登陆注册
25640100000001

第1章

Of Lad In the mile-away village of Hampton, there had been a veritable epidemic of burglaries--ranging from the theft of a brand-new ash-can from the steps of the Methodist chapel to the ravaging of Mrs. Blauvelt's whole lineful of clothes, on a washday dusk.

Up the Valley and down it, from Tuxedo to Ridgewood, there had been a half-score robberies of a very different order--depredations wrought, manifestly, by professionals;thieves whose motor cars served the twentieth century purpose of such historic steeds as **** Turpin's Black Bess and Jack Shepard's Ranter. These thefts were in the line of jewelry and the like; and were as daringly wrought as were the modest local operators' raids on ash-can and laundry.

It is the easiest thing in the world to stir humankind's ever-tense burglar-nerves into hysterical jangling. In house after house, for miles of the peaceful North Jersey region, old pistols were cleaned and loaded; window fastenings and doorlocks were inspected and new hiding-places found for portable family treasures.

Across the lake from the village, and down the Valley from a dozen country homes, seeped the tide of precautions. And it swirled at last around the Place,--a thirty-acre homestead, isolated and sweet, whose grounds ran from highway to lake; and whose wistaria-clad gray house drowsed among big oaks midway between road and water; a furlong or more distant from either.

The Place's family dog,--a pointer,--had died, rich in years and honor. And the new peril of burglary made it highly needful to choose a successor for him.

The Master talked of buying a whalebone-and-steel-and-snow bull terrier, or a more formidable if more greedy Great Dane. But the Mistress wanted a collie. So they compromised by getting the collie.

He reached the Place in a crampy and smelly crate; preceded by a long envelope containing an intricate and imposing pedigree. The burglary-preventing problem seemed solved.

But when the crate was opened and its occupant stepped gravely forth, on the Place's veranda, the problem was revived.

All the Master and the Mistress had known about the newcomer,--apart from his price and lofty lineage,--was that his breeder had named him "Lad."From these meager facts they had somehow built up a picture of a huge and grimly ferocious animal that should be a terror to all intruders and that might in time be induced to make friends with the Place's vouched-for occupants. In view of this, they had had a stout kennel made and to it they had affixed with double staples a chain strong enough to restrain a bull.

(It may as well be said here that never in all the sixteen years of his beautiful life did Lad occupy that or any other kennel nor wear that or any other chain.)Even the crate which brought the new dog to the Place failed somehow to destroy the illusion of size and fierceness. But, the moment the crate door was opened the delusion was wrecked by Lad himself.

Out on to the porch he walked. The ramshackle crate behind him had a ridiculous air of a chrysalis from which some bright thing had departed. For a shaft of sunlight was shimmering athwart the veranda floor. And into the middle of the warm bar of radiance Laddie stepped,--and stood.

His fluffy puppy-coat of wavy mahogany-and-white caught a million sunbeams, reflecting them back in tawny-orange glints and in a dazzle as of snow. His forepaws were absurdly small, even for a puppy's. Above them the ridging of the stocky leg-bones gave as clear promise of mighty size and strength as did the amazingly deep little chest and square shoulders.

Here one day would stand a giant among dogs, powerful as a timber-wolf, lithe as a cat, as dangerous to foes as an angry tiger; a dog without fear or treachery; a dog of uncanny brain and great lovingly loyal heart and, withal, a dancing sense of fun. A dog with a soul.

All this, any canine physiologist might have read from the compact frame, the proud head-carriage, the smolder in the deep-set sorrowful dark eyes. To the casual observer, he was but a beautiful and appealing and wonderfully cuddleable bunch of puppyhood.

Lad's dark eyes swept the porch, the soft swelling green of the lawn, the flash of fire-blue lake among the trees below. Then, he deigned to look at the group of humans at one side of him.

Gravely, impersonally, he surveyed them; not at all cowed or strange in his new surroundings; courteously inquisitive as to the twist of luck that had set him down here and as to the people who, presumably, were to be his future companions.

Perhaps the stout little heart quivered just a bit, if memory went back to his home kennel and to the rowdy throng of brothers and sisters and most of all, to the soft furry mother against whose side he had nestled every night since he was born. But if so, Lad was too valiant to show homesickness by so much as a whimper. And, assuredly, this House of Peace was infinitely better than the miserable crate wherein he had spent twenty horrible and jouncing and smelly and noisy hours.

From one to another of the group strayed the level sorrowful gaze. After the swift inspection, Laddie's eyes rested again on the Mistress. For an instant, he stood, looking at her, in that mildly polite curiosity which held no hint of personal interest.

Then, all at once, his plumy tail began to wave. Into his sad eyes sprang a flicker of warm friendliness. Unbidden--oblivious of everyone else he trotted across to where the Mistress sat. He put one tiny white paw in her lap; and stood thus, looking up lovingly into her face, tail awag, eyes shining.

"There's no question whose dog he's going to be," laughed the Master. "He's elected you,--by acclamation."The Mistress caught up into her arms the halfgrown youngster, petting his silken head, running her white fingers through his shining mahogany coat; ****** crooning little friendly noises to him.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 终极一班之遇见就不会再放手

    终极一班之遇见就不会再放手

    时空背景接续终二16集汪大东回到十年前金时空。由于汪大东无缘无故消失三个月,在那期间终极一班,还有早先转学的煞姐以及她的小跟班桃子和琳达,也都返回终极一班,四处打听大东的下落,因此错过了大学联考,在大东回归后,由于情和义全班同学决定延迟一年毕业,考大学让终极一班继续称霸整个高校界。KO榜早在荷包蛋爆炸之后,田弘光,雷克斯,汪大东,王亚瑟,丁小雨,这些人失去战力指数,出现前所未有的大混乱,所幸有夏天,夏宇,兰陵王,炙舞的传功使汪大东一等人又恢复了战力指数还提高了,田弘光为了不让田欣担心就此当个普通人。
  • 冰山总裁的小狂妻

    冰山总裁的小狂妻

    那次伤害后。让我遇见了他开始新的生活,“因为你的出现,我的人生才越来越好。”“不,是你命中注定,你的生命里有我”。。。
  • 鬼手寒医

    鬼手寒医

    《医典》传人慕青横扫都市,凭借高超医术,强悍武技,混得风生水起。败巫医,斗医闹,救病人,传医道,声名大振的同时,也俘获了无数美女的芳心。一针在手,天下我有。救人不惜,泡妞不止。
  • 十七岁的那株向日葵

    十七岁的那株向日葵

    培根说,把痛苦告诉给你的知心朋友,痛苦就会减掉一半;把快乐与你的朋友分享,快乐就会一分为二。友谊的作用就是这么神奇!通过本书的故事,我们知道怀有一颗真诚的心,将心比心,你就会得到真正友情的回报。不管岁月流逝多久多远,依然记得那份曾经共有的情谊。蓦然回首,已不再是孤寂的独行人。
  • 真是喜欢你

    真是喜欢你

    “很喜欢你。”像动物呼吸不能没有空气,植物生长不能没有土壤,我的存在不能没有你。–这是篇甜!宠!文!
  • 露水姻缘

    露水姻缘

    一次意外,曾经的闺蜜反目成仇,她被迫嫁给闺蜜的男人。成为潭市最有权势的男人贺言恺的妻子。此后三年,她肩负生子的重任,丈夫却莺莺燕燕从不看她一眼。闺蜜陷害,丈夫折磨,就连婆婆也不曾放过她。她是蝼蚁,是贺言恺踩在脚下的一只虫,挣扎无果只能堕落深渊。为了离婚,她被贺言恺百般嘲讽凌辱:“离婚?那就给我怀上孩子。”过了多年,他终于恍然,只是她已别多年,爱要怎么说出口。
  • 校园首席:王子驾到

    校园首席:王子驾到

    Angel’sLove,天使爱,代表至真至纯的爱。传说中生长在我们市郊外石源山的伊莫崖的峭壁之上,但是从来没有人能寻获过……我,初夏,西泽高中高二学生。因为妈妈再婚嫁给了超人气帅哥学生会长王子峻的总裁老爸,我因此也在一夜之间由普通丫头成长为名门千金。本以为可以幸福生活下去,但是男友和姐妹的背叛,王子峻的不明确,尹莎莎的出现,尹少枫的温柔可爱,让我一次又一次地让将到手的幸福从身边溜走。但不管如何,我永远都相信有天使爱的存在,我都会努力争取自己的幸福,加油!l
  • 食物相宜与相克

    食物相宜与相克

    五行相生相克,食物也有生克,搭配得当能益体,搭配失宜则成疾。《美食天下(第2辑):食物相宜与相克》对家常食物相宜相克搭配全知道,百种相宜搭配菜肴详细做法全指导,快速查找相宜食物、避免错误配伍,保证每餐的营养都能被充分吸收,健康身体从一日饮食开始。
  • 邪火黑炎

    邪火黑炎

    生生不息的灵魂之火,世界的齿轮不停转动,人们并不知道,冥界的火焰正在包围这个世界。
  • 呆萌玉兔闯天下——萌途闪耀

    呆萌玉兔闯天下——萌途闪耀

    一个普通女孩景玉儿的逆袭,当闺蜜和男友抛弃她,当老师和父母放弃她。她,没有自暴自弃,而是决定成为叱咤娱乐圈的顶级武打明星,让那些曾经抛弃自己的人,都后悔。在星途中偶然捡到一颗漂亮、散发这紫光的水晶球,殊不知,这神秘的水晶球,竟改变了她的命运。。。