Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-02-06

himself babe Reck into 4he trainers
buggy and watched the dog ride away
with wistful eyes turned backward.
Westley's wife was more concerned
than he; and he forgot his own anx-
iety in reinsurance her
There are a thousand methods for
the training of bird dog and each
man prefers his own. There are some
dogs which need much training; there
are others which require little or
none.
Reck was SO nobIy bleoded that the
instincts of his craft were deeply
bedded in him. On his first day in the
alder swamps with Proutt he proved
himself to the full. Proutt was a dog
beaten, as all men know but he did
not beat dogs which obeyed him. and
he did not beat Reck. This first day
he was merely trying the dog.
Reck found a bird and took staunch
point, steady as rock. 1t was not
yet October, the season was not yet
open; and SO Proutt had no right to
shoot. Nevertheless, he did walk UP
this bird. and flushed it from where
knocked it over before 1t topped the
alders.
Reck stood at point till the bird
rose; when its whlstilng wings lifted
1t. his nose followed it upward, fol-
lowed its fall. But he did not
stir. did not break shot; and Proutt,
watching, knew that this was indeed
When the bird had fallen, Proutt
said softly: "Reck! Fetch dead bird"
Now. this is in some measure the
test OF setter. There are many
settlers which take a natural point
and hold 1t; there are some few which
are also natural retrievers without
training. Reck had been taught by
Westley's children to fetch sticks or
rocks at command. He knew the
word.
He went swiftly forward and
brought the woodcock. scare ruffled,
Proutt took the bird. and stood still.
looking down at Reck with a darkly
brooding face. Considering, weighing.
After a little he began to
curse softly, under his breath; and he
turned and stamped out Of the alder
run. and babe Reck to heel, and went
home. And Reck trotted at his heels.
tongue out. painting happily. .
There are many ways by which the
devil may come at a man. One of
them is through hatred, and another
way is to put helpless thing in that
mans hands. If the good in him out
weighs the bad. well enough; but If
the evil has ascendancy, then that
man is utterly lost and damned.
Proutt hated Wesley; Proutt had
in his hands Reck, dog by Wesley
well-beloved. And Reck was plant in
Proutt's hands, both because Proutt
knew dogs and because Reck was by
nature tractable. eager to please. anx-
ious to do that which he was asked to
do. The combination presented itself
to Proutt full clearly. as he walked
his homeward way that day. and it is
to be supposed that he fought out
what fight there was within himself
during that long walk. and through
the evening that followed.
That Proutt had some battle with
himself cannot be denied. No man
sets out to destroy a soul without
first overcoming the scrup1es which
bind him: and there were scruples
in Proutt. There must have been.
He loved dogs, loved fine dogs. and
Reck was fine. Yet the destruction of
Reck's honor and reputation and life.
these were the ends which Proutt set
himself to bring about. at what pain
to his own heart no man may fully
guess. 1t can only be known that in
the end his hatred overweighed all
b7else. that he threw himself into the
thing he meant to do.
X + X y
ID Eek. as has been shown, needed
~ no training for his appointed
work. Yet Proutt kept him, labored