THE LONESOME DOG

New Zealand Tablet, Volume 07, Issue 45, 7 November 1907, Page 37

THE LONESOME DOG

A good, kind dog found himself all alone in the world. He was hungry and thirsty and lonesome, and thought he would see if he could improve his fortunes.

As he trotted along through the streets of a town he smelled a fine smell.

' That means something for me at last,' he thought, and traced the smell to a meat shop. The door was shut, but he" waited patiently until someone went in, and he followed close behind.

A most excellent smell ! He nosed along up close to the counter. With grateful heart he waited for his share. K> fell, and he snapped it up. No sooner had he done so than the butche-r saw him, and the butcher's boy and two customers, and they all shouted at him and jumped at him and hustled him out of the shop, bereft of his meat and ashamed.

'My sakes !' he said to himself, as he ran down the street, tail between his legs ; ' I have learned one lesson — never to go info a place that smells as good as that again !'

When he could ran no more, panting with the heat, and with his tongue hanging out of his mouth, he looked for a place to rest. He had reached a house with green grass, and with vines on the porch, and with a soft, damp-looking flower bed, full of bright flowers, in front of the vines. There was no fence.

'It is quite free,' thought the tired dog, ' and I am glad of a place to rest.' So he went over to the flower bed, turned around and around on the cool soil until he had crowded out for himself a comfortable resting place among the plants.

' Oh, how good this is,' he thought, as he panted for breath. ' How kind these people must be !'

He was just dozing off, when he heard a scream above him. ' Peter ! quick ! quick ! an awful dog ! right in the flower bed ! Drive him away !'

Move as quick as he could, the dog could not get away before lie had been pelted with all sorts of things and had b6en called all sorts of names, which hurt him almost as much as the missiles. .

He ran as far as he could without stopping, but he was so intolerably thirsty he kept looking for a place to drink. There seemed to be no water in all that town. As he lagged slowly, along one street he reached a latticed kitchen porch. The porch door stood open. He knew there was water on that porch. The open door invited him. ' These people know how it feels to perish of thirst,' he thought ; ' they have left their door open.'

Up the stairs he crept ; he could, see the pail of fresh water ; he was just about to bury his nose in the pail and drink his fill, when the kitchen door slammed back and a broom descended on

his head, and he was ordered off in no uncertain tones. With his head aching from the blow, and thirstier than ever, he ran slowly along. v ~ . ' There is no place, for me,' he thought, wearily, ' nor any food, nor any drink. I do not understand it.' He ran by more houses with vines, and flower beds, and green "lawns, and no fences, but he did not venture in. A pretty child sat on some steps and called : ' Here, doggie ; here, doggie !' How he would like to be called that way ! He turned his head imploringly. ' Here, doggie — good, pretty, kind doggie I Come to Roxie.' The dog hesitated ; could the child mean him ? Was it a boy? Some children were boys and some ..were girls. But he couldn't tell this one. Some boys were named John and Tom and David, and some girls were named Daisy and Lulu and Sally, but he didn't know Roxie. ' Come, doggie/purged Roxie ; ' come. I'll give you a drink — a nice, long, cool drink,' and Roxie led the way encouragingly to the shady side of the house. There was a large crock. ' This is for the birds,' explained Roxie, 'and now I'll fill it up for you,' and Roxie turned in a stream from the hose. The thirsty dog drank and drank; never did water taste so good. He raised his grateful eyes and wagged his tail. 'Oh, you good dog,' smiled Roxie; 'be my dog. I'll bring you something to eat in a minute. I'll be awful fast. Now stay right — there ' — impressively. The dog scarcely knew what to do, but 'while he was still undecided Roxie came back with a pan of scraps. 'These are" my very cwn bones,' said Roxie. 'I've been praying for a dog for two days, and I've saved all my bones and scraps ; now eat 'em !' The dog ate in a half-famished way — such good scraps ! ' What are you doing, Roxie ?' called a voice from an upper room. ' Feedin' my dog. Pretty good dog, too.' Roxie's mother hurried down, afraid she would find a mangy, sore-eyed dog; but instead she found a gentle creature, with a silky coat and beautiful eyes. 'Very well, Roxie,' was the relieved answer. 'We may as well settle this thing right now. If we find the dog belongs to anyone else we can give it back.' ' He doesn't,' was the positive reply. ' Well, we'll play that way. We'll put the rest of the afternoon on- the dog. We .will scrub him and comb him and brush him and fix him a sleeping place, and we will telephone right down to papa to bring up a collar. What name do you want?' ' Theodore,' promptly. 'Why, Roxie! Theodore isn't a dog's name!' ' It's this dog's name,' in a final tone. And the lonesome dog wagged his tail happily.