Part 19 (1/2)

”Just as handsome as I remember him!” he said admiringly. ”That dog's a real credit to you, Ted!”

”He has just one little flaw,” Ted said gravely. ”Sometimes he thinks he sees things he never saw at all.”

Callahan grinned engagingly. ”Some people make that mistake, too.

Especially when there's deep shadow. How are you making out, Ted?”

”All right. My camp's rented for five weeks and I may rent it for woodc.o.c.k season, if the flight comes in.”

”Loring told me there's flight birds at Taylorville. He said there's quite a few, and he thinks there'll be a big flight.”

”Hope it comes here!”

Callahan said soberly, ”If it'll help you, so do I. I'm sorry you're in trouble.”

”Trouble comes.”

”I know, but being the sheriff who makes it isn't the snap job it's cracked up to be. I've had to hurt a lot of people I'd rather not bother, but when I swore to uphold the law, I didn't make any exceptions and I'm not going to make any. I hope you don't hold that against me.”

”I don't.”

”Just so you understand. A lot of people who cuss peace officers would find out for themselves what a mess they'd be in if there weren't any.”

”I know that, too.”

”Then you know why I must bring your dad in. When I do, and I will, he'll get every break I'm able to offer. By the same token, Smoky Delbert may have some breaks coming. So long for now, Ted.”

”So long.”

Callahan left and Ted was alone with Tammie. He tickled the big dog's soft ears.

”The Lord watches over idiots!” he murmured. ”He sure enough does!”

What had happened was obvious. Disliking the pack anyway, Tammie hadn't gone more than a couple of hundred feet before ridding himself of it.

Only he knew how he'd unclasped the buckles, but he'd managed. Of course, when ordered to do so, he should have gone to Al. But he could be forgiven this time.

”I'd best get to bed,” Ted told him. ”I don't know where you left that pack, but do know I'd better find it before Mr. Callahan comes back this way. That man has sixteen eyes, and don't ever let's think he's dumb! He came right close to tipping over our meat house tonight!”

Ted was up an hour before dawn and had breakfasted by the time the first pale light of day began to lift night's shroud from the great beech trees. With Tammie at his side, he stepped out the back door and formed a plan of action.

He didn't know exactly how much time had pa.s.sed between his whistle and Tammie's appearance at the door, but it couldn't have been more than fifteen or twenty seconds. Certainly the collie had needed some little time to rid himself of the pack. It couldn't possibly be far from the cabin. Ted petted the dog.

”You lost it,” he scolded gently. ”Why don't you find it?”

Tammie raced ahead twenty yards, whirled, came back to leap at and snap his jaws within a quarter inch of Ted's right hand, then flew away again. He continued running around and around, stopping at intervals to snap. But though he never missed very much, he never hit either.

Ted walked slowly, on a course parallel to the cabin, and he turned his head from side to side as he walked. There were no thickets or windfalls here. There was nothing at all except the big beeches. Wherever Tammie had dropped it, the pack wouldn't be hard to see.

Descending into a little swale, Ted flushed three woodc.o.c.k out of it.

Their distinctive, twittering whistle, which Ted had always thought was made by wind rus.h.i.+ng through stiff flight feathers, sounded as they flew. The boy's eyes glowed with pleasure.