| The |
| Fangs of Tsan-Lo |
| By JIM KJELGAARD |
Of course I do not know about the unknown. But I am sure that there is more to this world than any living man has even dreamed. Silly? Talking through my hat? Perhaps, but my first fear of Tsan-Lo came to me the day I read the letter about him. And yet it was just an ordinary letter, like hundreds I've received.
| Dear Mr. Roberts:
As per our previous agreement, I am this day shipping Tsan-Lo from Wind city. He should arrive the 27th of May. I am depending on you to see that he receives proper care. To be perfectly frank, I do not expect miracles from him. He is big, strong, and able, but obstinate, and possibly you will have to undo the harm wrought by my amateurish efforts. I have experimented with Tsan-Lo myself. Please keep me informed of his progress.
Sincerely,
Dr. Ibellius Grut.
|
I stared across the desk. But sweat stood on my forehead and cold chills chased each other up and down my spin. I tried to shake the feeling off, and could not, and I read the letter again. There was nothing even a little bit strange about it, unless you'd call Tsan-Lo a strange name for a Chesapeake retriever and wonder a little bit about anyone named Dr. Ibellius Grut. I tried to shrug it away.
"Get hold of yourself, Clint," I said. "First thing you know you'll be crazy as a drunken pigeon."
"Drunken pigeons don't talk to themselves," a voice said.
I turned around and saw Sally standing in the open door. She's Sally Evers, daughter of John Evers, and I wouldn't do a darned thing for her—except anything she asked me to. Yes, I'm in love with her. In fact to put it mildly, she's the sun, the moon, the stars, and the air I breath all rolled into one. But I'd never told her about it because, though you wouldn't call them exactly filthy rich, her folks have plenty of what it takes. And her mother made up Sally's mind that she's going to marry Harris H. Harris, who's social register, Harvard, and the Harris Company. Nobody knows why she wants to spend any of her time with an ordinary trainer of retrievers—but I'm awfully grateful for small favors as long as she's part of them.
"'Smatter, Frank Buck?" she asked
What possible connection could there be between a prehistoric lizard and a Chesapeake dog?
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