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

went 1 would go; and thus I lodged af,
ter him, first down a crooked alley,
then through foul court, and lastly up
passage where it was pitch dark. Here
groped my way along damp wall,
and stumbled upon the first step of a
staircase. Being n smoker, however, 1
had some vesuvians about me. / struck
one, lit piece of twisted paper with
it, and, by moments flame 1 thus OBJ
tanned, deserted the dog making his
way up creaky flight of wooden stairs,
battered in places and rotting from
mold. He barked when he saw the
light, and growled uneasily. But l
enf+o1od my rviUe, ana cried out, "Good
dog good dog p trying thereby to ap-
pease him. Isuppose his instinct told
him that l was an enemy, for he turned
round tie sniff my trousers, and when l
struck a second vesuvian he consented
to my accompanying him without doing
anything else but continue his shifting.
We went up three stories in this way,
until we reached the garret-foor.
There were two doors face to face, and
one of them had latch with piece of
string tied to it. The string dangled
with loop at its end to within a few
inches of the ground. The dog raised
one of his forepaws, pressed it on the
loop, and by this means opened the
door. We both walked in together.
There was arushlight burning in the
neck of a ginger bottle. There was an
empty saucepan in CRATE without q
fire. Some tattered clothes were hang
ing on the back of broken chair, and
some bits of plaster, fallen from q crack
ed ceiling, were encumbering the floor.
On the splintered deal table was a plate
with solitary bone on it, and next to
it cup with the handle gone. turn
ed from the sight of these things to a
mattress laid in the corner of the ROOM
| The light was rendered so Pickering by
the gusts of wind that swept through
the window-to which bits of newspaper
had been pasted for want of glass-that
could not at first distinguish very
clearly where | was, and what L saw
I could only hear the afectionate whin-
ings of the dog, and vaguely see him
leaping upon some one against whom he
was rubbing his head, and whose face he
was licking with an exuberance of love-
1 heard voice, too-but voice so
husky and broken, that it resembled q
whisper-repeat feebly. "Good dog
! good jim "~and then saw hand un-
tie the basket, and heard the sound of
money poured out on the couch.
"Good Jim good Jim p went on
the cracked voice; and it began count
ing. Gone, two. Oh good Jim =
good Jim here's shilling. One-and-
threepence, one-and-ninepence, two
shillings. Oh, good dog three-and-a-
penny, three and" But here follow
ed terrified shrek. --.rr.
"Who's that ?" cried the man, COW
ering up the money with his sheet, and
he looked at me, ivid and haggard with
the ague of fever.
"Don't be frightened. i, said; 81
am come to do you no harm. 1 am q
friend. have followed your dog home,
and desire to help you if you are in
need"
He seemed to be q man about fifty,
for his hair was not all gray; but the
Iighastly hollowness of his cheeks, the
emaciated condition of his body, and,
, above all, the CLEAN of disease in his
burning eyes, made him older than g
man 6f-ninety, for they told more
plainly than words could have told
that he had already one foot within his
grave.
My tone and my appearance seemed
to reassure him; but he continued to
hide his money.
clam poor man, sir" he gasped-
"a very poor man. have nothing but
what my dog earns me, and that's moth
ing. He goes out to idle; and if he
picks up few pence (here the mar
had a fit of hectic coughing)-''if he
picks up a,few pence, sir, it's all he dc
Ipick up"
; I felt my heart ache, for I guessed the
truth. u.s.
"He'snot an idle dog" Isaid. "Haf
he not earned you more than three shil
lings to-day?"
oh no, sir-no sir; it's three
pence !" protested themiser, trembling
"It's threepence--threepence, sir. Lool
and see" " 49,
And he held up three copper coins
from out of his covering.
" You are very i'll, my man." / said
approaching his mattress. "You mus
let me send you doctor"
"Oh, sir mo, no; I've no money tC
give him. Let me alone, please. Tn
not i'll; I shall be we'll tomorrow. TIL
nothing but cold-a-a cold"
- His dog was continuing to lick hi
face. remembered that the poor brute
: had not eaten.
'ioYour dog must be hungry, L OBJ
served A'shall I give him this bone
, He-has earned it we'll. "
"Oh, God oh, God Let that bon
| alone" faltered the unhappy wretch
! trying to rise "its my supper for to
night. Jim doesn't want anything h
{ picks up plenty in the streets. Oh I,
oh ! I shall starve il you give him tina
| bone"
: "I will buy you something to eat"
+ answered, taking up the bone, to whicl
there was no particle of flesh left
= "Here, Jim," said I, holding it oui
= But the dog, instead of accepting tn
' bone, looked wistfully at his master t
4 ask for leave. oal to st
l "No no ! Jim," painted the mise
fearfully, and the dog turned away hi
/. head, refusing to be enticed. -
t Chow long have you been laid u
g like this ?" was my next question.
j was growing sick at heart.
, Tenfweeks, sir-oh ten weeks,
e groaned Che man-zwho had caught tn
b bone out of my hand and thrust it unde
d his pillow-"ten weeks; and when
/ fell i'll, the dog went out one mornin
l. and brought me back penny in h.
n mouth. Since then, 1 bought him
It basket, and he goes out every day br
e he's-he's idle, sir=-he's idle he bring