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THE MASTER AND TENNY. 



J. L. TOOKER, JR. 



It was a warm October afternoon. The 

 local sportsmen had unbuttoned their vests 

 and, deserting the Hotel Central's reading 

 room, had sought the porch. There they 

 tilted their chairs back at a comfortable 

 angle and discussed the game laws and 

 the outlook for the coming open season. 



The sparrows were making an unusual 

 commotion overhead, flitting from lintel 

 to lintel. Their wild cries of alarm inter- 

 rupted conversation until a sudden flash 

 of gray through the scanty but gaudy 

 leaves of a maple, and a cry of pain, told 

 of a hawk's successful strike for a midday 

 titbit. At that moment the landlord 

 emerged from the reading room, an open 

 letter in one hand and a chair in the other. 



"I've got a letter from Bill," he said, 

 putting down the chair and seating him- 

 self. He zigzagged the back legs forward 

 by quick jerks until he had gained the de- 

 sired angle and continued, 



"He says Tenny is the most knowing 

 pointer he ever broke, and that I can lay 

 odds on him against any dog in the coun- 

 ty. We must arrange a date for Ernston 

 and give Tenny a trial with those birds 

 that have been so carefully educated in 

 shot dodging." 



It was then and there settled that the 

 second day of the season, the first day 

 falling on Sunday, should see Tenny's 

 trial. 



The district mentioned by the Master 

 of Tenny had been the rooting ground of 

 game hogs, and their beastly work had 

 been thorough. Yet it was known that 5 

 or 6 small coveys could be found within a 

 radius of 6 miles of Ernston station. 

 Those birds were credited with wonderful 

 acumen, and it was generally believed that 

 if their bodies could be examined many 

 shot marks would be found thereon. They 

 were the survivors of many raids by pot 

 hunters, and it was a valuable dog that 

 could go up successfully against such 

 veteran birds. 



Tenny had become the Master's idol 

 when about ^months old, and after run- 

 ning about the hotel a while, had been 

 sent away for a course of training. When he 

 was graduated with the diploma embodied 

 in the letter from Bill he was a yearling. 

 Though fhe Master could not point with 

 pride to any particular sire or dam in 

 Tenny's line of ancestry, he was sure the 

 dog would prove a good one if only be- 

 cause a good sum had been expended for 

 his education. 



Tenny was fairly good looking, sleek of 

 limb and body, snow white, with a pretty 

 brown patch over each eye, and a small 

 brown square at the root of his long, 

 whippy tail. His head was a trifle too 

 stubby, but had one of the party present 

 at the time of Tenny's arrival home given 

 breath to such suspicion he would not 

 have been invited to the bar when the 

 Master celebrated the event. 



Time rolled by quickly until the open 

 season was at hand. Of all who promised 

 to witness Tenny's debut, only the Mas- 

 ter and one whom I shall call Jim were 

 on to see the result. Those 2, with Tenny, 

 took the field one November morning. 

 Guns were soon removed from their cases, 

 and the trio went forth in all the glory of 

 the new born day. 



Hardly had they started when a most 

 exhilarating spectacle came in view. Not 

 60 yards away a covey of quails emerged 

 from the scrub oak and, crossing the road, 

 entered the stubble to the left. Tenny 

 nosed the tracks with a knowing look, and, 

 crawling beneath the fence, started down 

 the trail with head swinging as though 

 hung on a pivot. His followers had 

 barely mounted the fence when a whirr 

 of wings gave notice of flight. From the 

 center of the field tiny brown bodies arose 

 and sped far away to the Southwest. 



Tenny continued down the scent, merely 

 glancing at the birds as they rose, circled 

 their farthest advance, and started back 

 over the field. His ranging qualities 

 were immense. When he answered the 

 Master's urgent calls all the sparrows and 

 other small birds had been forced to seek 

 pastures new. 



Down the slope went the trio into the 

 valley where the baby birches shot their 

 pipestem trunks up to the sunlight. Then 

 ascending the hill, they seated themselves 

 on a fallen pine for a short rest. A chip- 

 munk perched on a neighboring stump 

 gave evidence, by the desultory fall of the • 

 cuttings, of his interest in the pantomime. 



"I have often been amazed by a quail's 

 long flight," said the Master, "but that 



last aerial display beats all . See that 



beautiful little creature?" As the Master 

 pointed in the direction of the stump Ten- 

 ny caught a glimpse of the mite of a squir- 

 rel, made a dash, stopped, and looked 

 askance at the magical disappearance of 

 the little beast. A slight noise attracted 

 his attention in another direction. Away 

 he bounded, regardless of the Master's 



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