Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1876-11-23
THE BETTER way

49,
One. evening, as he tWilleh'
was dusking into eeper shades
Farmer Welton stoe& in his dooryard
with gun in his sands, and saw a
dog coming OUT his shed. 1t was
not his dog, for/his was of light
color, while us was surely black
The ahe5alluded to was open in
front, Wit double doors, for the pass
ace of FITS; and the shed was a part
Of a chtiruous structure connecting
the pArn with the house Around
bak of this shed was the sheepfold
! There had been trouble upon Far~
liner Welton's place. Dogs had been
killing his sheep-and come of the
very best at that. He had declared
in his wrath, that he would shoot the
first stray dog he found prowln 6
| about his premises. On this evening,
bv .,hance, he had been carrying his
J gun from the house to the barn when
the canine intruder appeared. Aye,
and in the barn he had been taking
the skin from 2 valuable sheep that
had been killed. and maagled with
tigerisb ferocity.
SO when he saw the strange dog
coming through bis shed. he brought
his gun to his shoulder, and with a
quick, sure aim, fred. The dog gave
a leap and a howl, and whirline
around in circle two or three times,
be bounded off in a tangent, yelping
painfully, ard was soon lost to sight
"Hallo! What's 10 pay now,
Wel1on ?s
"Ah-is that you, Frost?'
"Yes. .Ye been shooting some
thing, haven't..ye p
'Ivc shot dog, think"
"Y e-s. ! seed him seootiu off
Il was Brackets, l reckon
Before the farmer could make any
further remark, lis wife called TO
him from the porch, and he went in
Very shortly atterward a boy and
a girl came out through the shed as
the dog bad come. Down back of
Welton's farm, distant half mile or
so, was grist mil, with quite a
settlement around it, and the people
having OCCASION 10 so on foot from
that section 70 the farms on the hills
could cut off long distance by cross,
ing Welton's lot. The boy ard girl
were children Of Mr.. Bracket When
they reached home they were mel by
a scene Of dire confusion. Old
Carlo, the grand old Newfoundland
dog-the loving and the loved-tAe
true and the faithfal--had come
home shot through the head, and was
dying. The children threw them
selves on their shaggy mate and wept
and moaned in agony.
Mr.. Bracket arrived Just as the
dog breathed his last. One of the
older boys stood by with a lighted
lantern, for it had grown dark now,
and the farmer saw what had happen
ed. ,o t. ....5
.Who did tlns?" he asked, groan-
ingly.
s'.Iohn Welton did it," said Tom
Frost, coming up at that moment.-
Giles been losin sheep, and | guess
he's got kind of wrathy'
"Bpt my dog never killed sheep
meyer He's been reared to care
for sheep. How came he down
there ~
Gle went over 10 The mill with Sis
and me- said the younger boy, sob
bing as he spoke; ''and he was
running on ahead Of us toward home
I heard a gun jnst before We got &c
Mr.. Welton's but, oh ! did not think
he could haye shot poor Carlo
Mr.. Bracket was fairly beside him.
self To say be was angry would not
express it. He bad loved that dog
1t had been the chief pet of bis
household for years. Literally boil
I. ing with hot wrath and Indignation
be started for Welton's.
John Welton aud Peter Bracket
had been neiglibars from their earlies
/ days, and they had been friends, too
Between The two families there hac
been bond If love and good will
aud spirit Of trateriial KINDNESS an'
/ regard had marked their intercourse
Both the farmers were bard working
men, with strong feelings, and posi-
! tive characteristics. They belonged
the same religious society an'