Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-03

And he never bit deep into 1t. for once
he had been salmoned, and with Wal
ly's help had lived through; and he
knew fishbones as we'll as fish.
AS soon as his salmon showed signs
of behaving, the dog plunged into the
river again. Wally had not seen Dag
get. Now he heard him.
Look here, Dad" Dagget called.
Get your dog out, will you? How can
I fish with him chasing around In
there?'
Wally had wanted only one salmon.
Now he wanted two. Got as much
right to the river as you have" he
bawled. ''Go get 'em, Maj"
Dagget waded in. From his creel he
took tzum salmon-a small steelhead
and deliberately baited his barbed
ganghooks with it. Then he cast the
steelhead beyond the dog. Slowly he
dragged the f1oundering fish across the
current In front of Major. He fished
for the dog.
Major dived for it. Wally's yell split
the air. The old man came running
from log to bank, bank to Dagget.
Dagget was soft-faced from much
shaving cream and pink under his
showed on his chin. His hands, mon
key-like. were small and black haired.
Wally yelled the dog out Of the water.
His long arm unwound. Dagget
hurtled and fell.
His lips bleeding. a tooth slanted out
Of position, he CROPPED in his khaki
pocket as he got up. Wally was on
him. yelling and smashing with his
thin. hard knuckles.
You ratp' he screamed. Yell catch
my dog on a hook! Yen let him swal-
lnr
Dagget was down again. Wally
seized the dog, who had scrambled out
and charged.
Pull that gun!'' croaked Wally.
Pull 1t, We skunk. Ye can hook me,
Mister, but We can't hook my dog. Pull
your gun. Ye can't shoot us both fast
enough"
Making wordless, choking sounds.
the dapper salesman got up. This time
the automatic was in his hand. Wally
released the dog. He stepped close to
the gun and crashed his fists into Dag
gets face. The salesman went down
again. On the rocks the gun clattered
and exploded. Wally pulled Major
from the mans throat. Muttering,
picking up the salmon as he passed,
he stalked across the log and climbed
the mountain to his cabin.
A FTER q aked-salmon dinner. old
Wally that night sat before the
red Goals in his smoke-stained cabin.
Major lay beside him. Wally, in his
homemade easy chair. lifted his feet
to the woodboX and unlaced his spiked
muleskin shoes.
In the argument with Dagget Wa1ly
had received a three-cornered tear in
one knee of his overalls. His skinny
leg showed in the Pickering light from
the fire. "Gol hing, Maori Wally
complained. Hate to be always patch
in. Wisht the widowd patch for US,
Major"
Long he stared into the embers.
He was uneasy. He arose and swab-
bed out his rifle with a ramrod. Elk.
cept that he was clean shaved. he
resembled a cartoon of Uncle Sam.
Now and again he looked to the queer
flvepaned window. Beyond it all was
black. He frowned, and sometimes
addressed his thoughts to Major.
The dogs head rested on one fore
leg. When Wally talked, Major lifted
his head. regarding his masters eyes.
When Wally was silent, Major laid
his head down and dozed.
"Somethin' worries us, man." WaIly
said. lost in a dark study. He
searched back over the days events.
Maybe it's Mis- Purdom. But we
can't live down there on what were
maxim :. Major, that Tom panther
this mornin', now, he might have had
your throat. Major. Good old man!
But I got to git ye that studded
collar. I'll git ye warden's badge
an fix 1t on the collar. The old
Comment then"
He chose q catalogue and looked at
the dog collars again, while his
thoughts idled back over the morn
ing's hunt. Major, trailing and tree
ing a cougar, had brought Wally to
the tree with his deep-lunged music
Wally's shot had just missed the
heart, puncturing the cats lung. Be.
fore Wally could reload the cougar
slant a swirl and hubbub replaced
dog and cougar. Shaking free, the
cougar had taken form again. whirled
and launched in a sidelong leap at
Wally himself. With a puny knife
blow Wally met the leap. Then 1t
was that Major with a rush struck
the cats head. hurting him away. In
his chair before the fire. Wally drew
deep and loud breath.
Good man. he said. Major arose
and laid his head on the old mans
bony knee. You come close to gittin
minced. But I can't lose We. You
know / tooken an hunted fer two
years to get the skins to buy We. Best
dog ever made. A COMMENT dog We
is. man, an named fer a young officer
I fought Indians with
The old man growled and cursed
"Gol hing! Col hingn remembering
Dagget and the gang-hooks. At ten
o'clock Major stretched like sagging
rope and walked to the door. A long,