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

with him daily, for close to four long
weeks. as all fraternity men knew.
None saw that, training. 1t was
/ known that Proutt took Reck far
farms were all deserted, and no man
was like to come upon him. But
he had done that with dogs before, for
lwoodcock lay thick in Sheepscot' val
ley. Once or twice men heard, the
barking Of a dog in that valley; and
there was a measure Of pain in the
notes. And three times men met
Proutt driving homeward, with Reck
| lying weary and subdued upon the
floor OF the buggy. scarce fit to lift
his head. 1t was remarked that
Proutt was more dour and morose
than ever; and Lee Motley thought
the man was aging.
One. man only. and that man Jim
Saladine, caught some inkling of that
hunter; and toward mid October, with
a shotgun under his arm for luck's
sake. but never a buckshot In his
cartridge pocket, he went one day into
| the Sheepscot valley to search out the
land. Deer lay in the swamps there;
the coming season. He moved slowly
and quietly as his custom was; ears
and eyes open. And he saw many
things which another man would
never have seen.
Two things he saw which had sig
nificance. Once. in a muddy patch
along the Sheepscot's brim, he came
upon a deers track: and other tracks
beside it. A mans track. and dogs.
| Jim studied these tracks. They were
| sadly muddled; and he could make lit
tie of them. But he was sure Of this
much-that man and dog had been at
tentive to the tracks of the deer. And
| this CT in Jivyo'c mind hecanSp
| dog in Fraternity has any business
| with the track of q deer, and no man
may justly set a dog upon such track.
Later that day Jim was to find some
| explanation for what he had seen.
| Where Fuller's brook comes into the
half mile long and half as broad;
| and near the lower end Of the
| meadow half a dozen alders group
| about a lone tree in the open. Deer
and moose. coming up the Sheepscot
valley. are like to cross the stream
below and then traverse this meadow:
I and Jim Saladine stopped under cover
at. the meadows head-it was near
| dusk-to see what he should see.
He saw what you may see any day
along the Sheepscot. and what. by the
| same token, you may go a weary year
without seeing. He saw a deer. a
| proud buck. come up from the stream
and follow the meadow toward where
he lay. 1t passed the isolated alder
| clump, and something there gave it
! alarm; for Jim saw its head lift-saw
| then the quick leap and rush which
carried the creature to cover and
away.
saw something else. Out from the
alder clump burst q man. driving be-
fore him a dog. Dusk was falling,
! Jim could see their figures only dim
ly. But this much he saw. The man
urged the dog after the deer. with
waving arms; and the dog. ever look
! ing backward shamefacedly. trotted
! slowly off upon the trail. the man
still urging from behind.
| They slipped into the brush where
the deer had gone. and Jim caught no
| further glimpse Of them.
| Now, Saladine was an honest man,
who loved the deer he hunted; and he
J was angry. But he was also just
man, and he could not be sure whom
| he had seen. So it was that he kept a
| still tongue, and waited. and through
the weeks that followed he watched.
patiently enough. for what should
come.
He meant in that hour to take hand.
| With q week Of October left, Proutt
took Reck home to Wesley. West
ley was mot there. but Mrs. Wesley
marked Proutts lowering eye. and