Evening star., 1921-09-18

strained ahead. He was crazy to have
sent the boy out today. What could
fifty SteDhens do in an emergency like
this? Then he thought of the broken
to milling around, it was inevitable
that they could plunge down the slip
perry sides. What foo, he had been
never to have mended that renee.
with the bitterness Of which only
just man is capable zeke flayed him.
starve to death for his pains.
At the gate from the lane to the
"a meadow stood Stephen. vainly
urging the red COW with the white
hairs to start homeward. The storm
had taken a mean advantage of him.
for the cows had been scattered all
over the meadow.
Lead on with this one" Zeke
shouted. TN round up the others"
''Ye can't. ye can't" stephen
screamed. his voice a shrill piping
above the wind. "Theye all over
ANY over by the ditchg' zeke
shouted.
IT 'spect so. maybe" the boy an
swered. Seems like there bout a
thousand of them cows now"
storm soudded a distant barking. be-
coming each moment nearer and near
er. Down the lane to the meadow a
dog came bounding. Tail straight
| out. he seemed scarcely to touch the
stranger. my dog"
The dog had reached him now. and
Stephen dropped down on his knees.
his arms around the beasts neck.
while the dog squirmed and yelped
with joy and Tapped his face.
| Then Stephen caught the eye Of the
man beside him. He stumbled to his
feet. Here was his chance to make
5sn he asknSW1edge .hs SO1 the d9E hsn kim
He knows all about cows"
zeke was skepticai. An unframed
Stephen read the hesitation in the
mans face. He was desperate for ::
method Of establishing the dog in
pleaded. Let him stand guard. He'll
see nothin' happens. 1 know. he's
done it afore.''
This was no time to waste words
and Zeke yielded. "All right" he
said. Take him over there. then
I'll follow with the rest
Stephen did not wait to answer
Half blinded by the snow. the boy and
dog raced on till they found the ditch
sa and the broken broken, fence; . Stay here re-
spHs" don!s You moves move. eood.Sy. your ie
| Twice the boy looked around
straining his eyes. but the Stranger
was not visible, his body swallowed
up in the whiteness of the storm
But a sharp bark and then another
He could be trusted.
i Returning to the lane, Stephen
! found the red cow and two others
zeke ordered him to start on. Call
my dog when you co. Stephen
BY the time Zeke drove the last Of
the COWS into the shed the road to
the meadow had become fairly i'm
passable. Great barricades of drifts
interseeted it.. between which the
ground lay naked and brown. Like
full of freaks At the kitchen win
dow Stephen and Hephxibah waited
for Zske and the Stranger. Don't
you believe he'll let me keep him
now?" the boy pleaded. '"He helped
anothe5 iSiM5uSe soy.a Ike a man. or anyway"
"Praps So" Heph.ibah pacffied
Now don't get ndEeted. Wait and
see." In her heart she did not think
the thing unlikely. Zeke possessed a
curious streak Of justness. II the dog
l
something to the dog.
l. zeke appeared at last. his face as
bronzed from the wind as the skin OF
a sailor. But there followed nc
Stranger. Stephen met him at the
VI my doe Se eries
''The Stranger, you didn't leave him"
Zeke Preston was no actor.
That first quick look of surprise be-
+, trayed him. He had forgotten the dog
In the frantic haste to drive back the
last of his herd, it was no wonder he
had not remembered that lonely SEN
| tinel.
"He amt there now" zake's pro.
test carried little conviction. Like
as not he's skipped down the road to
HATS: Nothin' but a cur" he
You forgot him and he'll die!" The
boys voice was hard, all the passion
hurnsd out nov. With a face in which
were graved lines too deep for any
to the window. One reaches q point
beyond which 1t In impossible to suf-
fer more. With q dried:up feeling In
his heart the boy watched the TEN.
pest. In the kitchen % he heard the rat.
food came to his nostrils.
DINNERS on" she said finally
'fYou better eat somethin'." But she
did not urge him. Hephstbah too knew
the sharpness of frst grief, tor life
had not dealt kindly with her either
| u + Il +
r IKE prison days the hours dragged
IL and the early winter twilight
closed in. Finally Zeks dragged on
his heavy boots, buttoned up his over
coat and pulled down his fur cap.
.'whers you soin's' Hephsibat,
asked.
ssro the barn." A whirl Of snow
swept in before he could slam the
door behind him.
II Hephsibah Preston had ever had
any children Of her own she might
have known how to comfort stephen.
Finally she brought out the dough-
nut Jar and the gooseberfy jam; Ihs
goesebsrry lam was very special Ste.
phen had tasted 1t only once.
"Just try to eat little snack OF
this" she pleAdsd. There was some
thing pathetic In her eaEerness.
stephen looked at her and atFuG-
gled to smile. II couldn't eat nethtn,,
3. Aunt M,sRa...iassh.' he answered y
Hapk1iSch nut back the best Jan,
and rekVilt the ARE. Then there was
silence Ia the kitchen.
"zeke's been gone = long time,