Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-02-06
MINE ENEMY'S DOG

FRATERNITY mas liot CHANGE
hundred years: yet is there
always some new thing in Fra
j ternity. 1t may be only that
Lee Motley's sow has killed her PIGS
or that choleric old man Varney mas
larruped his thirty-year-old son with
an az helvc. or that Jean Bubier has
bought sixyeariing steers. But there
il always some word Of news. Tor the
nightly interchange in Will b'sseh
store. before the stage comes in win
the mail. You may see the men gatner
there, a little after milking time. COM
ing from the clean, white houses that
are strung like beads along the nVe
roads which lead into the village. -
muscular, competent lot OIL men M
their comfortable. homely garments
And they sit about the stove, ana TAIN.
and smoke. and spit. and laugh AT inc
tales that are told
Fraternity lies in a country OF little
towns and villages. with curious
names something more than century
old Liberty is west OF F'raterni's'
Union ia to the southwark, aFreedoin
and Equality lie north and west. wen
enough named, these villages 700.
Life in them flows easily; there Is no
ereat STRIVING after more things than
one man can use. The men are CON
tent to get their gardening quickly
done so that they may trail the orocks
for trout: they hurry with their WIN
ter's wood to find free time for WOOD
cock ana Partridge: and when the snow
lies they go into the woods with trap
for mink or hound fo- fox.
Thirty years ago there were FARMS
around Fraternity. and the land was
clear; but young men nave gone, anu
old men have died; ana tne e.o o'I havs
taken back the hand. There are moose
and deer in the swamps. and q ~no-
cat or two, and up In Freedom man
killed bear a year ago.
THE hills brood over these villages.
L blue and deeper blue from range
to farther. range. There is bold
loveliness about the land. The for
ests, biotched darkly with evergreens
or lightly splattered with the gay tops
of the birches, clothe the ridges In
garments of somber beauty. ioWAfu
sunset a man may stand upon these
hilltops and look westward into the
purple of the hills and the crimson
of the sky until his eyes are drunk
with looking. Or in the dark shadows
down along the river he may listen 10
the trembling silences until he hears
his pulses pound. And now and then:
with a sense Of unreality, you VIII
come upon a deer along some oio
wood road; or a rabbit will fuster
from some bush and rise on Launches,
twenty yards away.
The talk in Will Bisselfs store
turns. night by night. upon these crea-
town; and by the same token the talk
Is filled with speech concerning dogs.
The cult Of the dog is strong in Fra
ternity. Every man has one dog. some
have two. These. you will understand
are real dogs. No mongrels here: no
dominant the English setter. gentlest
and kindest and best natured OF all
breeds: and, In second place. the lop-
cared hounds. A rabbit hound here
and there; but not many OF these
Foxhounds more often. Awkward.
low-bodied, heavy dogs that will new
ertheless nose out fox and push him
hard for mile on mile. These are not
such fox hounds AZ run in packs for
the sport OF relocated men. These
are unitarian dogs; their function Is
to keep tho fox moving until the
hunter can post himself for a shot.
A fox skin Il worth money; and cash
money 10 scarce In Fraternity. rs In
all such little towns, and very hard
to come BY
90 the dogs are free Of that tempta-
ton: but there are deer. The deer
il sacrosanct. to be taken only with
rifle and ball and by . woodcraft that
bests the wild thing ut its own game:
No dog may Justly chase q deer: and
may leEalisbe shet by any man.
Men wtthoux conscience and dogs
without houDr Nf31.hux the
deer. in se41on- 6nH 6R ..HetereheleS
deer running 10 for the dogs OF Fra
ternity the black and shameful crime.
They were talking dogs, on q cer-
tain night In late September. In Will
Bts0ell.o st4ee. A dozen men were
there; snos& 30 them from the village
itself. two or. three from outlying
farms Jfm md Bert Saladtne. both
keen hunters Of the deer. who killed
side by side Against the candy counter.
and Andy W&ttles sold them licortce
sticks. Lee Motley had driven down
from his farm above the Whitcher
Swamp: and11ea Bubier had come tn
from the heaA Of the Pond: and there
was Gay Hunt; and there was George
Freeland, ana two or three besides.
Proutt was one Of these others. Pfoutt
Of South Frh4ernfty. q farmer. fox
hunter. and = trainer Of setter dogs.
ternity man. appointed within six
months time to be game warden for
the district; q gentleman well liked
in spite Of his thankless Job: q man
with q sense Of humor. q steady and
persistent courage. and = kindly
This night, a. 1t happened. was to
be the beginning Of the enmity. be.
tween Proutt and Wesley. One-sided
ut hrst this i'll feeling. Two-sided at
the last. and bitter enough on either
side. A strange thing. dramatic
In "a A~wA1nnNnAnt A. IN n
numbered among the old mems tales
that were told around the stove.
Proutt, the dog trainer, was man
who knew dogs. None denied him
that Yes they would say: "Prout.ll
gifts done with your dog, your dog'n
mind." II you scented some reserva-
tion in word or tone. and asked q
question. you got no explanation. But
your informant might say casually:
"Hepperton's q good man with dog.
Persistent inquiry might have
brought out the fact that Hyperion
never whipped a dog: that Proutt
knew no other method. Lee Motley,
who loved dogs. used to tell an moi
he would explain. After woodcock.
we was. He was breaking a two
year-old. Nice a dog as 1 ever see.
First bird. she took a nice point: but
she broke shot. He had him raw
hide strap: and he called her in and
] never see q dog hurt worse. And
after that he couldn't get her out
from under his legs. Amt been out
with him since. Not me-
Pfoutt was not liked. He was a mo-
rose man, and severe. and known to
nurse q grudge. But he turned out
dogs which knew their business. and
none denied him this. So had he his
measure Of respect; and his neighbours
minded their own affairs and kept out
Of the mans harsh path.