Part 20 (1/2)

Sitting on his haunches and lifting his pointed nose to the su-draolf howls; horrible to hear

There was no hint of a housebred twentieth century dog in his lament

It was the death-howl of the primitive wolf;--a sound that sent an involuntary shi+ver through the two hu for his lost ,--in comfort or in correction The Mistress, wiser, motioned to him not to speak

In a few seconds, Lad rose wearily to his feet; the spas spent itself Onceover to where the car had halted so briefly, he cast about the ground, after the manner of a bloodhound

Presently, he caht Asat point, he stood there; nose to earth, sniffing

”What in blazes--?” began the Master, perplexed

The Mistress was keener of eye and of perception She understood She saw the Lad's inhalingly seeking muzzle was steady above a faint mark in the road-dust;--thesniffed Then, with heavy deliberation he moved on to the next footprint and the next The runabout's driver had taken less than a half dozen steps in all; during his short descent to the ground

But Lad did not stop until he had found and identified each and every step

”He knows!” marveled the Mistress ”He saw the brute jump down from his car And he has found his footsteps He'll reood it will do the poor chap!” commented the Master ”He can't track him, that way Get aboard, won't you?” he went on ”I'll ain, too Drive down to the house; and take Lad indoors with you Better telephone to the vet to come over and have another look at his shoulder He's wrenched it badly, in all that run

Anyway, please keep hilance at Lady At the Master's order, Lad with sore reluctance left the body of hisof the foot close to her side; and again that unnatural sobbing sound was in his throat On the Master's bidding, Lad crossed to the car and suffered himself to be lifted aboard The Mistress started down the drive As they went, Lad ever looked back, with suffering despair in his dark eyes, at that huddle of golden fur at the wayside

The Master carried the pitifully light armful to a secluded spot far beyond the stables; and there he buried it Then, satisfied that Lad could not find his rave, he returned to the house

His heart was heavy with helpless wrath Again and again, in the course of their drives, he and the Mistress had sickened at sight of mutely eloquent little bodies left in mid-road or tossed in soishness of autoists Sos,--like poor Lady,--had of course teoaded the peacefully along the highways or crossing to or froernauts smashed them into torture or into instant death

The Master reflected on the friendly country folk who pay taxes for the scenery and for the fine roads whichso pleasant;--and on the reward so many motorists bestow upon these rural hosts of theirs by wanton or heedless murder of pet animals For the first time, he could understand how and why farlass or tacks in the road to revenge the slaying of a beloved dog

For the next few days, until his shoulder was again in condition to bear his eighty-pound weight on it, Lad was kept indoors or on the veranda As soon as he was allowed to go out alone, the big collie went straight to the spot where last he had seen Lady's body Thence, he aIt o days before he found what he sought

In the ,--he ate practically nothing; and went about in a daze

”He'll get over it presently,” prophesied the Master, to soothe his wife's worry

”Perhaps so,” returned the Mistress ”Or perhaps not Remember he's a collie, and not just a hu of the Place brought him to the tiny new mound, far beyond the stables Twice, he circled it

Then he lay down, very close beside it; hissod