Evening star., 1939-12-03
Il Short Story Complete in This Issue

-tIE town was preparing for dog show,
its first; and the canine population was
d beginning to wear haunted expression.
Tail wagging was at a craven angle, placat-
ing culver extending to launches and hind
legs that collapsed in hopeless protest as dogs
were dragged off to baths, coat -pluckings and
the learning of tricks.
Mrs. Fallon - Mrs Lucius J. Fallon, leader
in all things civic and social - had thought
of the show, and in her vague and amiable
fashion was managing it. 1t was to be held at
Veterans Park and, besides the trophies to be
furnished by Mrs. Fallon for the pedigreed
classes, there was to be an array of prizes
contributed by the towns merchants for
various classifications in the NUT division: the
biggest dog, the smallest; the best trick dog;
dog with the biggest ears; dog with the longest
tail; fattest dog, thinnest. longest, shortest.
Every dog in town had chance to win some
thing, and it seemed that every owner was
determined to make try for it. There was
small need for the committees Mrs. Fallon
had appointed to scour the town and sur
rounding countryside for contestants.
Isabelle Cummings, chairman of the younger
sets committee, flung herself into her work
with an enthusiasm that. her father said,
would be worth fortune in Washington.
Baby lobbyist" Spencer Cummings called
her, tinge of bitterness in his tone. Isabelle
understood why he was bitter. Ivan was why.
Also Ivan was the reason for Isabelle's en-
thusiasm. She wanted the show to be sensa-
tional because with Ivan she knew she could
win plated silver cup.
Ivan was the only Russian wolfhound in
the county; hence he was bound to win Best
of the Breed Ivan was also splendid
specimen and might we'll walk off with the
enormous sterling silver cup for Best in
Show. Isabelle had visions of herself in white
with white and glistening Ivan straining at
the leash Gf she could get him to strain
striding up to the judges to receive this glory
while an applauding audience went practically
mad.
But her father had no such gratifying
vision at the sight of Ivan. When Spencer
Cummings saw Ivan he saw cheque for one
hundred dollars; one hundred dollars lent to
friend of his army days in France The
friend was in the dog breeding business in
Connecticut, and business had not hourished;
so, dropping in crate, Ivan had arrived to
be followed by letter explaining that rather
than send nothing on the date the loan was
due, the friend had sent Ivan.
kasan's Grand Duke Ivan Mikhailovich was
Ivan's full registered name. Ivan the Terrible,
Mr. Cummings called him, because he was
not terrible. He was languidly aloof and
equally unimpressed by Mr.. Cummings ami
mostly, Mrs. Cummings neutrality and
Isabelle's cordiality. Ivan loved only Mamie,
the cook Ivan wanted only to stay with
Mamie in the kitchen.
Isabelle found him there when she returned
from a mornings fruitless search for dogs.
With Ivan was Pepper. Pepper was mongrel
and everything that Ivan was not. Pepper
was small and roly-poy, his coat rough and
blackish gray; the tilt of his short tail was
jaunty and his eye had waggish CLINT.
Pepper loved everybody, but most of all he
loved Isabelle Deserted by tourist at an
auto camp, Pepper had crept into the
Cummings yard one afternoon and adopted
Isabelle Spencer Cummings had welcomed
Pepper because Pepper had wanted to fight
Ivan. Rosalie Cummings had fallen in love
with him and Isabelle had lavshed on him all
the affection Ivan ignored.
Now at the sight of her, walking into the
kitchen, Pepper yelped with delight and flung
his eighteen pounds of squirming joy at her