Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-09-02

by the small of the back like rat, and bro
ken it.
He looked down at his victim, appea.ei
ashamed and amazed snuffed him all over
stared at him, and taking a sudden thought
turned round and trotted off, Bob took thu
dead dog up and said John, we'll bury hin
ter the mastif. He made up the Cowgatt
at rapid swing; he had forgotten some en-
gagement, He turned up the Candlemakel
row, and stopped at the Harrow Inn.
There was carriers cart ready to start
and a keen, thin, impatient, black-a-vIsed
little man, his hand at his gray horses head
looking about Angrilv for something. "Rab
ye thief said he, aiming a kick at my
great friend, who drew cringing up, and
avoiding the heavy shoe with more agility
than dignity, and watching his master S eye,
he skunk dismayed under the cart-his cars
down, and as much as he had of tail down
too.
What a man this must be-thOught Ito
whom this tremendous hero turns tail The
carrier saw the muzzle hanging cut, and
useless from his neck, and eagerly told him
the story, which Bob and | always thought,
and still think, Homer or KING David, or Sir
Walter alone were worthy to rehearse. The
severe little man was mitigated, and conde-
scended to say "Rab. ma man, puIr Rabbie,
-whereupon the stump of a tail rose up,
the ears were cooked, the eyes filled, and
were comforted the two friends were recon-
ciled. "Hupp - and stroke of the whip
was given t jess. and off went the three.
Bob and buried the Game chicken that
night, I'VE hadn't much of tea) in the
back green of his house, in Melville street,
No. =, with considerable gravity and 81
lcnce: and being at the time in the Had,
and like all boys, Trojans, we called him OF
course, Hector
Six years have passed. long time for
boy and dog; Bob Ainslie is off to the
wars: am a medical student, and clerk at
the Mimic House Hospital
Rab | saw almost every week, on the We'd
nesday, and we had much pleasant intimacy
| found the way to hi. heart by frequent
scratching of his huge head, and an occasion.
al bone. When | did not noti,e him, he
would plant himself straight before me, and
stand wagglng that bud Of tail, and look
ing up, with his head a little to one side.
His master | occasionally saw he used to
call me " Master John, but was laconic as
any Spartan.
One fine October afternoon | was leaving
the hospital when I saw the large rate open.
and in walked Rab with that great and easy
saunter of his He looked as if taking general
possession of the place, like the Duke Of
Wellington entering a subdued city, satiated
with variety and peace. After him came
Jess, now white with age, with her cart, and
in it a woman carefully wrapped up, the
carrier leading the horse anxiously and look
ing back. When he saw me, James-fOr his
name was James Noble-made a curt and
bow, and said Master John,
this is the mistress; she's got trouble in her
breest, some kind of an income, we're think
n'''
By this time | saw the woman's face; she
was sitting on a sack filled with straw, her
husbands plaid around her, and his big coat
with its large white metal buttons over her
feet. | never saw a more unforgetful face,
pale, serious, lovely, delicate. sweet, without
being what we call fine. She looked sixty,
and had on a mutch, white as snow. with its
black ribbon her slvery smooth hair setting
off her dark gray eves-eyes such as one sees
only twice or thrice in lifetime, full Of
but full also of the overcoming Of
mouth firm, patient and contented, which
few mouths ever are.
As have said, never saw more beau
tiful cOuntenance, or one more subdued TO
settled quiet "Ailie," said James, - this is
Master John, the young doctor; Rab's
friend We ken We often speak about YOU,
Doctor She smiled and made a movement.
but said nothing, and prepared TO come down,
4, T,I
in all his glory, been handing
down the Queen of Sheba at his palace gate,
he could not have done it more daintily,
more tenderly, more like gentleman, than
did James, the Howgate carrier, when he
lifted down Allie his wife. The contrast of
his small, weather-beaten, keen, worldly face
to hers-pale, subdued, and beautiful-was
wonderful Rab looked on, con-
cerned and puzzled, but ready for any thing
that might turn up, were it to strangle the
nurse, the porter, or even me. Allie and he
seemed great friends
AS was sayin, she's got kind O. trouble
in her breest, doctor wull We tax a look
At it?' We walked into the consulting
room, all four; Rab grim and comic, willing
to be happy and confidential if C ,use should
be shown, willing always to be quite the re-
verse on the same terms. Allie sat down,
undid her open gown, and her lawn hand
kerchief around her neck, and without
word showed me her right breast looked
at and examined it carefully, she and James
watching me, and Rab eying all three. What
could say there it was, that had been so
soft, so shapelv, so white. so gracious and
80 full of the blessed conditions
hard as a stone, a center of pain, making
that pale face, with its gray, lucid. reasona-
BILE eyes, and its sweet, resolved mouth, ex-
press the full measure of suffering overcome.
Why was that gentle, modest, sweet woman,
clean and lovable, condemned by god to bear
such burden
got her away to bed. May Rab and me
bide ?'' said James You may, and Rab,
if he will behave himself Use warrant
he's do that, DOCTOR and in skunk the faith
full beast, wish you could have seen him.
There are no such dogs now; he belonged to
a lost tribe. As have said, he was brin-
died and gray like Aberdeen granite; his
hair short, hard and close, like a lions; his
body thickset like a little bull-a sort of
compressed Hercules of dog. He must
have been ninety pounds weight, at the
least; he had a large, blunt head; his muzzle
night, tooth or two-being all he had
cleaning out of his jaws of darkness. His
head was SCARED with the records of old
wounds, sort Of series of fields of battle all
over it, one eye out, one ear cropped as close
as the Archbishop Leighton's father's-but
for differ mt reasons-the remaining eye had
the power of two, and above it, and in con-
slant communication with it, was a tattered
rag of an ear, which was forever unfurling
itself like an old flag; and then that bud of
a tail, about one inch long, being as broad
as long-the mobility, the instantaneousness
of that was very funny and surprising. and
expressive twlnklings and winkings, the in
tercommunications between the eye, the ear,
and it. were the subtlest and the swiftest.
Rab had the dignity and simplicity of great
size, and having fought his way all along
the road to supremacy. he was as mighty
in his own line as Julius Caesar or the Duke
of Wellington, and he had the gravity of all
great fighters.
You must have often observed the likeness
of certain men to certain animals, and of
certain dogs to men. Now, | never looked