This Side of Heaven Read Free Page A

forest. On one side of the house a youth stirred a steaming kettle that had been suspended over a fire. A large black-and-white mongrel lay at his feet; it sprang up, barking madly, as it caught sight of Daniel, Captain Rowse, and Caroline.
    “That’s Matt in yonder field.” Lifting a hand in greeting to the boy stirring the kettle, Daniel started off again with Caroline and Captain Rowse following. The boy waved back while the dog bounded toward them.
    “Mind your manners, Raleigh,” Daniel scolded the dog in an indulgent tone as it darted, growling ferociously, toward Captain Rowse’s legs. The captain pushed it away with his booted foot, his expression completely unperturbed, as if he were well used to beingattacked by a dog the size of a small pony. The beast, thwarted, galloped around the three of them, barking all the while. Then, to Caroline’s horror, it turned its attention to her.
    She had never had any dealings with dogs, and this particular specimen, besides being enormous, seemed possessed of an extraordinary number of sharp and glistening teeth. All of which it bared at her in a taunting doggy grin before it charged.
    “Oh!” Despite her best efforts at aplomb, she could not hold back a squeal.
    “ ’Twould be a pity if you were afraid of dogs,” Daniel observed, sounding mildly amused as she clutched her basket closer and whirled, presenting her back to the dreadful beast.
    “Wouldn’t it?” In the normal way of things, her voice was soft, well modulated, quite melodious, in fact. More than once she had been complimented on its beauty. But in her effort to remain nonchalant as the animal caught and worried the edge of her cloak, her tone might best have been described as shrill.
    Neither man made the slightest move to rescue her. Indeed, both grinned widely as they observed the unequal struggle. When the monster next sank its teeth into her flesh, would they still watch so merrily, she wondered, and came to the conclusion that they probably would. Gritting her teeth, trying to keep the lid on both her growing temper and her escalating panic, Caroline yanked cautiously at her cloak. The dog held on. The hem ripped, the dog tugged harder—and then the unthinkable happened. The flimsy catch that fastened her basket gave way as it had threatened to doall morning, the lid lifted, and out popped a furry black head. Caroline saw, knew what was about to happen, and sought to cram the cat safely back inside, but she was too late. Millicent took only an instant to assess the situation. With a yowl she bounded over the side and away.
    “What on earth …?” If there was any more to Daniel’s exclamation, Caroline didn’t hear it. After no more than a heartbeat’s worth of frozen surprise, Raleigh let go of the cloak to tear after the streaking cat. Frenzied barking mixed with Caroline’s shriek as her pet just managed to elude the dog’s teeth. Abandoning all thoughts of dignity and personal safety, Caroline dropped the basket, picked up her skirts, and sped to the rescue. But Millicent clearly had no intention of waiting for succor. She fled under the barnyard fence while Raleigh, no more than a few paces behind, leaped over it.
    “Millicent! Stop!”
    The cat paid no heed to her scream. Squawking chickens scattered as the animals zigzagged wildly through their midst. The boy who’d been feeding them dropped his pan of meal as Millicent darted between his legs; Raleigh swerved just in time to avoid knocking the windmilling child down. Undeterred by the near collision, the dog continued to pursue his prey with earsplitting intensity. With a shout the boy joined the chase.
    “Millicent! Oh, will somebody call off that blasted dog?”
    Caroline caught the top of the fence and propelled herself up and over to land in the middle of the bedlamcreated by chickens, child, dog, and cat. Behind her Daniel yelled for Raleigh to come back between what sounded like fits of laughter. Out in the field the