--By Albert Payson Terhune . : THE DAILY BRITISH WHIG, KINGSTON. lustrated by HAROLD LUND "TO THE RESCUE » » Sibert Faye ? HE big collie was making a gal- : 7 a J He lant fight of i, : ) ty a 7 ™ Nesta had beheld the entire Mae &cens. She was walking along the She walked away, March bounding River road, In tlie frozen slush of that al beside her Vanden turned upon muddy byway, when first the rabbit rier my ! flashed across her path and' scurried "Drive me to the postoffice," he out on the frozem surface of the commanded, "and then to ome or two stream. - Hard at bunny's heel gallop- of the shops. It ought to be easy to ed a half-grown hound puppy. find who she is and where she lives. Out upon the treacherous There can't be two women in this March ice the pup followed his =" suburb with such a dog. Anyone escaping prey. Then, thirty yards ought to be. able to tell me who--" from shore, a patch of rotting channel "I can tell you, sir" said the Ice swayed and cracked and disinte- chauffeur, "and gave you all that grated under the young hound's feet. trouble. She's Miss Ermesta Breen. In the grey expanse appeared a patch of black water. In the middle of 1 Lives down on the Wekoff turnpike, 2 about two miles south. Used to live|.o the pup was floundering helplessly. Once and again the puppy reached up on Park Terrace till her father : died. Folks thought, her dad was the broken edges of the water-hole and worth all the cash in the treasury. strove to Hft himself up to safety, But he died just about flat broke. She But the decaying channel ice kept crumbling under his wildly clawing and her aunt went down to a bunga- low of his to live. They--" u *fofe" feet and he slumped back, his "How in blazes d'you know all whole head submerged. that?" asked Vanden in surprise. f Then somethifig brushed harshly "I knew it when I drove for Mr. 'past her toe. She looked to see what Royce," answered the chauffeur, "be- it was. A collie had come upon the fore I came to work for you last au scene from nowhere in particular and was dashing across the firmer shore tumn. He used to be at her house a lot of times when she lived up on the Jou ice toward the exhausted puppy. As he neared the ragged gap, the ice Terrace. I only drove him there once after she moved down to the Wyck- began to bend and crack under him off pike. He" gq He came to a sliding halt at the edge "H'm!! mused Vanden, his fate of the hole and braced his white feet, leaning far forward to catch the clearing. "That ought to make it easier. Let him go there himself and frantic puppy by the scruff of the neck and to draw him out of the get his dog. It's past me. I'll tell him water. about it when I go home." Nesta was hurrying on with March. Before his jaws. could (close on the wriggling victim, the ice had given For the first' time she realized how way under him. The gap was larger assented Nesta. "Come BER .| ZR FRETS 5g i 35% EEL iain a - § f £ i 4 £3 i i fist k 2H : i shink a8 not to understand why you " { Sportmanship Wins how much of her lonely and loveless J ROM the gateway was issuing a of leverage, it held. and embittered life he had come to The rotting ice crackled and h d, but, thanks to the distrib dear the collie had become to her and than before. stead of one were struggling. The collie secured his hold on the pup's neck. With an effort that carried his own head and shoulders lar out of water he swam to the edge of the hole and fairly thrust bound urward over the edge. the - Perhaps here the ice was less weak 'than at the point where both had fallen in. At any rate jt did not break ynder the puppy's fore feet. the east effort of strength, With a little fellow clawed his way to the surface of the ice and dashed off at top speed for shore. . The impact of the youngster's jump drove the collie's head far under. came up beneath the ice. he swam up-stream He Whether by instinct or by luck or by brain. a yard or so. Once more his head appeared in the gap, drippiog and gasping. To the edge of the hole he swam, at the place where the puppy had clambered ito safety. But his own we was 2F1er $3 i £ : g g 5 under him as be heaved him- e ice utter worship and gratitude in his deep-set dark eyes. It gave her an odd feeling.of happiness. And again she' fell into a wonder at herself. The puppy bad scuttled away as soon as' he hadi gotten out of the water. But the collie did not stir from the girl's side. Up into her face he was looking with adoration. A wry smile twisted Nesta's lips, "You're wasting "your time," she told him, unconsciously speaking as it to another human. *I.got you out of the water. That's all I can do for you. There's no sense in your hang- ing around me any longer." As she spoke, she resumed her fast homeward walk. The colliée's plumed tall had wagged appreciatively at her tart words whose purport meant no- thing to him. Now he fellinto step at her side, once more accommodating his pace to: hers, thrusting his cold muzzle lovingly into her cupped paln The touch started Nesta, so tender Was its caress and so full of trusting affection. She stopped short, eyeing the dog demusedly. Then she said more sharply: : Seeing Behind Her Words é¢g™~ J home. I don't want you. I told you there's nothing more to be gotten out of me. A man wouldn't have needed to be told that twice. A man didn't need to. You're only a dog, so you're stupider than he was. Go home!" Steadfastly the collie gazed up into her face as she harangued him. | ie look gave her a queer feeling Yet she kept enough présence d to stoop and wup-end which some boys had ice when they had A material. : the gap, she n X, ont of her on ; + itd; £f that he was not deceived by the cross- ness of her words but that he read | past them into the lonely soreness of hér heart. The fantastic notion would not be laughed away. More over, as she moved on he trotted again at her side. "I don't' like dogs," she told him grumpily. "I don't want you with me. Go home." As before, she felt he was disre- d'to the a genuine affection for the great dog she had saved. In her gross ignor- ance of canine nature, the colife's quickness of brain atsounded her. She had no way of guessing his name. After trying in vain to make him sho * recognition of such hack- neyed appellations as Towser and Tige and Rover and the like, she named him anew. She-chose "March," from the month wherein she met him. Then, studiously, she set to work to teach him the new name. To her amaze, in less than a day he had learned the name. In like manner he picked up with bewildering speed and much enjoyment every simple thing she tried to teach him. Already, she found, he had been trained as a house dog; and to le down and to shake hands and to per- form other ordinary feats. He was wise and gentle and unobstrusive ; eagerly playful when she was in the mood to romp with: him, yet ready to lie quiet for hours at her feet while she read or wrote. Inseparable Comrades A DOG-MAN would have classified March merely as a well-trained collie 'of high type, with all a true Collie's brain and pluck and gentleness and humor. But to Nesta he seemed the embodiment of everything marvel- ous. Her first careless fondness' for him grew to a devotion. He was her inseparable comrade, indoors and out; her guard and chum. The lonely girl's heart expanded under his companion- ship. Her bard-acquired, youthful bit- terness softened strangely. under his splendid normalcy. She ceased for days at a time to brood morbidly over her loss of money and position. One morning in early summer Nesta and March were swinging along the river road, the dog trotting some yards ahead. A cloud of dust heralded a motor car chugging toward them down the stretch of unsurfaced byway. As always, the sight of a distant car made March drop back to his mistress' side. Nesta drew to one side of the road + to avold the on-coming motor's dust. The car lurched onward over rut and bulge. It 'was passing the girl and the colle when its passenger, a stout man on the rear seat, called to the chauffeur to stop. By the time the machine was at a standstill he had jumped out onto the road and was hurrying back toward Nesta. ; f A glance told her that the stout in. only the mildest curiosity, she awaited | him. But gs the man came closer March growled softly, far down in his throat, and took a warning step for- forward. The man stopped with ludicrous suddenness. Apparently he was enough of a dog rt to read the quiet. menace a He stood there in silence for an instant, study- ing every line and aspect of the collie, Then, lifting his hat in gesture which held only the most rudimentary civil- ity, he demanded of Nesta: "What dog is that?" "It is my dog," she mide answef, voice and eyes level in spite of a sink- ing in her heart. For months she had had an unde- fined fear lest March's owner might somé day appear and claim him. It seemed impossible that thé: possessor of such a marvelous chum would not scour the whole world fn search of him. "He 1s mine," she repeated, turning away as if to continue her walk. "One minute, please," he said, ste- ping after her and then halting with great suddenness as March spun about and faced bim with a louder growl and a show. of eyesteeth. "Late last winter I was driving along this road, on my way home from New Haven. We had a blowout. Vile road then, as it is now. I left a valuable collie dog in the tonneau while I got out to help my ¢Bauffeur. The dog slipped his collar and jumped, out after me. I didn't see him do it; but I found the collar and leash when I got aboard. 1 suppose he wandered off and you found him. Yes, that's the dog." For a moment Nesta was tempted to run, calling March after her. But she stood her ground. "You are mistaken," she said care- lessly. "This 1s my dog. I am sorry you lost yours, but--" "He wasn't mine," corrected the stout man. "If he had been, wouldn't have run away from me. wouldnt have had to tie. him in car. That kind of collie sticks master. He" "If you don't even claim yours," began Nesta in polite con- tempt, as she made as though to turn away once more, "I= Nesta's Dog Claimed £6 E belongs to a cousin of mine," said the man. "My cousin bought him from an English kennel, and had Wim sent to a handler, to take his In it now two dogs in- 4 pleted his American championship at the New Haven show this year. He is International Champion Harrowgate Peerless. His kennel name is 'Squire.' My cousin paid three thousand five hundred 'dollars for him tn England. His American championship makes him worth an easy five thousand dollars. This dog here is ome of the greatest collies on either side of the Atlantic. He" "This dog of mine?' queried Nesta innocently. "I'm giad you like him. But I thought you were talking about an English collie that--" "Same dog™ snapped the man an- noyedly. "I can take oath to that. J saw him at the Madison Square Gar- den show--Westminster, you know--in February, and again at New' Haven, I made A close study of hini both times. My cousin bad to go to Europe the morning of the New Haven show. So after the show and bring him home. My cousin lives at Paignton, about mile from mie. About five miles ! here. I got the dog. from the 1 and tied him iu my car. I've told you bow I lost him. Pretty position I in when my cousin got back to ica and found .I'd let his three-thou- sand-five-hundred dollar dog get away! I've advertised all over. And now here I blunder on him 'by sheer good luck! I" "You seem determined to think--or 0 pretend to think--that this is your dog." interposed Nesta, ua trifle wear. ily. "I have told: you he is mine. I think that is all, Come, March!" "Squire!" called the man. At sound of the name, March quiver- ed and turned about. "March!" said Nesta softly. Instantly the collie' wheeled and ran to her, thrusting his nose into her hand and wagging his great plume of a tail. Y "You see," commented Nesta, as she moved off. fill. She had so doubt at all that Van- den had spoken' the truth about him. She knew, also, that Derek Royce would have no trouble at all in prov- ing possession. : "March," she said presently, "March, they're going'to try to take you away from me. They shan't have you! They shan't have you! Do you hear, March? You belong to me. I gambled with death for you; and you're the only friend who never went back on me. Nobody's going to get you away from me, March. We'll fight this out to- gether." Her words meant nothing to the col- le: save the frequent repetition of his own name. But her voice told him she was wretchedly unhappy. Whining un- der his breath, he licked her hand and lald his head against it, peering up worriedly into her sorrowing face. "They're not going to take you from March. But I was sure we were going to be. Then dad died, and all the i 2 5 gi il F § s £ : : § ] { i HH ik: $7E: i most 'prodigious racket. March had followed the hopping toad across the grass to the sate, where' the toad ended the chase by slipping into a hele under a post. Van- den, frony the tonneau, had viewed the slow ap ch of the collie. Into stout man', ped a really brilliant idea. How simple to end the whole dispute by lifting the' 3 collie into the tonneau and biddi the chauffeur drive of?! from the get a taxi hand by the nape of tne neck and lifting him bodily over the fence. Skilful was his grip; and it rendered the growling dog impotent to bite or to escape. It was this growling that al. tracted the notice of Eves and Nesta. consent they Started for Scarcely had March touched ground Sought 'to Midaan Dim He puss Pp le uried himself roaringly at Vagden. The lat- ter, his balance still sraln, slip. Hi TL [ 5