CHUM. 



335 



he bounded upward as if shot from 

 a mortar. Descending, he spread 

 himself over the dog like a striped 

 blanket, and, fastening to his star- 

 board ear, chewed and clawed with 

 convincing earnestness. Howling in 

 anguish and insane with fear, the tor- 

 tured dog contorted miraculously and 

 threw off his vindictive persecutor. As 

 he did, he snapped with desperate 

 energy, and, for a wonder, managed 

 to secure a grip on the cat's lean neck. 

 It was then the dog's "evening to 

 howl/' The spectators were in a state 

 edging on lunacy. They raved ad- 

 monitions at the seemingly defeated 

 cat. For purely discordant effects 

 their howling easily surpassed the best 

 efforts of an amateur country choral 

 society. 



But Foley's pet needed no help noi 

 sympathy ! Chum had not secured a 

 firm hold. Snarling horribly, the cat 

 disengaged his twisted neck, losing a 

 considerable sheaf of hairs in the ef- 

 fort. Then, seething with rage, the 

 aggressive parcel of rubber and piano 

 wire attacked the kitten slayer scien- 

 tifically. Dabbing at him like a boxer, 

 he drove the bewildered cur slowly 

 back. 



Things looked black for Chum ; 

 he was in a fair way of being 

 torn into strips. Frantically, and 

 with an energy born of despair and a 

 guilty conscience, he snapped at the 

 relentless avenger, but in vain. Only 

 once did he pass the slashing barrier, 

 and then it was but to secure a bit of 

 ear. Inexorable as fate, the brindle 

 champion forced him into the corner. 

 Another attack of mob mania con- 

 vulsed the gallery. Against a cross 

 wind, they were heard in the village ; 



and a posse, with the. fat barber la- 

 boring heavily in the van, started for 

 the barn to inquire into the excite- 

 ment. Penning the protesting yellow 

 wretch in the angle, the agile cat made 

 an odd, squirming leap and again 

 seated himself on Chum's back. This 

 time the grapples held. 



Writhing like a pinned serpent, the 

 crazed dog made futile contortions to 

 throw off his merciless assailant. Fail- 

 ing, he circled the pit like the per- 

 forming dog in a circus. The vindic- 

 tive cat hooked him with the abandon 

 of a mahout trying to stop a runaway 

 elephant. Around he went, ever ac- 

 celerating his speed, the audience 

 cheering itself into exhaustion. Sud- 

 denly, above the tumult, there came a 

 sound of terrific hammering on the 

 rope-fastened doors. Moved by a 

 common impulse, the gang slipped 

 through a wide crevice in the rear of 

 the loft and plumped to the ground 

 with a series of thuds. As the last 

 one jumped, the badgered cur, still 

 carrying his goading rider, made a 

 great bound at the high window. He 

 fell short, but he shook off the cat in 

 the endeavor. Then, freed for an in- 

 stant of his load, he made another 

 desperate attempt. That time he was 

 successful, and crashed through, car- 

 rying with him a portion of the frame 

 and smashing a goodly number of 

 panes. With half the effort, the 

 striped fiend, pursuing him, shot ac- 

 curately through the fringing circle of 

 jagged glass. When the posse en- 

 tered, the barn was deserted. The 

 barber cursed profusely, with infinite 

 variety of expression. A faint mock- 

 ing yell floated up from the distant 

 swamp. 



Mrs. Flanagan — I want a pair of shoes 

 for my boy. 



Salesman — French kid, ma'am? 

 "No, sir; Irish kid." — Schoolmaster, 



