Collie -- Juvenile fiction; Dogs -- Juvenile fiction; Short stories
"Wolf, son of Lad, is dead. The shaggy collie, with the eyes that
understood and the friendly tail, made famous in the stories of Albert
Payson Terhune, died like a thoroughbred. So when Wolf joined his
father, in the canine Beyond, last Sunday night, there was no hanging
of heads.
"Wolf died a hero. But yesterday the level lawns of Sunnybank, the
Terhune place at Pompton Lakes, N. J., seemed empty and the big house
was curiously quiet. True, other collies were there; but so, too, was
the big boulder out in the woods with just ‘Wolf’ graven across it.
"Ten years ago, when thousands of readers were following Lad’s career
as told by his owner, Mr. Terhune, an interesting event took place at
Sunnybank. Of all the puppies that had or have come to Sunnybank, that
group of newcomers was the most mischievous. Admittedly, Lad was
properly proud, but readers will remember his occasional misgivings
about one of the pups. The cause of parental concern was Wolf. He was
a good puppy, you know, but a trifle boisterous; maybe—yes, he was,
the littlest bit inclined to wildness.
"In 1918 Lad passed on; and the whole country mourned his departure.
Wolf succeeded his famous father in the stories of Mr. Terhune. The
son had long since abandoned his harum-scarum ways and had developed
into a model member of the Terhune dog circle. Wolf was the property
and the pet of Mrs. Terhune.
"He became the cleverest of all the collies. One could talk to Wolf
and get understanding and no back talk. One could depend on Wolf and
get full loyalty. One could like Wolf and say so; and the soft cool
nose would come poking around and the tail would begin to wag till it
seemed as if Wolf would wag himself off his feet.
"Wolf constituted himself warden of the Sunnybank lawns and custodian
of the driveways. When motoring parties came in and endangered the
lives of the puppies playing about the driveways, Wolf, at the first
sound of the motor, would dash importantly down into the drive and
would herd or chase every puppy out of harm’s way.
"Each evening it was the habit of Wolf to saunter off on a long
‘walk.’ Three evenings ago he rambled away and—
"Down in the darkness at the railroad station some folk were waiting
to see the Stroudsburg express flash by. It was a few minutes late. A
nondescript dog, with a hunted, homeless droop to his tail, trotted
onto the tracks.
"Far down the line there came the warning screech of the express. The
canine tramp didn’t pay any attention to it, but sat down to scratch
at a flea.
"The headlight of the express shot a beam glistening along the rails.
Wolf saw the dog and the danger. With a bark and a snap, the son of
Lad thrust the stranger off the track and drove him to safety.
“The express was whistling, for a crossing, far past the station, when
they picked up what was Wolf and started for the Terhune home.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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