The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1922-07-15

gree he was a misunderstanding littl
yellow cur Of mixed ancestry and Ia
habirs that Is. he had been all Til
when Kathburn found him six month
bofore and championed his cause in
quarrel With Il crowd Of roughs II
Mike Swnncys saloon Since then h
had developed into n Well behave
little benst with pnir OF wistful eye
TINT looked unutterahlr love
Rathburn had rescued the dog tina
day IN the saloon more to thWart th'
designs Of Pete MulIgan. the head o
the gang and nm old enemy. than fo
any compassion for the dog itself
but after he had taken the little ami
null home ne rather enjoyed the slnv
ish devotion wilhelm the dogs mine
seemed evidently to be the only fiji
return for 50 great a service rs had
been done him. For some months
therefore Rathburn pcttcd the dog
fed him. taught him 70 speak and &c
beg" and made Of him M almost
constant companion AT the end nf
TINT time. the novelty having worn
Thin. he was ready as he expressed
4 1t to himself "to call the whole thing
off" and great was his disgust that
1 the dog failed to see the affair I'm the
\ same light
/ For some time, Rnthburn endured
+ the primitive whlnes. the questioning
eyes. the frequent thrusts Of n cold
little nose against his hand: then he
determined to end II all
"Stub. come here he called sharp
~, his right hand seeking his pocket
With a yelp Of JOY the dog lenped
forward mot for days had his master
voluntarily noticed him.
Rathburn raised his pistol and took
careful aim. His eye was steady and
his hand did not shake. Two feet
away the dog had come to sudden
halt. Something In the eye or I'm the
leveled weapon had stayed his feet.
He whined, then barked. his eyes all
the while wistfully demanding an ex-
PLANTATION. Suddenly, his gaze still
fixed on his masters face. he rose
upright on his launches and held be-
fore him two little dangling paws.
There was n silence, followed by n
muttered oath, ms the pistol dropped
to the ground
"Confound my babyishness !" snarled
Rathburn. STOPPING and pocketing his
weapon. zone would think I'd never
seen n gun before"
This was on Sunday On Monday
Rathburn took the dog far up the
trnil.
want dog?" he said to a low
browed, unkempt man sitting at the
door OF squat cabin.
"Well. ! don't. amt buyin' dogs
these days"
"Yer don't have ter buy this one"
observed Rathburn meaningly.
The other glanced up with sharp
eyes.
"Humph Bitter" he snapped.
Kathburn shook his head
"Sick OF him." he returned lacon-
ically. Like his room better'n his
company"
"Humph!" grunted the other Then |
TO the dog: Come here, sir, an let's
have a look ut yer
Five minutes later Rathburn strobe |
down the trail alone, while behind |
him, on the other side of the fast shut |
cabin door, bnrked and scratched a
frantic little yellow dog
Tuesday night. when Rathburn came
home, the first sound that greeted him
was joyous bark, as quvering.
eager little creature leaped upon him
out Of the dark
On Wednesday Stub trotted into
town at Rathburn's heels, and all the
way down the struggling street he
looked neither to the right nor to the
left. so fearful did he seem that the
two great boots he was following
should In some way slip from his
sight. And yet. vigilant as he was, the
door OF Swaney's saloon got somehow
between and left him on one side
barking and whining and running like
mad about the room. while on the
other his master stood juggling the
two pieces of silver In his pocket
The price Mike Swnney had paid for
his new dog
Halfway up the mountain side Rath-
burn was still chuckling, still jingling
his coins
When man pays money" he was
saying aloud. as he squared his shouI-
iers and looked across the valley at
he setting sun. when man pays
money he watches out. reckon Stub
las gone fer good. sure thing. this
imel" And yet-long before dawn
here came a whine and a gentle !
cratch mt his cabin door: and al
hough four times the dog was re-
urned To his new owner, four times
'e escaped and nosed the long trail /,
hat led to the cabin on the mountain
ide.
After Stubs fourth desertion the
aloon-keeper refused to take him |
gain, and for week the dog lay I'M ,
lolested in his old place in the sun
Inside the cabin door, or dozed be- {
ore the fireplace ut night. Then O
bestlrred himself and made |
ne last effort, taking the dog quite '
yer the mountain and leaving him (
ed to tree
AT the end of thirty six hours. Rath- 3
urn was congratulating himself at h