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第10章

bruce-第10章

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along with his fist; in an instinctive kick。 The kick did not

reach Bruce。 But it landed; full and effectively; on the

accelerator。



The powerful car responded to the touch with a bound。 And it did

so at the very moment that the flash of white teeth at his throat

made Halding snatch his own left hand instinctively from the

steering…wheel; in order to guard the threatened spot。



A second later the runabout crashed at full speed into the wall

of a house on the narrow street's opposite side。



The rest was chaos。



When a crowd of idlers and a policeman at last righted the

wrecked car; two bodies were found huddled inertly amid a junk…

heap of splintered glass and shivered wood and twisted metal。 The

local ambulance carried away one of these limp bodies。 The

Place's car rushed the smash…up's other senseless victim to the

office of the nearest veterinary。 Dr。 Halding; with a shattered

shoulder…blade and a fractured nose and jaw and a mild case of

brain…concussion;was received as a guest of honor at the

village hospital。



Bruce; his left foreleg broken and a nasty assortment of glass…

cuts marring the fluffiness of his fur; was skillfully patched up

by the vet' and carried back that night to The Place。



The puppy had suddenly taken on a new value in his owners' eyes

partly for his gallantly puny effort at defending the Mistress;

partly because of his pitiful condition。 And he was nursed; right

zealously; back to life and health。



In a few weeks; the plaster cast on the convalescent's broken

foreleg had been replaced by a bandage。 In another week or two

the vet' pronounced Bruce as well as ever。 The dog; through

habit; still held the mended foreleg off the ground; even after

the bandage was removed。 Whereat; the Master tied a bandage

tightly about the uninjured foreleg。



Bruce at once decided that this; and not the other; was the lame

leg; and he began forthwith to limp on it。 As it was manifestly

impossible to keep both forelegs off the ground at the same time

when he was walking; he was forced to make use of the once…broken

leg。 Finding; to his amaze; that he could walk on it with perfect

ease; he devoted his limping solely to the well leg。 And as soon

as the Master took the bandage from that; Bruce ceased to limp at

all。



Meanwhile; a lawyer; whose name sounded as though it had been

culled from a Rhine Wine list; had begun suit; in Dr。 Halding's

name; against the Mistress; as a 〃contributory cause〃 of his

client's accident。 The suit never came to trial。 It was dropped;

indeed; with much haste。 Not from any change of heart on the

plaintiff's behalf; but because; at that juncture; Dr。 Halding

chanced to be arrested and interned as a dangerous Enemy Alien。

Our country had recently declared war on Germany; and the belated

spy…hunt was up。



During the Federal officers' search of the doctor's house; for

treasonable documents (of which they found an ample supply); they

came upon his laboratory。 No fewer than five dogs; in varying

stages of hideous torture; were found strapped to tables or

hanging to wall…hooks。 The vivisector bewailed; loudly and

gutturally; this cruel interruption to his researches in

Science's behalf。



One day; two months after the accident; Bruce stood on all four

feet once more; with no vestige left of scars or of lameness。 And

then; for the first time; a steady change that had been so slow

as to escape any one's notice dawned upon the Mistress and the

Master。 It struck them both at the same moment。 And they stared

dully at their pet。



The shapeless; bumptious; foolish Pest of two months ago had

vanished。 In his place; by a very normal process of nature…magic;

stood a magnificently stately thoroughbred collie。



The big head had tapered symmetrically; and had lost its puppy

formlessness。 It was now a head worthy of Landseer's own pencil。

The bonily awkward body had lengthened and had lost its myriad

knobs and angles。 It had grown massively graceful。



The former thatch of half…curly and indeterminately yellowish

fuzz had changed to a rough tawny coat; wavy and unbelievably

heavy; stippled at the ends with glossy black。 There was a

strange depth and repose and Soul in the dark eyesyes; and a

keen intelligence; too。



It was the old story of the Ugly Duckling; all over again。



〃Why!〃 gasped the Mistress。 〃He'she's BEAUTIFUL! And I never

knew it。〃



At her loved voice the great dog moved across to where she sat。

Lightly he laid one little white paw on her knee and looked

gravely up into her eyes。



〃He's got sense; too;〃 chimed in the Master。 〃Look at those eyes;

if you doubt it。 They're alive with intelligence。 It'sit's a

miracle! He can't be the same worthless whelp I wanted to get rid

of! He CAN'T!〃



And he was not。 The long illness; at the most formative time of

the dog's growth; had done its work in developing what; all the

time; had lain latent。 The same illnessand the long…enforced

personal touch with humanshad done an equally transforming work

on the puppy's undeveloped mind。 The Thackeray…Washington…

Lincoln…Bismarck simile had held good。



What looked like a miracle was no more than the same beautifully

simple process which Nature enacts every day; when she changes an

awkward and dirt…colored cygnet into a glorious swan or a leggily

gawky colt into a superb Derby…winner。 But Bruce's metamorphosis

seemed none the less wonderful in the eyes of the two people who

had learned to love him。



Somewhere in the hideous wreck of Dr。 Halding's motorcar the dog

had found a souland the rest had followed as a natural course

of growth。



At the autumn dog…show; in Hampton; a 〃dark…sable…and…white〃

collie of unwonted size and beauty walked proudly into the ring

close to the Mistress's side; when the puppy class was calleda

class that includes all dogs under twelve months old。 Six minutes

later the Mistress was gleesomely accepting the first…prize blue

ribbon; for 〃best puppy;〃 from Judge Symonds' own gnarled hand。



Then came the other classes for collies〃Novice;〃 〃Open;〃

〃Limit;〃 〃Local;〃 〃American Bred。〃 And as Bruce paced

majestically out of the ring at last; he was the possessor of

five more blue ribbonsas well as the blue Winner's rosette; for

〃best collie in the show。〃



〃Great dog you've got there; madam!〃 commented Symonds in solemn

approval as he handed the Winner's rosette to the Mistress。 〃Fine

dog in every way。 Fine promise。 He will go far。 One of the best

types I've〃



〃Do you really think so?〃 sweetly replied the Mistress。 〃Why; one

of the foremost collie judges in America has gone on record as

calling him a 'measly St。 Bernard monstrosity。'〃



〃No?〃 snorted Symonds; incredulous。 〃You don't say so! A judge

who would speak so; of that dog; doesn't understand his business。

He〃



〃Oh; yes; he does!〃 contradicted the Mistress; glancing lovingly

at her handful of blue ribbons。 〃I think he understands his

business very well indeedNOW!〃







CHAPTER III。 The War Dog



The guest had decided to wait until next morning; before leaving

The Place; instead of following his first plan of taking a night

train to New York。 He was a captain in our regular army and had

newly come back from France to forget an assortment of shrapnel

bites and to teach practical tactics to rookies。



He reached his decision to remain over night at The Place while

he and the Mistress and the Master were sitting on the vine…hung

west veranda after dinner; watching the flood of sunset change

the lake to molten gold and the sky to pink fire。 It would be

pleasant to steal another few hours at this back…country House of

Peace before returning to the humdrum duties of camp。 And the

guest yielded to the temptation。



〃I'm mighty glad you can stay over till morning;〃 said the

Master。 〃I'll send word to Roberts not to bring up the car。〃



As he spoke; he scrawled a penciled li

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