, 1873-10-12
MY FRIEND AND HIS STORY.


From tho Catholic World.
I Ind boon spending tho winter with friend
In poor health In the south OF Trance. I will
not namo the place, hut It was ono Of tho love-
lioBt spot Oh tho northern, Mediterranean coast.
Perhaps Ahall lavo Bomot hing 10 tell Of 1t at
another time.
Aftor prolonging o,lr stay till wo be-
gan to feel tint 4 change would
DO beneficial, wo travelled on nlong
tho gloriouH old Cornioo road into 1taly. and sat
ourselves down among the palms and olives Of
region tint, on account Of its Eaatorn vegetation
and general lilioneaa to lilo Holy Land, is often
oal1od @ tho Jericho Of tho Riviera" For, In
truth, whom tho trnvelor climbs tho atoop slopes
md staircaBes Of TINT old town, pierced by mr.
row, winding troughs Of stroots, tod together,
aa 1t wore, by old crlmbling bridges and archps.
built az d protection against continual earth-
qunkos; and aftor cropping through what ia moro
like a labyrinth Of subterranean cavos than n
town Of civilized build, ho gains the crcst
Of tho hill. aud looka down from tho sanctuary
Of tho Blessed Virgin, which ia its crown, tho
nctual Holy Lnnd itself Hoema sprend below his
foot. Thore nro tho worry outlines Of Palestine
The stony nlabs and tltod strata Of crag ind
ridge; tho aromatic shrubs tho woalth Of sud
oliveB, fruit-hoaring to an extraordinary dogroo;
tho vaas tanks, haunted by brfght-grcon, poraist-
entity sorenadlng frogs tho lizards darting in
tho hot glnro; tho nat-toppod, low houses,
and tho women carrying jars Of identical Eaat-
ned mon mud women themselves hhyo tho liko
Had, sweet, mournfnl Eastern oyes; for through
out tho Riviera there ia largo admixturo Of
Arab blood, as mapy Arab words aro oryBtalized
In thiB wild, bright, SOLEMN country, found
and made the friend whose atory ain going to
toll and, If it is disappointing 1T first to tho ex
Rootan!t;' an; shall ask them to wait till th0s noAr
We lived in not very comfortable boarding
house outaido the town, chosen on acoount Of its
position, and being quito removed from tho
noise Of tho 500, which those acquainted with
tho Mediterranean viii thoronghly understand
shore than TINT Which Ia POLITICALLY tho tido!ess,
wayoieas, aapphiro-like mirror Of tho old Tyrrhen-
ian. In this house I soon made out my
friend-a white dog with bluck potnta,, ahaven
pnt On very high up, and twisted with 3 jannty,
belf-nBHerting spi,'l over his back, denoted but
with an undoubted bar sinister in hiB shicld-
somo English spanior or terrier drop" which,
strange to any, gave him power Of Persistence
such as mover eaw in any dog before and yet
know about dogs aud dog ways, too.
The first =, thing, my friend Did 0hls c,hL
an' ad apse,zed sHe 's5' to oof~ss 70 III IL @ h
solf up worry high on his toes, eroot eyory hair
into wiro, and growl 30 aB to show oil his boau
tiful young whito toeth at my approach and out
stretched hand. n.~t#s
good little dog, and lot me scratch your back;
yol, don't know how nico it is, dearl"
But the growing and defiant looks continued,
an Chick lay down on his own chosen stop Of tho
stairs. 7 pushed him with my foot, and said en-
phatically:
'tChick you're 4 nasty little dog!" At which
candid opinion, Chick, Bulkier and croRsor than
eyor, settled hinasolf to slcep.
It was not long, however, before Chick, like al
other dogs, succumbod to the dog mcanerism of
that hearty goodwill and Affection in which dogs
arc apt to trust with a much moro generous cot-
adonco than mon. Ho began by licking my
land, then camo to my room for water, and at
straying from ono wino-shop to another about
tho town, into Which ho had fallen from not be-
ing made happy md comfortable ut nome. Ono
day, ho conloBconded to onor hiulsolf for n walk,
and We went through Bundry tortuoun lanos to
aomo olive-tesraces above tho town. Once there,
tho dogs unbounlod delight was pretty to sec.
He rol]el among the froeh ErAss and hop
elovor, thickly Bprinkled with lovely rod glado-
Il he careerod in aud out OF the oliye-troes, as
II weaving somo mystic, Invisible witcll-weh;
and then, rushing hack to mo, barking sharply
III high falaatto he sprawlcd Mt full length gu
tho ground. vagginy his huaby plume oFor bis
bncl, and saying, i'll the eloarost speech Of his
dog no'o. THANK YOU for mixing mo 50 happy!"
AIy friend, whom Ind loved with all my heart,
was easily nadc happy. Tho ono thing nocccs-
sary to him vas some sort of master whom hc
temper frightened, his thoroughly obstnnto will
grew docio, hia ayes watched every motion and
indication showing his masters wishes. aud, if
anything we're given into Lis charge. no amount
him from his trust. ;, Has chiofoat do
light wAB running after "a stone or
cork, i'll which also Ills ways woro
special to himself. When The stono was found
would stand with one paw placed upon it. lools-
ing down nt It with crest and tippet erect, aud
no notice waro taken OF his dumb appeal, ho
would snatch mp tho stono, aud carry u Oh. but
again. On tile oliyo-forracos, among tho grass
and wild flowers, whore ho always beca1no ill.,
tensely excitoa, he would run round the stone,
growing, roll upon 1t in q kind Of frenzy,
and snap at eyory ono who camo near.
When grayely called or spoke 10 him. he would
rolinauish tlis BerserE mood, md, waggiug Ills
brush, lick my hand aB il to beg pardon for Huch
ohlldisllno6a, and return to tho decent aobtiotioa
Of ordinary life. need scarcely soy that 1t waA
only because the oyor-excltemont was bad for
himself that lio was ever controlled in his fau-
ces and concotn; for dogs, oven moro than
childron, should bo allowed to oxpress thoir own
character ead nahe Their own Happiness, in un-
Chick attached himself to mo In
mo, scratched at lilo room doors to bo. whore
was, ran up mud down etairs after mo OIL every
tic "Unitod Dogs sorvico," and slept oil
chair at tile foot OF my bed. Even when loft ut
tho church door during daiymass, whon yainly
thought him securely pont within gates and rails,
tho padded door would bo showed open, and
Chick with hH ears and twisted tail
HCocked fut a1,r1,ah