San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-01-14

1t began with gap in a line fence.
he gap should never have been there.
or on the far side Of it roamed crea-
Tres whose chief zest in life is the
nding of such gaps and in breaking
rough for forage.
The Places acreage ended, to north
ard, in the center of an oak grove
hose northern half was owned by one
titus Romano, a grabbed little farm
of the old school. Into his half Of
pe grove, in autumn when mast lay
lick and rich amid the tawny dead
ayes, Romaine was wont to turn his
srd Of swine.
To Lad, the giant collie, this was al
avs a trying season. For longer than
could remember, Lad had been the
fficial watchdog of the Place. And
IS chief duties were to keep two-footed
H-four- footed strays from trespassinS
lereon.
To an inch he knew the boundaries
the Masters land. And he knew that
human intruder was to be molested,
long as such intruder had the sense
walk straight down the driveway
the house. But woe to the tramp
other trespasser who CHANGED TO
PINE, crosslots, or to wander in any
ay off the drive! Woe also TO such
OCCASIONAL cattle or other livestock as
Fitted in from the road or by way of a
usual fence gap!
Human invaders were to be met in
rastic fashion. Quadruped trespass-
S were to be rounded up and swept at
gallon up the drive and out into the
ghroad. With cattle or with stray
Drses this was an easy job; and it
pntained, withal, much fun-at least,
Dr Lad
But pigs were different.
Experience and instinct had taught
ad what few humans realize. Name
that of all created beasts. the pig
the worst and meanest and most
cious; and hardest to drive. When
horse or a COW, or drove of thcm
andered into the confines of the Place,
was simple and joyous TO head them
II, turn them, set them into n gal
p and send them on their journey at
p speed. 1t took little skill and less
ouble to do this. Besides, it was gor-
Bous sport. But pigs!
When porker wriggled and bunch
and nosed a space in the line fence,
hd slithered greasily through. Lads
ork was cut out for him. 1t looked
mple enough. But it was not simple
or was it safe.
.s,sr-te first instance, pigs were hard
start running. Oftcner than not
ey would stand, braced, and glare at
orcoming collie from out their evil
tie red-rimmed eyes, the shouts above
hideous masked tushcs quivering
ridly. That meant Lad must circle
EN- at whirlwind speed, barking Il
underous fanfare to confuse them, and
atching his chance to flash in and
ear or flank; or otherwise get the
utes to running.
And, even on the run, they had an
Iy way of wheeling, at close quar-
RS. 20 face the puTSuer. The razor
she's and the pronged forcfeet were al
avs ready at such times, to wreak
ath on the dog, unless he should have
wit and the skill and the speed to
ange. in n breath, the direction of his
sh. No, pigs were not pleasant tres
ssers. There was no fun in routing
en-, And there was real danger.
Except by dint of swiftness and Of
ain, an SO-pound collie has no chance
ainst a compound pig. The pigs
de, for one thing, is too thick to
cree with an average slash or nip.
ie pig is too close to earth and too
Unbalanced by build and weight TO
overturned. And the tushes and
reject can move with deceptive quick
IS. Also. back of the red-rimmcd
tie eyes flickers the redder spirit Of
Irder.
Locomotive engineers say COW on
* is far less perilous to an oncom-
train than is a pig. The former
be lifted by the impact and flung
Sqe side. 4 pig, oftener than not
rails the engine. Standing with the
TX of its weight close to the ground,
is well-nigh as bad an obstacle to
aims as would be a boulder of the
me size. Lad had never met any
gineers. But he had identically their
inion of pigs.
In all his long life the great collie
never known fear. At least he
yer had yielded to it. Wherefore
the autumns, he had attacked with
zest such of Titus Romaine's swine
had found their way through the
hce.
But, nowadays, there was little
oush of gay zest about anything Lad
did. For he was old-very, very
He had passed the fifteenth mile
Ine. In other words, he was as old
a dos as is an octogenarian for
pn.
Almost imperceptibly, but to his in