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The dog made no demur, more
fhfm content to stay "with his new
master as long as the latter smoked
and spoke to him. As Neat closed
his eyes for a nap, however, the ani
mal got up near to him, pulled his
sleeve, pranced about, showed plain
ly that he did not consider it bedtime,
nor the site of the siesta favorable
for rest and comfort.
"What you trying to tell me, old
fellow?" queried Neal whimsically.
"Want ime to go somewherd? All
right march ahead."
The pTiimal at once adopted the
methods of a guide. Down the road
he proceeded,, then across a lot and
darting along a narrow lane, arrived
at an old barn structure.
He looked invitingly at Neal as he
entered its doorway. There was a
night of stairs and -a loft with suf
ficient old hay on its floor to make
a very comfortable bed.
"Well, well," laugbed,NeaI, "tit for
tat! I share my meal jindyou pilot
me to a 'first-class bed." Good for you,
Towser!"
They became close chums, those
two, during the next few days,. The
constant companionship of the ani
mal pleased and cheered NeaL As to
Towser, a grateful sample, of true
fidelity, he seemed to be supremely
content One night, however, when
they arrived at the barn they found
tfie doors barred and padlocked and
ft was not so darklnit thatNea? could
read scrawled across the new barrier
the chalked words: "Trespassers will
be prosecuted according to the law."
It had begun to rain and man and
dog had tramped a long distance that
afternoon. Neal looked for tempo
rary shelter. He found it at the side
of the house in a vine-embowered
arbor. A long bench invited him to
rest and then unconsciously to slum
ber. ,
It must have been three or four
hours later hen Neal awoke. Tow
ser was pulling at his coat Neal sat
up and then sprang to his feet as
from the inside of theUcfuse an echo
ing scream of terror or pain rang out
"Something wrong," uttered Neal,(
all his keen senses shrewdly alert in'
an instant, "and Towser knows it"
. The dog, with an eager, impatient
glance back at hia master, had start
ed for the house. Neal followed. The
front door waa-open. Down the hall
the dog stole to where a door stood
partly djar. Beyond it Neal peered
for tie moment horrified and spell
bound. Across a table in his night
dress lay the hermitlike occupant of
the house old Jacob Wise. He was
tied across it There was a fire in
the stove and stuck between its red
hot bars was a poker. A rough-looking
man was standing over the aged
Wise.
'Now, then, I've got you safe and
sound," he was saying. "You've Qt
a fortune hidden away in some odd
corner of this old house and I want
it, understand?"
Jacob Wise made no response. The
robber drew the poker from tixe stove.
"Tell where that money is' he spoke,
"or 131 give you atouch of this."
The intruder waved the red hot
poker menacingly. He moyed it
across the bare soles of his, victim's
feet
"111 tell! It burns! I'll teltt"
shrieked the tortured old man. r J
Just then Neal pushed open thte
door. The intruder turned quickly.
Neal sprang at him. They grappled.
Then the robber pressed a revolver
against the side of his opponent !
The last thing that Neal Barrett
saw as he sank unconscious to the
floor was the dog, his teeth at the
throat of the wretch who had downed
his master.
The waking moment came' days
later, although Neal did not really
that fact when he first roused up. In
amazement he stared. Old Jacob1
Wise sat at his bedside in a comfort
able room. Through an open door
way, moving about engaged in do
mestic duties, Neal saw Florence Par
sons! "Ah! better," chuckled the oM
