make a woman hones' for ye ain't
hones' yerself."

Without a sound Ben rose from the tracks, reached for a stone and
whirled it through the fence at Tessibel. The stone missed her, but
struck the dog. Trembling with rage, Pete lifted his great body with a
low, vicious growl.

Tessibel sprang from the ground, whilst another stone hurtled through
the air, catching her curls in its flight. Then she lifted the lower
wire of the barbed fence. Pete crouched, and wiggled his flattened body
through. Ben hadn't expected this--he turned and ran. The skurrying legs
of the dog carried him quickly on after the fisherman. While Ben,
screeching like a great night owl, hooted out his fear of the maddened
dog, and yelled for Tess to call him off.

The girl did not speak, only waited, waited until a louder cry from the
hunted man assured her that Pete had gripped him. Tessibel scarcely
dared breathe; her friend, God's earthly instrument, sent to save her,
and her mortal enemy were in deadly combat.

Ben's cries had ceased, but the listening girl could hear the two bodies
as they turned over and over beyond on the tracks--and rolled into the
ditch. Her feet were nearly frozen but she gathered them under her skirt
and dumbly waited.

Then came no sound--there was nothing but a deathly silence in the dim
shadows near the land.

Would she ever see either Ben or the dog again? There was no danger that
Pete would--

"Ben," she called loudly, leaning over the fence. No answer came from
the deep trench by the railroad bed.

"Pete, Pete, come to Tessibel, come to Tessibel."

Out of the blackness came the dog, his head hanging low, the angry
sparkle in his eyes quenched.

Tess raised the wire once more for Pete's body to wriggle under. The
girl shouted anxiously for Ben but no answer came to her call.

Crouching beside Pete, Tessibel reasoned out a way of escape: if she
took the brindle bulldog to the hut with her, she would be safe from Ben
were he lurking about. She propped the lower wire of the fence high
with a stick so that Pete could reach Kennedy's barn on the hill again
when she sent him home. Together the girl and the bristling Pete slid
silently to the railroad tracks, Tessibel holding tightly to the dog's
collar. Some fifty feet beyond he twisted his heavy neck, set forth his
huge jaw, and refused to move.

Beside the track was a long dark object--it was undeniably,
unquestionably quiet. Tess tugged at the dog's collar