Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1873-02-08

.
/ fore, slackened his pace and stopped
opposite public-house. ... 80.
| A news is never quite empty. There
are always grooms loafing about in door
ways, or stable-boys going in and out
of washhouses. At the moment when
the dog and 1 appeared coachman
was harnessing two horses to a brou-
| CHAM, and a couple of men were help
ing him. Opposite, and exchanging
remarks with them from the threshold
of the public-house, stood a servant in
breeches, smoking long clay pipe ;
the dog was standing still but all at
once, before had time to suspect what
was going to happen, he rose M on his
hind legs and commenced walking
gravely 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 ring.
1t seemed to please the dog to see us
all around him, for he gravely wagged
his tail once to and fro, and tried to
put more spirit into his exercise. He
walked five times round on his hinder
legs, looking fxedly before him like a
soldier on duty, and doing his best,
poor. dog!-I could see that-to make
us laugh. For my part, seeing the
others remain speechless in their as
tonishment, 1 laughed aloud to encour-
age him; but shall I say the truth
felt more 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 he himself
only could know of. After taking o
moments rest he set to work again,
but this time on his forefeet, pretend
lug to stand on his head. And what O
poor, intelligent head it was, as almost
shaving the ground, it looked appeal
ingly at 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, he lay
down in the,midst of the ring and made
believe to be dead He went through
all the commissions of a. dying dog,
breathing heavily, painting, suffering
his lower jaw to fall, and then turning
over motionless. And he did this sc
well that stout, 'honest-faced woman
who had been looking on without laugh.
ing exclaimed, "Poor beast!" and drew
her hand across her eyes.
The rain continued to fall, but not
one of us thought of moving, only the
dog, when he had lain dead 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
Epopularly known as "begging." 1 was
the first to whom he came. He gazed
at me, inquiringly with his soft eyes
wide opened, and followedsmy hand pa
tiently to my waistcoat pocket. The
basket round his neck was round one
with lid to it tied down with. string
and little slit in the lid through wRiel
to put in money. I dropped in shill
ing and stopped down to read bit o
crumpled paper I saw hanging loosely
from the collar. It bore these words
written in shaky hand: "This is tht
dog of poor man who is bed-stricken
he earns the bread of his master. Coco
people, do not Keep him from returning
to his home" The dog thanked mi
for my offering by wagging his tail, an(
then passed on to myneighbor. Human
nature must be kinder than peopl
think, for there was not one of tn,
spectators not even he with tn,
breeches andthe clay pipe, whose fac
had impressed me unfavorably- bu
gave the dog something. AS for him
when he had gone his round, he barket
two or three times to say good-by, ant
then patted contentedly away at tn
same iog-trot pace he had come.
He went up the street, and followed
him, but when we had reached 0xforC
street he quickened suddenly, and be
gan to rnn hard, as if his day was end
ed and he wanted to get home. Evening
: had quite fallen by this time, and l fel
it would be quite useless to go after m
: four-legged mystery on foot, so calle,
: cab and said: "Follow that dog,
very much to the drivers astonishment
: 1t was long way from the part o
: Oxford street in which we were to Tot
: tenham Court road, where the smal
: dog leg me. But should have under
derstood the journey had it not been a
such a furious pace. The dog neye
once looked round. Twenty times
thought he would be crushed by pass
: ing vans or carriages but somehow h
got through it. He had an extraordi
nary tact for finding passage betwee
! horses hoofs, and Ikea true Londo
| dog as he was, he showed intimate fs
} miliarity with all the intricacies c
t crossing. Still it was some relief to me
3 both on his own account and mine, whe
2 | saw him branch off at last. I was bt
s ginning to fear that he would neve
3 stop, that he had something of the wal
= dering Jew in him. 1t seemed imposs
e BILE that, without taking any rest, with
t out even pausing for an instant to dra'
Q breath, such lean dog should keep O
: going so long. Tottenham Court roa
! (this was about eighteen months agC
Q used to be sort of fair at night-tim,
: 1t is lengthy highway running amid'
4 a tangletHhetworkUft sorry streets, I'll
n population of which, from dusk unit
g the hour when the public-houses clos
u used to spread hungry and id
9 amongst the countless booths whit
0 had then not yet been swept away, ar
u where shell-fsh, sour fruit, and ind
# gestible looking meat was sold by yel
e ing costermongers. On the night
y question, when 1 went there in pursu