St. Tammany farmer., 1921-12-24
TheGirla a
Horse and
a Dog
BY
FRANCIS LYNDE
Copyright BY Charles 9crtbneT = Sons

er two Of them one Of having the feel
ing that I was shut in a tight box at
the moment Of the fercest struggling,
and the other Of fancy1ng that l had
felt sWirling thrush Of the liquid ice
as well as the sucking outrush. But
the recollection was so confused that
/ attached no Importance to It, When
a man is fighting for his life ten or
twelve feet under water, pipe-dreams
are nothing to the things he can i'm
agine.
It was while we were sitting at the
shaft-house door, hammering away at
the old puzzle Of why the water level
never varied SC much as fraction Of
an inch in the shaft, in wet seasons or
dry-as Daddy testified it never did
and why the subtraction Of two six
inch streams at velocity sufficient to
stir up veritable whirlpool at the
suction intakes should make no i'm
preston upon it, that I began to no.
tice the queer actions Of the pie-faced
collie, Barney. First he would come
and stick his cold nose into my hand !;
then he'd trot over to the cabin and
back, and maybe loaf a little way down
the road toward the bench level. Com
ing around to the shaft-house again
he'd sit beside Daddy Hiram, yaWning
and painting as II he were waiting I'M
patiently for us to stop talking and
pay some attention to him.
Poor old Barney's homesick, and I
don't blame him." said. I'm feeling
good bit that way, myself, Daddy"
Then to the dog: "Come here, old
boy!" .........-.. ....~
The collie came to lick my hand, and
while was petting him I found a
pretty bad cash just behind one Of his
ears.
"See here, Daddy" 1 broke out;
"the dogs hurt J"
We examined the wound and decided
at once that it was not bite. 1t was
bruised cut, looking as If it had been
made by some blunt instrument or
weapon. had hot-fash vision of
Bullerton kicking the dog with his
iron-shod heel In an attempt to drive
him back home, and it was so real that
I couldn't shake it off.
When it began to grow dusk in the
shaft-house we shut up shop and went
over to the cabin to cook our supper.
The dog went along, but evidently with
reluctance. While we were crossing
the dump head he turned back and
once more started off down the road
toward the bench below, but when he
he came to heel again. Still, neither
of us had dog sense enough to guess
what was the matter with him.
Daddy Hiram and I, being merely
stupid humans, were commenting upon
his queer actions, and laying them to
Jeanie's absence, when again the dog
started off down the road, looking
back and barking when he found that |
we were still sitting on the doorstep.
At that, since even solid ivory can be
penetrated If the would-be driller Of 1t |
stays on the job long enough, we final
ly caught on.
"Say, Stannie he's a-tryin' to tell
us to come on!" Daddy exclaimed,
starting to his feet. "Methuselah-to-
gracious! did 1t have to take us hull |
endurin' afternoon to fgger out that |
much dog-talk?"
1T looks that way" admitted; but |
loW, having fingered" 1t out, we made |
40 delay. Daddy got his rifle and cart
ridge-belt, and told me to take Jeanle's |
pistol for myself-which I did. And |
:hus equipped we took the trail, In
1ian-filing down the mountain road in
he darkness, Daddy Hiram, with his
gun in the crook Of his left arm, set
ling the pace, and the collie running
on ahead to point the way.