The Argosy, September 1915 — page 66: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

280 THE “Why, I was just thinking about it,’ drawled Sam. “I don’t know that I ought to discourage him.” The lady in the tree uttered an ex- clamation. ‘“You see,” added the boatman, “the dog is only doing his duty. His job is to protect my property. He looks out for it when I’m away.” She observed that the boatman was staring intently, not at her eyes— where it is customary to look at a per- son—but at her ankles, where it is not always polite to stare. She knew they were conspicuous, but she also realized the futility of flinching. Sitting on a limb, there was absolutely no way to make her skirt cover them. “This—this is an outrage!” she stormed. ‘Why, perhaps—ma’am. But whose fault?” “The beast—he—he chased me!”’ *T told him to.” “ You told him to?” “That is, I told him to chase any- body. I hardly expected he’d tree you. Did I, old sport?” The dog relaxed his vigil long enough to turn his head, wag his tail furiously, and give throat to a joyous bark. — “You see, this is where I live,” add- ed Sam with a nod at the cabin. “ He’s in charge when I’m not here.” . “In charge since—”’ Yesterday.” “You stole him!” The boatman seemed indifferent to the charge. “That dog belongs to Mr. Wither- bee,’ declared Rosalind. ‘“‘ You know perfectly well you stole him. And— will you call him off?” “ Perhaps—by and by,’ answered the boatman. He seated himself on the ground ten feet below her and began fumbling for tobacco. Rosalind was pink with rage. “T’m coming down!” she declared. Sam did not appear to hear the an- notuncement. She slid cautiously along the limb ARGOSY. for a few inches, steadying herself by a tight grip on another branch. The dog sprang to his feet and yelped furi- ously. Rosalind became rigid again. “Will you call him off? ”’ Sam studied her ankles, then re- sumed the methodical filling of his pipe. “What brought you here?” he asked after a pause. “T came in a rowboat.” “Alone?” “ Certainly.” *“T didn’t see the boat.” “It drifted away—I wouldn’t be here except for that.” “What did you come for?” Rosalind gritted her teeth and won- dered if the dog would really bite. “I was merely rowing,” she said, trying to calm her voice. ‘“ I—I thought the island was unoccupied.” “You didn’t happen to be looking for a smugglers’ cave, did you? ”’ 66 No! > de | “Or a burglars’ den?” “Not ** Or an international spy? ”’ She remained furious and silent. “It’s rather important for me to know,’ he explained as he scratched a match. “ There’s so much hunting going on that it isn’t safe to ignore it. You don’t happen to be a member of a posse, do you?” “ Will you let me down?” “That’s his affair,’ answered the boatman, nodding in the direction of the dog. “ He seems to like you where you are. I don’t know that I ought to interfere. It might discourage him and make him careless in the future. Did you visit my cabin?” Rosalind remained silent. The boatman whispered something to the dog, then arose lazily and walked over to the shack. Rosalind saw him disappear within the door. She made a second tentative move toward de- scent. The dog, which lay watching her with his nose between his paws, sprang up and sffarled. A moment afterward Sam emerged EOPMICLOOOKS (C@)