Evening star., 1926-05-09
AS A DOG SHOULD
Ump Had the Reputation of Being Useless Lap Dog.
Bv Charles Alexander

around it. lie examined everything
with his eyes: there were a Thousand
things to see, and each, to Ump,
was crammed with battling memories
and with wisps and shreds and sug-
gestions Of memories that had never
before come alive within his brain.
Suddenly, from clump of vine
maple, a horrible torrent of maledic-
tions poured on him-coarse curses,
jeering screams. gutteral threats.
Down the tree trunk a brown body
flashed, leaped to a log, stared at
Ump. That was yellow-bellied pine
squirrel. and far above another squir-
rel purred and chirruped. The camp
robber jay that had cursed him went
off into another thicket, mOckery and
ridicule floating back.
imp. eyes fastened on the round
eyes of the squirrel. boiled with eX-
citement. The shadowy, shaggy
things were Undertaking.. He stood
frozen. glaring at the yellow-belly;
the latter glared down from the log,
jerked his body nervously. sat up
and shrieked defy at Ump. The
squirrels teeth were bowed and
curved like little sabers. His blue
brown fur was mysteriously soft.
"a SlClJ at IL tS SAuNN CAA
the squirrel, imp crept over the
brown moss. He came TO the log.
The yellow-belly stopped, barked at
him, jerked right and left to startle
Cmp and worked himself into a fury.
And thereat Imp made his mistake.
lie backed off.
Like a flash the clustering squirrel
leaped, being careful to land well
away from imp. But imp, at the
leap. was suffocated with terror. He
turned and ran.
RACK at the camp the four busy
~ people were treated to a rare
sight. imp. a white, frightened ball.
fed for the tent.
One jump behind him. coming in
great, sailing bounds, was fat vel
low.belly. At every jump toward
Ump's heels the yellowbelly barked
his righteous indignation. At every
bark imp fed the faster. And when
he shot inside the tent. burying him
self in a. pile Of blankets. the squirrel
stood up and hurled his choicest
abuse at the white tent.
The doctor roared until he was
weak. He sat down and roared: then
he lay in the fern and continued to
roar And finally. propped on an ell
bow. he called imp forth and merci-
lessly kidded him:
You're some dog, now, aren't you
imp? A regular hedog. BY golly,
you'll show these fuzzy monsters of
the forest what it is to meet up with
a real mans dog. But you want to
be careful. This is a wild and dan
gerous neck O. the woods. A mouse
might catch YOU out alone and bite
your ears off"
Ray and Mrs. Ray laughed Alene
comforted her pet.
Don't you mind them. imp. YOUR
all right, and you and I know it,,
don't we? Besides, he can kill things.
I've seen him"
II never saw him kill anything but
warm milk. What did he kill?'
We'll. it was only a beetle. But
1t was big beetle. shiny and horrible
imp boxed it with his paws. Then
he bit it,
Good for imp" cried the doctor,
"I'll buy him a medal"
Besides. that was an awfully big
squirrel. He looked mad. too. And
he had the-the drop on imp"
II hope to tell you" chuckled the
doctor. THAT is. he almost-and
would have, if imp hadn't broken the
canine speed limit. l never saw him
move like that before even at meal
time. You're all right, imp. Any
dog that can project himself through
space like that deserves a pension. .
imp looked his reproach. escaped
from Alene. and hid within the tent.
He had wanted to defend his master.
TO fill his place as a dog should. And
at first danger he had fed.
In the tent he stayed until nightfall.
Then he nosed his way out at the back
of the tent. and around the edge Of the
shadows that the fire before the tent
threw into darkness. AROUND the
fire the campers sat on canvas stools,
the doctor with a book in his hands.
Ray meditating on the trout possibili-
ties of the river.
81 secuted down it a ways he said.
"Fine water. There's a deep place
under bluff. just below the end of
that dead snag. where there are some
big beauties. But YOU can't get 'em
out of that water. It's clear as glass.
"Oh. yes, you can if you do 1t
right" drawled the doctor. ''Sneak
up or EN- and tease 'em to the top"
You'll have 10 show me-" said Ray.
I'm not going to waste time there.
But l saw some monsters in that
pool"
The doctor smiled. and made his
own plans. FIe read some ancient
knowledge out of his book, felt very
we'll satisfied, and led the retreat to
the cots.
Yer, perhaps. the wisdom that he
found in his printed pages did not
compare with what imp felt abroad
,irrI, 1,oG
climbed the snag again and crouched
hidden among it's roots, staring into
the black forest. Long into the night
he lay motionless. teeming inwardly
with thrill after thrill.
X x X
REHIND him the fern lay in pillows
A. like a silver sea. The air brought
TO his nose 100 wild tales. From
everywhere came voices, voice upon
voice. yet strangely combining in one
continuous undertone. In the wall of
the night before him were eyes
flashing green or burning red like
Goals, and always in pairs, always two
by two. The whole night was eyes.
The vast blue-black sky blinked with
them. And there, too. they seemed
always to blink in pairs.
UnQef tne IOTeSl were OCcdSiOIld
rustlings. when red eyes swirled to-
gether, and at times a squall came
from afar. Somewhere arose the kit
tenish meow of a lost fawn; later the
bleat and snort of a doe came, and
angry snarls.
Silvery wings floated down: above
imp a wood bat had caught a hawk
moth, clipping his wings off in flight
The little lapdog's blood pounded. He
felt near to bursting. Here, around
him, in shadowy shapes, were the liv'
ing things whose calls had come to
him even in the valley. He was fac
ing them, the things he should. as a
loyal dog, face for his sleeping master
Before the tent the fire died down to
embers; around Ump life in all its
olden meanings held forth. He heard
a scratching on the log. Far down it
q 1itbo Sbano Clintod 0Cer and he