Evening Star Newspaper, August 26, 1924, Page 14

(Continued from Yesterday’s Star.) In point of fact, the cuff was rare- 1y administered. The masters voice was sufficient. By it White Fang knew whether he did right or not. By it he trimmed his conduct and adjusted his actions. It was the com- pass by which he steered and learned to chart the manners of a new land and life. In the Northland, the only domest- icated animal was the dog. All other animals lived in the wild, and were, when not too formidable, lawful spoil for any dog. All his days White Fang had foraged among the live things for_food. It did not enter his head that in the Southland it was other- wise. But this he was to learn early in his residence in Santa Clara Val- ley. Sauntering around the corner of the house in the eariy morning, he came upon a chicken that had escaped from the chicken yard. White Fang's natural impulse was to eat it A couple of bounds, a flash of teeth and a frightened squak, and he had scooped in the adyenturous fowl. It was farm-bred and fat and tender: and White Fang licked his chops and decided that such fare was good. Later in the dayv, he chanced upon another stray chickken near the stables, One of the grooms ran to the rescue. He did not know White Fang's breed, so for weapon he took a light buggy whip. At the first cut of the whip, White Fang left the chicken for the man. A club might have stopped White Fang. but not a whip. Silently, without flinching, he took a second cut in his forwward rush, and he as leaped for the throat the groom cried out, “My God” and staggecred back- ward. He dropped the whip and shielded his throat with his arms. In consequence, his forearm was ripped open to the bone. The man was badly frightened. It was not so much White Fang’s fero- city as it was his silence that un- nerved the groom. Still protecting his throat and face with his torn and bleeding arm, he tried to retreat to the barn. And it would have gone hard with him had not Collie ap- peared on the scene. As she had saved Dickk”s lifc she now saved the groom''s, She rushed upon White Fang in frenzied wrath. She had been right. She had known better than the blundering gods. All her suspicions were justified. Here was the ancient marauder up to _his old tricks again. The groom escaped into the stables and White Fang backed away be- fore Collie’s wicked teeth or pre- sented his shoulder to them and cir- cled round and round. But Collie did not give over, as was her wont, after a decent interval of chastisement. On the contrary, she grew more ex- cited and angry every moment, until in the end, White Fang flung dignity to the winds and frankly fled away from her across the fields. “He'll learn to leave alone.” the master said give him the lesson until I catch him in the act™ Two nights later came the act, but on a more generous scale than the master had anticipated. White Fang had observed closely the chicken vards and the habits of the chickens. In the night time, after they had gone to roost, he climbed to the top of a pile of new hauled lumber. From there he g the roof of a chicken house. passed over the ridge pole and dropped to the ground in- side. A moment later he was inside the house and the slaughter began. In the morning when the master came out on to the porch 30 white chickens Leghorn hens, laid out in a row by | the groom, greeted his eyes. He whistled to himself softly, first with | surprise and then at the end with admiration. His eves were likewise greeted by White Fang, but about the latter there were no signs of shame nor guilt. He carried himself with pride, as though, forsooth, he had achieved a deed praiseworthy and “But I can't| meritorious. There was about him no consciousness of sin. The master's lips tightened as he faced the dis- agreeable task. Then he talked harshly to the unwitting culprit and in his voice there was nothing but godlike wrath. Also he held White Fang's nose down to the slain hens and at the same time cuffed him soundly. White Fang never raided a chicken roost again. It was against the law and he had learned it. Then the master took him into the chicken yards. White Fang's natural impulse when he saw the live food fluttering about him and under his very nose was to spring upon it. He obeyed the impulse, but was checked by the master's voice. They continued in the vards for half an hour. Time and again the impulse surged over White Fang and each time as he yielded to it he was checked by the master’s voice. Thus it was he learn- ed the law, and ere he left the domain of the chickens he had learned to ignore their existence. “You can never cure a chicken killer.” Judge Scott shook his head sadly at the luncheon table when his son narrated the lesson he had given White Fang. “Once they've got the habit and the taste of blood. . . .” Again he shook his head sadly. But Weedon Scott did not agree with his father. “I'll tell you what I'll do.” he chal- lenged finally. “I'll lock White Fang in with the chickens all afternoon.” “But think of the chickens,” ob- jected the judge. “And, furthermore,” the son went on, “for every chicken he kills I'll pay one dollar gold coin of the realm.” “But you t00,” interposed Beth. Her sister seconded her and a cho- rus of approval arose from around the table. Judge Scott nodded his head in agreement. “All right.” Weedon Scott ponder- ed for a moment. “And if at the end of the afternoon White Fang hasn't harmed a chicken for every 10 min- utes of the time he has spent in the vard you will have to say to him, gravely and with deliberation, just as if you were sitting on the bench and ‘solemnly passing judgment, ‘White Fang, you are smarter than 1| thought.’ " From hidden points of vantage the family watched the performance. But it was a fizzle. Locked in the yard and there deserted by the master, White Fang lay down and went to sleep. Once he got up and walked over to the trough for a drink of water. The chickens he calmly ignored. So far as he was concerned they did not exist. At 4 o'clock he executed a running jump, gained the roof of the chicken house and leaped to the ground outside, whence he sauntered gravely to the house. He d learned the law. And on the porch, before the delighted family, Judge Scott, face to face with White Fang. said slowly and solemnly 16 times, “White Fang, you are smarter than T thought.” But ét was the multiplicity of laws that befuddled White Fang and often brought him into disgrace. He had learned that he must not touch the chickens that belonged to other gods. Then there were cats, and rabbits, and turkeys—all these he must let alone. In fact, when he had but partly learn- ed the law his impression was that he must leave all live things alone. Out in the back pasture a quail could flutter up under his nose umharmed. All tense and trembling with eage ness and desire, he mastered his in stinct and stood still. He was obey- ing the will of the gods. - And then one day again out in the back pasture he saw Dick start a jack rabbit and run it. The master himself was looking on and did not terfere. Nay, he encouraged White ng to join in the chase. And thus he learned that there was no taboo on jackrabbits. In the end he worked out the complete law. Between him and all domestic animals there must be no hostilities. If not amity, at should penalize father, THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 19%4. ' MUTT AND JEFF —Jeff Recovers His Memory at a Very Inopportune Time. JEEE, 1T LookS Like ‘€uerYBodY 1IN ALBANY LS JUAVING A FAREWELL TO UI. GOUERAOR AL SMITH IS A REGULAR GULY! THe WAY HE EANTERTAINED LS HE MUST HAVE THOUGHT we /IE YoU'UE EoRGOTTEN) ANYTHING = (T's o0 LATE T SPEAK ABOVT T Now: BEEORE we HeAD €oR BUEEALO I'fA GONNA SHow ouR ALBANY ERIENDS How I CAN HANDLE A PLANED WERE THE ROUAD-THE - WORLD FLIERS, least neutrality must obtain. But the other animals—the squirrels, and quail, and cottontails—were creatures| of the wild who had never yielded allegiance to man. They were the lawful prey of any dog. It was only the tame that the gods protected, and between the tame deadly strife was not permitted. The gods held the power of life and death over their subects, and the gods were Jjealous of their power. Life was complex in the Santa Clara. Valley after the simplicities of the northland. And the chief thing de- manded by these intricacies of civ- ilization was control, restraint—a poise of self that was as delicate as the fluttering of gossamer wings and at the same time as rigid aa steel Life had a thousand faces, and White Fang found he must meet them all. Thus, when he went to town, into San Jose, running behimd the car- riage or loafing about the streets when the carriage stopped, life flowed past him, deep and wide and varied, continually impingeing upon his senses, demanding of him instant and endless adjustments and corre- spondences, and compelling _him almost always to suppress his natural impulses. There were butcher shops where meat hung within reach. This meat he must not touch. There were cats at the houses the master visited that must be let alone. And there were dogs everywhere that snarled at him and that he must not attack. And then on the crowded sidewalks there were persons innumerable whose at- tention he attracted. They would stop and look at him, point him out to one another, examine him, talk to him, and, worst of all, pat him. And these perilous contacts from all these strange hands he must endure. Yet this endurance he achieved. Further- more, he got over being awkward and self-conscious. In a lofty way he re- attentions of the multi- s of strange gods. With conde- scension he accepted their condescen- sion. On the other hand, there was something about him that prevented great familiarity. They patted him on the head and passed on, contented and pleased with their own daring. But it_was not all easy for White Fang. Running behind the carriage in the outskirts of San Jose he en- countered certain small boys who made a practice of flinging stones at him. Yet he knew that it was not permitted him to pursue and drag them down. Here he was compelled to violate his instinct of self- preservation; and violate it he did, for he was becoming tame and quali fying himself for civilization. Nevertheless, White F ng was not quite satisfled with the arrangement. He had no abstract ideas about jus- tice and fair play. But there is a certain sense of equity that resides in life and it was this sense in him that resented the unfairness of his being permitted no defense against the stone throwers. He forgot that in the covenant entered into between BHIE KIEN'S STORE OF WOODWARD & LOTHROP Final Clearance Men’s Summer Suits Last call for a suit that will have the first call next summer. The saving is considerable. Palm Beach and Linen Suits Complete size range in regulars, but broken sizes in shorts, longs and stouts. Tropical Worsted Suits Broken size range in regular, short, long and stout sizes. Men’s Clothes Section, Second fioor, $10 Our finest made suits of these two fabrics. $19.75 sodmarh & Wotheay him and the gods they were pledged to care for him and defend him. But carriage, whip in hand, and gave the stone throwers a thrashing. After | isfled. White Fang understood and was sat- Mark Rer. U. 8. Pat. Of.) (Copyright. 1924, by H. C. Fisher. By BUD FISHER. Trade 635840 2. Co Ul —_— When ‘it comes to shoddy stuff marked up don’t overlook the matri- Veneers as thin as 106 to the inc} can be cut with present-day ma- one day the master sprang from the|that they threw stones no more and g;‘glllllllIIIIIIIIHIIIIIHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIllllllIHIIIIIIIIllIHIIlIII||IIIllIllIII||illllll]IHIIIIIIIllllllfllllllllllll FREE Offer Three-piece Wrought Iron Console Set— Bridge Lamp— with purchase with purchase of $25.00. of $50.00. (Continued in Tomorrow's Star.) Store Hours—8 A.M. to 6 P.M. Closed Saturdays During August monial bargain counter. chinery. I August Furniture Sale The greatest furniture bargains of the year—the easiest Credit Terms in Washington! FREE Offer An Electric Iron— with urchase of 5.00. D1 nnerware, Silver or Choc- olate Set—with purchase of $100 or more. “The National’s” Cabinet Phonograph Including six Double-face Records $ 49 75 . of your own selection. Complete. Pay while you play. August Sale price .... Credit THIS TEN-PIECE GENUINE WALNUT VENEER DINING ROOM SUITE is a wonderful bargain. Oblong Extension Table, Inclosed Server, China Cabi- net, Buffet and 6 Beautiful Chairs with genuine leather seats. A remarkable value for the August Furniture Sale at....... sicie va cmicee With Easy Credit Terms at “The National” Kitchen Table Porcelain Top Slightly Imperfect August Sale Price Golden Oak Finish August Sale Price $3.95 NEW THREE-PIECE CANE-BACK LIV- ING ROOM SUITE, as illustrated, consisting of Settee, Chair and Rocker, in mahogany finish; spring seat; upholstered in good grade velour. 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