Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1934-04-13
CHAPTER IV-Continued

W Aeii - 81 Cat DOulu was SOuOs
flying after the children as fast as he
had rushed on another day. But this
time he did not pursue to MAIN or
kill When he overlook the children
he ran among them, bunting them
aside, licking ecstatically at hands
and faces. frolicking like a spaniel
puppy!
LaFane gave his deep chuckle
again.
But how in the name of HeavenY
Drake insisted.
II had it to do And when man
has thing to do it must be done.
Isn't that so? When you first saw
him, had had him here only three
days. l had been watching him, try
ing to find out what he was like.
knew him pretty well but I made one
mistake: l was careless about the
strength of the chain that held him. I
should have made sure of that, know
ing him as well as l did, and with
the children here"
He was still moment.
HE was as dangerous as I'd guessed.
If 1t had not been for you, we would
be bearing great sorrow now.
took him that afternoon into the bush.
Just the two of u.s. He came back
mine"
"You knocked the poison all out Of
nim?"
LaFane shook his head "No. I
did not strike him often. When I did,
of course, 1t counted. That was one
thing. After that was over, put
him in harness. made him drag
get hung up and then forced him to
try his best to pull loose. His best,
understand; made him pull his heart
out. And then, when he'd used all his
strength and could not get free,
helped him. When he found out that
he had job to do and could not do
it without my help, and that he must
put into trying all the strength Of mus
Gle and heart that he had before l
would help or else suffer why,
then he was all mine."
Steve sat down with surprised
ejaculation and the other smiled
grimly.
at works, with dogs and with men.
There aks few outlaw dogs, just as
there ar few outlaw men. Give a
man or dog an idea of his duty, of
his job, and see that he knows he
must do it-knows clear down to the
roots Of his heart that he husband
there you are.
"If had shot him that day after
he rushed my babies it would have
been towards way out and they
would have known 1t. You gave me
the chance to finish what had
planned to do without without
hi coming to my home. That is
why have been waiting to do some
thing, anything, for you"
Steve, oddly touched, growled that
LaFane owed him nothing.
"But men and dogs, LaFane /.
You've not always lived here then?"
II have tried living in many Places"
"And handled men?"
Handled? Handled! I've herded
men. I was deputy warden in big
penitentiary once"
"Didn't like man herding?"
"Didn't like seeing them herded
without a chance to find and unearth
the thing that would make them fit
and safe to walk and work alone, free.
Some, Of course, must always be herd
ed: the weak ones. But so many of
the others never have chance, be-
cause of bad handling"
Drake thought rapidly as he re-
ceived this confidence.
"You think, then, that If you had a
chance you could break men as you
break dogs?"
I'm no breaker, say. 1 can handle
men, yes. That is an answer to your
question. have done it. I did it in
the prison, a doctor and l. Between
us we sent many on parole that might
have been there yet being broken
slowly; what was left Of them, you
understand"
Steve locked his hands around one
knee and stared out across the lake.
"Do you like to try handling men?
Young men? Who are strong enough
but who haven't discovered them
selves YETI"
mo, I'm happy here, with the dogs
and my family. But you've a
man in mind?"
"LaFane, can trust you to keep
secret? A special, personal secret
which involves Others"
~ have kept it"
"What? You mean you've
guessed something?"