Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-01
TO THE RESCUE
By Albert Pdyson Terhune
of Heroim, for
zen

/ The water was freezing on his shag-
! gy coat: he was bleeding from ice
cuts on paws and chest. He was pant
| ing and tired from the terrific eX-
ertion. But his care seemed to be
| wholly for the woman who had saved
| him from death. Through her own
daze of self-astonishment, Nesta oh.
| served this. She caught the look of
utter worship and gratitude in his
odd feeling of happiness. And again
| she fell into wonder at herself.
The puppy had scuttled away as
soon as he had gotten out of the water.
/ But the collie did not stir from the
girls side. Up into her face he was
looking with alteration. A wry smile
twisted Nesta's lips.
You're wasting your time" she
told him, unconsciously speaking as
if to another human. Il got you out
of the water. That's all / can do for
you, There's no sense in your hang
ing around me any longer"
**
A s she spoke, she resumed her fast
homeward walk. The collie's
plumed tail had wagged appreciative-
~ at her tart words, whose purport
meant nothing TO him. Now he fell
into step at her side, once more &C.
commodating his pace to hers, thrust
ing his cold muzzle lovingly into her
cupped palm. The touch startled
Nesta, SO tender was its caress and
so full of trusting affection. She
stopped short. eying the dog bemuSed.
ly. Then she said more sharply:
Go home. ! don't want you. l told
YOU there's nothing more to be gotten
out of me. A man wouldn't have
needed to be told that twice. A man
didn't need to. You're only a dog, so
you're stupider than he was. Go
home"
Steadfastly the collie gazed up into
her face as she harangued him. His
look gave her queer feeling that he
was not deceived by the crossness of
her words, but that he read past them
into the lonely soreness of her heart
The fantastic notion would not be
laughed away. Moreover as she
moved on he trotted again at her
side.
II don't like dogs" she told him
grumpily. Il don't want you with
me. Go home"
AS before, she felt he was disre-
garding her comma nd because he read
past 1t and because of the unhappi.
ness in her heart She shrugged her
shoulders and walked faster. Pres
emily she stopped before the gate of
a shabby bungalow, deep in a shady
lawn.
II live here she said. turning on
the collie. Now that you have seen
the house, perhaps you'll be wise
enough to do as the man I told YOU
about. He called here only once
after we had to move down to this
place from the Terrace. Once was
enough"
She hurried up the frozen walk.
On the veranda steps she paused.
I'm foolv' she announced to the
dog. IF I wasn't I'd drive you away
with a stick. And if you weren't a
fool you wouldn't wait to be driven
away. Come in, If you want to-"
She unlocked the front door and
passed into the living room. An
elderly woman glanced up at her
from chair beside the fire. At sight
of the collie the woman stared in
blank establishment
"Ernesta Breen." she exclaimed.
You haven't-you surely haven't
been wasting your tiny income on
on a dog?'
NO. Aunt May" answered Nesta.
Il only wasted chance of drowning
Nothing as precious as money.
pulled him out of the river. He fell
in trying to save another dog from
being drowned. / don't know why /
bothered to fish him out But 1 did.
And he seems to think that he be.
longs to me. l didn't ask him in He
came"
But you're never going to keep
him? Why, great, big brute like
that eats as much as
''As the people who forget to come
and see us since we went broke? Per.
haps he does. But he's ever SO much
more welcome to it. / never thought
about keeping him till you spoke of
1t. But | am going to. If he'll
stay"
For the first time in a long year
Nesta Breen found something to be
keenly and non.morbidly interested in
Despite herself, she realized she had
genuine affection for the great dog
she had saved. In her gross ignorance
of canine nature, the collie's quickness
of brain astounded her.
She had no way of guessing his
name. After trying in vain to make
him show recognition of such hack
neyed appellations as Towser and
Tige land Rover and the like. she
named him anew. She chose March,