Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-02-07
LEO.

'Seli Leo repeated MT DIVINE, laugh
ing quietly. "Sell himi I'll tell you how
near I came TO selling him once. and what
I was offered for him, and then, perhaps.
you'll tell me what you'd tax" for him If
he belonged to you.
"You see I've got brother that lives
down to-Point, Long Island, and he
wrote to me last fall that there was a gem
tleman IN his neighborbood that wanted TO
buy right smart, knowing Newfound-
land, and if was willing TO sell Leo. he
thought could get at least fifty or sixty
dollars for him, or perhaps more. Well,
just ut that time l happened 10 be pretty
hard pushed for money! bad note com
ing due in a month and nothing to meet it
with. I'd got to sell something, and made
mp my mind that Leo could be spared bet
ter than anything else, so / and Leo went
down to--Point. When we got there,
the gentleman-a Mr.. Fife, had gone to
York TO spend day or two, and there WAS
nothing to do but wait till he came back.
Well, the next day was fine The sun was
warm and bright, the water dancing and
shining like quick silver, so brother took
boat. but there were five of us on board
my brother and three Of his children, be-
sides myself-and thought he might he
in the way f.; so ordered him 10 STAY be
hind. He didn't disobey orders usually
but the water seemed to set him almost
crazy he wanted 10 be in it all the time,
and after we'd got out apiece. 10, and be-
hold there came Leo swimming alongside
| began to scnld, and was about to send
him back, but the boys pleaded hard for
him and brother said we might as well
take him on board. seeing he wanted to 60
so bad; and l finally gave in, and Leo
came over the side, as happy dog as ever
you saw.
"We!l, we sailed along as nice as you
| please, for an hour or so, and brother and
| / got to talking old times, when we were
| boys together, and didn't take much no.
| lice of what was going on, when. all at once,
we found that the sky was all cloudy over
behind us, and a stornrtrotting up in our
| rear faster than a race-horse. OF course we
| put about right away, but that brought the
wind dea ahead, and BLOWN mighty
strong; and it was slow work beating back
| to the Point. Then the storm broke on u.s.
Brother took another reef in the sail, and
we staggered along bit and then with a
wbiz, bang aud crash our mast was
snapped off close to the deck, an clean as a
whistle! Mast aud sail both overheard
And then-I shall never forget brothers.
look az he turned around and gasped out,
"the oars good heavens, we forgot the
oarsw
l suppose Leo saw the trouble ip my face
for he crept up and licked my hand. Broth
or saw him aud his face Frightened. "How
far can Leo swim?' he asked
81 don't know rs he ever even tried"
says I.
"If he could swim ashore" says he
thouchtfully, "there might be some hope
for us; but no, it's too far. | don't sup
pose he'd even try
"He'll do anything tell him to, If he
thinks it's important" says 1.
So brother wrote inc to his wife, and
rolled it up tight in my handkerchief and
tied { fast to Leo's collar. Then / took hi,
head between my hands and looked hin
right in the eve, and says |, LEO, old fell
| low, If you can carry that letter ashor,
to my sister Nancy, maybe you'll! save You
masters life; IL not, goOd-by, for you hav,
seen the last of him r. And l made a sigr
for him to go overheard.
Well, when the storm came on, Name,
began to get scared, and kept going to tn,
door to look for us, and finally when sh,
opened the door for another look, Leo drag
ged himself across the threshold, and look
ing up into her face, uttered a mournful
sort of a howl and fell over on the floor lik,
a log.
The note was discovered aud help came
or course they found MS, or would not b,
here to tell the story. When we got back
Leo was more dead than alive, but with
care he revived and here he Is. As nigi
as we could calculate, he must have swan
from eight TO ten miles that night In tina
heavy sea. and I've always thought that he
never could have done II II he'd nobody but
himself to think OF. But he couldn't max,
up his mind to stop and rest, or give uT
and go under with his errand undone.
or course the story was all over town the
next day, and Mr.. Fife heard It and came
to see me. lie offered me seventy five, q
hundred, hundred and my dollars itr
Leo, and can't say how high he'd ha, Q
gone II l hadn't cut him short by telling