The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-02-10

romance OF the thing would have been
ended, and / should have had my walk
Tor nothing. But no, hc turned abrupt.
" off at q news, ahd, after q fewseconds
OF thc same apparent hesitation as be.
fore, slackened his pace and stopped
opposite public.house.
A news Is never quite empty. There
arc always grooms1oafng about In door.
ways, or stable-boys going in and out
Of wlshhouses. At themoment when
the dog and / appeared coacllman
was Harvesting two horses TO q brou.
CHAM, and couple OF men were help
ing him, Opposite, and exchanging
remarks with them from the threshold
Of the public-house, stood servant in
breeches, smoking long clay pipe (;
the dog was standing still but all at
once, before 1 had time to suspect what
was going to happen, he rose up on his
hind legs and commenced walking
grayely round in circles.
The man with the breeches and the
clay pipe uttered cry OF surprise.
The two others and the coachman raised
their heads, and, upon seeing this
strange sight, left their work and clus-
tered up TO look. A few more people
attracted by the noise came and Joined
us. We soon formed o ring. -''''-'-'
It seemed to please the dog to sec us
all around him, for he grayely wagged
his tail once to and fro, and tried to
put more spirit into his exercise. He
walked five times round on his hinder
logs, looking fixedly before him like q
soldier on duty, and doing his best,
poor dogl-I could see that-to make
us laugh. For my part, seeing the
others remain speechless in their rs.
tonishment 1 laughed aloud to encour-
age him but shall I soy the truth? I
felt moro ready to cry. There was
something inexpressibly sad in the seri-
Gus expression OF this lonely dog, per-
forming by himself few tricks That
some absent master had taught him,
and doing so Of his own accord, with
some secret end in view that lie himself
only could know Of. After taking q
moments rest he set to work again,
but this time on his forefeet, pretend
lug to stand on his head. And what q
poor, intelligent head II was, as almost
shaving the ground, it looked appeal.
ingly ut us all, and seemed to say:
"Please do not play any pranks with
me, for really I am not doing this for
fun" When he had walked round
on his head until he was weary, lie lay
down in the midst Of the ring and made
believe to DO dead. He went through
all tho commissions q a dying dog,
breathing heavily, painting, suffering
his lower jaw to fall, and then turning
over motionless. And he did this SO
we'll that stout, honest-faced woman,
who had been looking on without laugh
ing exclaimed, "Poor beasti and drew
her hand across her eyes. N....-'
The rain continued to fall, but not
one Of us thought Of moving, only the
dog, when he had lain dead q minute,
got up and shook himself, TO show us
all that the performance was ended.
He had displayed the extent Of what he
knew, and now came forward TO receive
his fee. He stood upon his hind legs
again and, walking to each of us sep
arately, assumed the posture that is
popularity known as begging" I Twas
the first to whom he came. He gazed
ut me inquiringly with his soft eyes
wide opened, and followed my hand pa
tiently TO my waistcoat pocket. The
basket roulid his neck was n round one
with o lid to It tied down with string,
and little slit in the Lid through which
to put in money. I dropped in shill.
ing and stopped down to road bit Of
crtimpled paper I saw hanging loosely
from tile collar. It bore these wsrls,
written in q shaky hand: "This is tho
dog Of poor man who is bed-stricken
he earns the bread OF his master. Good
people, do not keep him from returning
to Ills home" The dog thanked me
for my offering by wagging his tail, and
then passed on to my neighbor. Human
nature must be kinder than people
think, for there was not one OF the
spectators-not even he with the
breeches and the clay pipe, whose face
had impressed mo unfavorably-but
gave the dog something. As for him,
when lle had gone his round, he barked
two or three times to say good.by, and
then patted contentedly away at the
same iog-trot pace lie had come
He went up the street, and ] followed
him, but when we Ind reached Oxford
street lie quickened suddenly, and be-
gan to RIM hard, rs IL his day was end.
cd and he wanted to get home. Evening
had quite fallen by this time, aud i felt
II would be quite useless to go after my
four.legged mystery on foot, so l called
cab and said:. "Follow that dog"
very much to the drivers astonishment.
II was u long WY frem the part OF
Oxford street in which We were to Tot
tenliam Court road, where the small
dog leg me. But I should have under.
defstood the journey had 1t not been at
such a furious pase. The dog never
once looked round. Twenty times /
thought he would be crushed by pass
ing vans or carriages; but somehow he
got through IL. He had an extraordi-
nary tact for finding passage between
horses hoofs, and likoa true London
dog as he was, he showed intimate fa:
miliarity with all the intricacies Of
crossing. Still it was some relief to me,
both on his own account and mine, when
/ saw him branch off at last. ! was be-
ginning to fear that he would never
stop, that he had something Of the wan
lering Jew in him. Itseemed impossi-
BILE that, without taking any rest, with
out even pausing for an instant 10 draw
breath, sucli lean dog should keep on
going so long. Tottenham Court road
tthis was about eighteen months ngo)
used 10 be q sort Of fair at nighttime.