Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1921-07-28
cHAPTERIII-contlnued.


He looked up, and the whole weird
picture was thrown upon the retina of
his eyes. The coyote was still racing
straight toward Dan, a gray demon
that in his madness was more terrible
than any charging bear or elk. For
there is an element of horror about
the insane, whether beasts or men,
that cannot be denied. Both men felt
At, with chill that seemed to pene-
trate clear to their hearts. The eyes
famed, the white fangs of Graycoat
caught the sunlight. And Dan stood
erect in his path, his rife half raised
to his shoulder; and even in that first
frenzied instant in which Lennox
looked at him. he saw there was
strange inpassiveness, a singular i'm
perturbability on his face.
"Shoot, mani Lennox shouted.
H'What are you waiting forH"
But Dan didn't shoot. His hand
whipped to his face, and he snatched
off his thick-lensed glasses. The eyes
that were revealed were narrow and
deeply intent. And by now, the fren-
zied coyote was not fifty feet distant.
All that had occurred since the ami
NAL charged had possibly taken five
seconds. Sometimes five seconds is
Just a breath; but as Lennox waited
for Dan to shoot, it seemed like
period wholly without limit. He won
dered if the younger man had fallen
into that strange paralysis that
great terror sometimes imbues.
''Shootv he screamed again.
But it is doubtful if Dan even heard
his shout At that instant his gun
slid into place, his head lowered, his
eyes seemed to burn along the glitter
ing barrel. His finger pressed back
against the trigger, and the roar of
the report rocked through the summer
air.
The gun was of large caliber; and
no living creature could stand against
the furious, shocking power of the
great bullet. The lead went straight
home. full through the neck and slant
ing down through the breast, and the
coyote recoiled as If an irresistible
hand had smitten him. 1t is doubtful
If there was even a muscular culver
after Graycoat struck the ground, not
twenty feet from where Dan stood.
And the rifle report echoed back to
find only silence.
Lennox got up off the ground and
moved over toward the dead coyote.
He looked a long time at the gray
body. And then he stepped back to
where Dan waited on the trail.
81 take it all back" he said simply.
"You take what backG"
"What 1 thought about yOu-that
the Failing line had gone to the dogs.
I'll never call you tenderfoot again.
But tell me one thing. l saw the
way you looked down the barrel.
could see how firm you held the rifle
the way you kept your head. And
that is all like your grandfather. But
why, when you had repeating rifle
did you wait so long to shoOtT
81 just had one cartridge in my gun.
didn't think Of 1t until the coyote
charged"
Lennox's answer was the last thing
In the world to be expected. He
opened his straight mouth and uttered
a great, boyish yell of JOY. His eyes
seemed to Light. The eyes Of the two
men met, and Lennox shook him by
the shoulder.
you're not Dan Failing's grandson
you're Dan Failing himself" he
shouted. "No one but him would have
chad self-contrOl to wait till the game
was almost on top of him-no one but
him would have kept his head in q
time like this. You're Dan Failing
himself, I tell you, come back to
earth. Grandson nothing! You're a
throwback, and now you've got those
glasses off, 1 can see his eyes looking
right out of yours. Step on 'em Dan
You'll never need 'em again. And give
UD that idea of dying in four months