Evening star., 1927-05-22
By
Emma.Lindsay Sqnier

| look steadily. unfiinchingly, as was his
wont For the first time a doubt that
the dogs integrity came to his
mind He knew Caliban's great
strength, knew that the dog could
have carried the baby as easily as he
had carried the lamb.
| And the garbage pile-there was a
grim humor in that which pointed to
| Caliban's line of reasoning. Cndesir-
able things were thrown out there;
| things put upon the garbage pile were
| never brought back into the house;
therefore. If the baby were put out
there with the rest Of the rubbish.
''Caliban. you fiend," said Leon Sur.
prenon. between clenched teeth. Yet
he could not beat the dog. The evi.
dence was only circumstantial.
| Had the thing happened to any
one else's child, he would have
| laughed heartily at the story. But
| to him 1t was not so funny. Anything
might have happened to the child. The
dog might have dropped it. or stray
wolves might have come down out of
the woods. The baby might have cut
its hands terribly on broken glass or
rusty tin cans.
"Caliban' said Leon Suprenon
sternly, you have spoiled my belief
In you. l will never be able to trust
you again"
The great ugly dog stared at him
with those glittering. close.set eyes,
then turned away abruptly and lay
down. IT was as If he accepted the
defeat of his plans. the humiliation,
the loss Of his masters trust, with
stoical resignation. 1t was almost
as if he had shrugged his shoulders.
NOV there came the Winter--a lean,
terrible Winter, when the wolves
howled about the ranch, sometimes
becoming SO bold as to come close to
the barns, and corrals. and the house.
The Spring was late, and, even
when the snow began to melt and the
first warm breezes to come up from
the South. still the bowling of the
wolves was heard on the distant hills,
and still tracks were found in the
crusted snow about the barn and the
sheep corrals.
One day in the Spring an urgent
message came to Amelie Surprenon,
begging her to come to a neighboring
ranch, where woman lay in child
birth.
She could go only on horseback
anu tiic llcSu IOL IlcI heip Was 1IT-
minent. She saddled her horse her.
self, for the men were out on the
ranges. Then she hesitated as TO
leaving or taking the baby.
But Leon had said he would return
at noon. and the sun was then almost
at the zenith. She scribbled a note
for him. put the baby in the bedroom
in the little crib which Leon had made
for il and shut the door.
Then she mounted her horse and
rode hard and fast to the woman who
was in need of her.
Leon Surprenon did not get the
note. A hint of sickness had come
upon some Of the sheep and he
worked all through the morning and
late into the afternoon with sheep.
dip and sprays.
When he was about to return to
the ranch house. one Of the men told
him that he had seen Amelie riding by.
at noon. in the direction of the
Pourers' ranch. Leon frowned a bit.
He did not like to have Amelie ride
alone. especially on the forest roads.
He flung himself upon his horse.
shouted to the men to go on with
across the fields TO ride home with
Amelie.
He met her just as she came ou:
of the door.
''Such sweet little baby boy" she
called TO Leon. as he rode nearer.
Then her face clouded suddenly.
THE baby-our baby" she said
uncertainty. "You did not leave him
alone""
Leon stared back at her, his fore.
head wrinkled.
"The baby" he repeated. why,
surely. Amelie, he is with you?'
For an instant she did not reply.
A. slow fear was dawning in her heart
that stretched her eyes wide and made
them hard and CLASSY.
"No--no,' she almost whispered.
II left note--I thought YOU would
come home at noon. The baby then
he Is there alone-perhaps with
Caliban-" Her voice died away, as
If she were afraid of the name she
had spoken.
Leon tried to laugh, to make light
of her fears. But his lips were bit
stiff, and he breathed hard as he
helped her into the saddle.
"Come, come, Amelie, you worry
too much. The little one will be quite
well--you~ shall see-only very hun
Cry perhaps, and exercising his small
lungs terrifically. AS for Caliban--
Amelie slashed at her horses fiank
with a whip. Her face was white.
Where was that dog-that terrible
beast, when YOU came away? she
gasped, as they galloped down the
road.
IL don't know" Leon jerked out
erimly. as if thinking aloud. II can't
remember seeing him-yes, yes, he
stood looking away toward the ranch
house, | remember now that he
barked once--then trotted away. ]
thought he was rounding up sheep.
/ did not call him back"
The girl groaned. "Oh grand Dieu,
guard my baby. He is in danger.
tell you, Leon; l feel it, ! know
it. That beast-that horrible beast.
Oh. my baby. my little baby"
She lashed her horse with frenzied,
hysterical hands, and the startled
animal reared and plunged forward.
Fast, faster, the slender hoofs pound
ed through the snowy slush OF the
| road, and Icons horse followed
breathing hard and straining at the
bit.
They did not speak again, the hus
band and wife, but rode, rode as II
for the saving of a life.
TT was Amelie who dismounted first
l. when, at the end Of that wild ride
| her horse came to stop, painting and
trembling. She dashed the unlocked
door wide open, and, an instant later
| a wild scream sent the blood ebbins
! from Icons face and made his hands
| numb clods Of flesh as they fumbled
| for the gun in his belt.
| The scene he saw, as he stumbled
through the hallway, turned him sick
with a deadly nausea Of horror and
| despair.
Amelia lay fainting in the open
doorway of the bedroom. An empty
cradle, an open window. with muddy
tracks on the sill. told dreadful story
But the thing that made him cry out
savagely, hoarsely, was the dog-Caii