Evening star., 1927-11-20
By Max Brand

open: g. terrible voice was shouting:
'Take him, Blondy!" -.
Blondy, with a moan Of Joy, rushed
in again; his teeth clipped over the
Jaws did not close. For, even in this
extremity, Gripper only whined and
wagged his tail the harder. Blondy
"You quitterw yelled Peter Zinn.
"Take him, Blondy"
Tho tail Of Blondy tipped from side
to side. to show that he had heard
He was shuddering with awful eager.
ness, but Gripper would not stir. :.
coward! Coward! Coward" snarled
Blondy. "Get up and fight. Here
am--half.turned away--offerine you
the first hold-if you only dare to
take it"'
Never was anything said more
plainly in dog talk, saving the pitiful
response of Gripper: Here ! lie; kill
me IL you will. am an old, old man
with worn.down teeth and broken
heart"
Blondy stopped snarling and trem'
bling. lie came a bit nearer, ana,
with his own, touched the cold nose
Of Gripper. The old dog opened one
"Get up" said Blondy very plainly.
But, II you dare to come near my
buried bone again. I'll murder you.
And he lay down above that niousn
treasure, wrinkling his eyes ana lon
inc ont his tongue, which. as all dogs
know. Ia a sign that little Samboi
and play will not be amiss.
Dad" cried Oliver Zinn. He won
touch old Gripper. Is he sick!
Come here.' thundered linn. and
when Rlondy came, he kicked the dog
across the kitchen. you Eaiei
hearted cur" snarled Peter Zinn. ana
strobe out of the house to go to WORK,
His fury did not abate until ne hao
delivered shower of blows win
14-pound sledge upon par OF coio
iron on his anvil, welding the poh.
,lerous hammer with one capaclous
hand. After that. he was able 10 Try
70 think it out. 1t was very mys-
tcrious For his own part, when ne
was enra sed, 1t mattered not What
crossed his nath--old and young
weak and strong. they were grist tor
the mill of his hands. and he ground
them small. indeed. But Blondy ap-
narently followed q different philoso.
ohv and would not harm those WHO
were helpless
Then peter Zinn looked down to the
foot which had kicked Blondy across
the room. He was tremendously um'
happy. Just why. he could no, ten,
but he fumhled at the mystery all ina
day and the next. Every tine ne
faced Blondy, the terrier seemed W
have forgotten that brutal attack, put
Peter Zinn was stabbed 10 the heat
NV hrand.new emotion-shame! Ana.
when he met Blondy at the gate on
the second evening. something. made
him stoop and stroke the Scared heao:
He looked up with a hasty pang OF
guilt and turned dark red wnen ne
saw his wife watching from the win
dow of the front bedroom. Yet, when
he went to sleep that night, he feit
that Blondy and he had been drawn
closer together.
THE very next day the crisis came
/ He was finishing his lunch when
guns began to bark and rattle--re'
ports with a metallic and changing
oyertone that meant that rifles were
in play: then a distant shouting roiled
confusedly upon them. Peter Ainn
called Blondy to his heels and went
out to investigate.
The first surmise that jumped into
his mind had been correct. Jer ana
Lew Minister had broken from jail
had been headed off in their flight,
and had taken refuge in the post
office. There they held the crowd AZ
bay, jeff taking the front of the build
ing and Lew the rear. Vacant lots
surrounded the old frame shack since
the general merchandise store burned
down three years before. and the rifles
of two expert shots commanded this
space. It would be night before they
could close In on the building. but,
when night came, the Minister boys
would have an excellent chance OF
breaking away, with darkness to cover
them.
"Whatn happen" asked Tony JEFF
frey of the blacksmith. as they sat at
the corner of the hotel and surveyed
the scene.
Il dunno" said Peter Zinn. as he
puffed at his pipe. Il guess it's up to
the constable to show the town that
he's a hero. There he is now!"
The constable had suddenly dashed
out Of the door of Sam Donohue's
house, directly facing the post office,
followed by four others, In the hope
that he might take the defenders by
surprise. But, when men defend their
lives, they are more watchful than
wolves in the hungry Winter Of the
mountains. A Winchester spoke from
a window of the post Office the mo.
ment the forlorn hope appeared. The
first bullet knocked the hat from the
head Of Harry Daniels and stopped
went wide. The third knocked the
constable fat. This was more than
enough. The remnant Of the party
took to its heels and regained shelter
before the dust raised by his fall had
ceased curling above the PROSTATE
body.
Tony Jeffrey was repeating over and
over: "Jimminy whiskers! Jimminy
whiskers; Jimminy whiskers! They've
killed poor Tom Frejus:' But Peter
Zinn. holding Blondy between his
hands. jutted forth his head and
grinned, in a savage warmth Of con.
tentment.
Hes overdue: was all he said.
But Tom Frejus was not dead. His
leg had been broken. but he now
reared himself upon both hands and
looked about him. He had covered
the greater part OF the road in his
charge. 1t would be easier to escape
from fire by crawling close under the
shelter of the wall Of the post Office
than by trying to get back to
Donoghue's house. Accordingly, he
began to drag himself forward. He
had not covered a yard when the
Winchester cracked again, and Tom
crumpled on his face.
X X
DETER ZINN stood up with a gasp.
Here was something quite differ.
ent The constable was beaten,
broken, and he reminded Zinn of one
thing only--old Gripper covering
against the fence with Blondy tower.
Ing above ready to kill. Blondy had
been merciful. but the heartless
marksman behind the window was
still intent on murder. His next bui.
let raised furrow of dust near Ere.
, jus. Then wild voice, made thin
and high by the extremity of fear and
pain, cleft the air and smote the heart
Of Peter Zinn: Help! For heavens