Part 20 (2/2)

There,--having seen him from a distance,--the Master caht of theplace andthe next week, the Master or the Mistress found hiet up and depart Nor did he go direct to the h trying to shake off possible pursuit No longer did he spend the nights, as from puppyhood, in his beloved ”cave” under the piano in the e to slip out of the house, during the evening Twice, in gray dawn, the Master found him crouched beside the ht

The Mistress and the Master grew seriously troubled over their collie chu hi kennels or to some friend, for a s which h, his heartbreak struck neither of the study of collie nature in all its rieving dog is upheld by none of the supports of Faith nor of Philosophy; and that he lacks the wisdom which teaches the wondrous anaesthetic powers of Ti sorroithout hope

Nor did Lad's hbors; honant over the killing of Lady

Then in a single minute came the cure

On Labor Day afternoon, the finals in a local tennis tournament were to be played at the mile distant country club The Mistress and the Master went across to the tourna of the re people swatting a ball back and forth But Lad was a privileged guest at all outdoor functions; and he enjoyed being with his two deities

Thus, when the two cli along inhis beautiful head in response to any of a dozen greetings flung at hihbors Lad lay down, decorously, at her feet; and refused to display the faintest interest in anything that went on around hiun New arrivals were drifting up the steps of the clubhouse Car after car disgorged women in sport clothes and men in knickerbockers or flannels There was plenty of chatter and bustle and motion Lad paid no heed to any of it

Then, up to the foot of the veranda steps jarred a flashy runabout; driven by a flashi+er youth At word froe he parked his car at the rear of the clubhouse a fifty others, and returned on foot to the steps

”That's young Rhuburger,” so to the Mistress ”You must have read about hi the war Since then, his father has died, and left hi it; in double handfuls No one seeot into the club, here And no one see broke off short; drowned in a wild beast growl

Both the Mistress and her husband had been eyeing Rhuburger as he ascended the veranda steps in all the glory of unbelievably exquisite and gaudy raiuely fah neither could place hiue in his recollections of the gorgeous newcoer reached the top wide A thrill went through hihted eyes swept the crowd They rested at last on Rhuburger Another deep inhalation told hi and so carefully at those faint footprints in the road dust, at the spot where Lady died In his throat a deep groas born

”hello, folks!” Rhuburger was declai, to a wholly unenthusiastic circle of acquaintances ”Made another record, just now The little boat spun me here from Montclair in exactly nineteen e rate of a mile in seventy-five seconds Not so bad, eh? That car sure ht

Not so much of a hit,that had the bad luck to be asleep in thewas lost in a sound seldoroup of slightly disgusted onlookers, a huge and tawny shape burst forth; hurtling through the air, straight for the fat throat of the boaster

Rhuburger, by so up his arular He had no tihty pounds of ainst his chest Lad's terrible teeth, ht forearh corded silken shi+rt, and through flabby flesh and clean to the very bone

The dog's lion-roar blended with the panic-screeches of the victier reeled back fro down the steps, to the broad stone flagging at the botto that ht, did Lad loose his grip on the torn forear at the botto once ed murderously at his mark Yes, and this tiy throat, and began to cleave their remorseless way to the very life of the man who had slain Lady

But, out of the ju feet and explosive shouts from the scared onlookers on the veranda above, one staccato yell pierced the swirl of rage- collie's brain

”LAD!” came the Master's sharp, scandalizedfro heard and heeded With visible reluctance, he drew back frohter; and turned his noble head to face thedown the steps toward hi he had done He knew the Law He knew, al whom his deities took him And now he had made an industrious effort to kill one of these people

It was no light offense for a dog to attack a human Lad, like every well-trained collie, knew that His own death ht well follow

Indeed, fro confusedly such hackneyed sentihly probable that Lad was due to suffer full penalty, froave no heed to the cla slowly, he faced the Master; ready for whateverat least that he expected