Evening star., 1924-08-26
CONTINUED from Yesterdays Starr

In point Of fact. the cuff was rare.
ly administered. The masters voic.
was sufficient. BY it White Fans
knew whether he did right or not
BY it he trimmed his conduct and
adjusted his actions. 1t was the com.
pass by which he steered and learned
to chart the manners of new land
and life.
In the Northland, the only domest-
icated animal was the dog. All other
animals lived in the wild. and were
when not too formida BILE. lawful spoil
for any dog. All his days White Fang
had foraged among the live things
for food. 1t did not enter his head
that in the Southland it was other
wise. But this he was to learn early
in his residence in Santa Clara Val
ley. SauRtering around the corner OF
the house in the early morning, he
came upon chicken that had ESCAPED
from the chicken yard. White Fang's
natural impulse was to eat it. A
couple of bounds, a flash Of teeth and
frightened squak, and he had
scooped in the adventurous fowl 1t
was farm-bred and fat and tender;
and White Fang licked his chops and
decided that such fare was good
Later in the day. he chanced upon
another stray chicken near the stables.
One of the groomS ran to the rescue.
He did not know White Fangs breed,
so for weapon he took a light buggy
whip. At the first cut of the whip,
White Fang left the chicken for the
man A club might have stopped
White Fang, but not whip. Silently.
without flinching, he took a second
cut in his forward rush. and he as
leaped for the throat the groom cried
-ya hn1 l.
ward. He dropped the whip and
shielded his throat with his arms. In
consequence, his forearm was ripped
open to the bone.
The man was badly frightened. 1t
was not SO much White Fang's fero-
city as it was his silence that un-
nerved the groom. Still protecting
his throat and face with his torn and
bleeding arm, he tried to retreat to
the barn. And it would have gone
hard with him had not Collie ap-
peared on the scene. AS she had saved
Dickk"s life she now saved the
groom"s. She rushed upon White
Fang in frenzied wrath She had
been right. She had known better
than the laundering gods. All her
suspicious were justified.
Here was the ancient marauder up
to his old tricks again.
The groom escaped into the stables
and White Fang backed away be-
fore Collie's wicked teeth or pre-
sented his shoulder to them and cir
cled round and round. But Collie did
not give over, as was her wont, after
a decent interval of chastisement.
On the contrary, she grew more ex-
cited and angry every moment. until,
in the end, White Fang flung dignity
to the winds and frankly fled away
from her across the fields.
He'll learn to leave chickens
alone" the master said. But / can't
give him the lesson until | catch him
in the act
Two nights later came the act, but
on more generous scale than the
master had anticipated. White Fang
had observed closely the chicken
yards and the habits of the chickens
In the night time. after they had
gone to roost, he climbed to the top
of pile of newly hauled lumber
chicken house. passed over the ridge
pole and dropped to the ground in
side. A moment later he was inside
the house and the slaughter began.
In the morning when the master
came out on to the porch so white
Leghorn hens, laid out in a row by
the groom, greeted his eyes. He
whistled to himself softly. first with
surprise and then at the end with
admiration. His eyes were likewise
greeted by White Fang. but about the
latter there were no signs of shame
nor guilt. He carried himself with
pride, as though, forsooth, he had
achieved deed praiseW and