat
tered upon the ground. He noticed a
spool of thread and some pieces of
lace. AS he placed these in bis
pocket a boy passed him.
Say, mister" he observed. "that's
Amy Pearce's oog. She lives just
where the road bends.'
Fiji Struggled conlidingly in the arms
of his rescuer and there was reward
for Adrian's kindness, for when he
had located this Amy Pearce he
found himself in the presence of
lovely creature of eighteen who
listened to his story with tremuIous
agitation.
''Fiti was picked up shivering and
crying in a ditch by uncle on his last
trip to the city" she explained. "lle
is dear. true friend, for I've trained
him so that whenever l see anything
at the town store my cousin owns,
just pet note in the pocket of the
blanket and what / order comes back
the same way"
The bright, lovable little maiden
sat Gown and cried as if her hcart
would break when Adrian explained
wher., Eff had come from He tried
to comfort her by hoping that the rea!
owner of Fiji might he influenced to
allCiv the animal to remain in IFS
new home, and when he went to the
city the next day memory Of the
innocent wild rose face of Amy Pcarce
urged him to plead her jat any
cost. Adrian sent IA enissary to in
terview Miss Worden. He returned
with queer expression on his face.
''aIss Worden says if anyone wants
Eff for ten dollars they can have