The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1876-05-11

bn0 was, now ue6pty IN n0ed OH GEAR love.
e, i T 1os pssrs @ ss a ss1 e.
he dog, DAVID: 9siips ii sssbouse in "a a
mind to turn back b the woods. SBaQ2 had
more than once Nearied Of the monoton4 II
Watching wood. choppng, and codp6 b ehe
house an hour or two In advance Ct his mas
ter; so there was nothing startling in 'bis
ueual obsequious fashion; darted to deyour.
when admitted, morsel Of bread and meat;
but, quitting It simultaneously went and
sat down before HIS mistress with the air
Of having somethins TO 10y, &bd' began Is
whine.
David was not =. remarkable dog; not; at
all any dog y RarticSlib He was Yellow sna
inclined to be lazy. He had come to them
one stormy night y lame, starving Ypgrsnt
from some emigrant train, and kind-kearted
Roland fed him; put iiniment DID 'his.leg, attd
called him David, .aitera faithful dog he had
recently possessed and lost. And David cor
tented!y remained. exhibiting no marked
s s;ee' lack 1Sa 81 r. ae
tai faculties had been dwarfed by persistent
ill-treatment, Mr.. Hardy thought; the dog
seemed to be coUtd. One peculiarly of his
was, that he Lever asked. for food. He was
the most unobtrusive, retiring sort OF animal
that ever .yearnsa for: esldr meat. H. meat
came to him, well and good; but lie never
Of his tail to indicate that he was hungry.
He would not have done tn III were stary-
ing. Jenny was. wont to, gay that he WAS
poor, but proud. So'today, when he planted
himself before his mistress, and looked at her
with all the soul he had in his eyes, and
whined like professional beggar. he was re-
garded with good deal Of establishment.
have brought yourself to ask for more din
ner% going to the cupboard and carving q
'G David iool1Aburt. Nevertheless, he took
the bone gently, carried it to his rug In the
corner, and left it. That caused Mrs. Hardy
to look at the rug, which she had mot done
before. and then she saw that he had not
old position, whining, before her as she sat.
"Oh, it is water, them" g ss@f,g
No, it waasnotwater. He retreated from
the basin with an air Of increased injured
feeling, and continued to regard his mistress
with appealing eyes. All at once some in.
stinct penetrated, to Jenny's mind, and her
heart saSs b. sR q e ,,,r
Roland:"
The dog made bounce Of joyous relief, as
If glad of being understood at last, and trot.
ted to the door, casting look back at her
over his shoulder. II ever look said PLATA.
~, Come on" that look did. ga, = 80
II will come, old fellow, said Jenny, going
to the wardrobe and hurriedly getting on
Something is the matter with the dog, and
it may be that. At any rate, there will be no
harm in my running out in the woods" she
added, with a nervous little laugh. "Roland
need not know how silly am; ;. can say that
l wanted to find lichens." IA = " =:
The sun was disappearing behind a cold,
hazy horizon; q chilly wind whirled 1.-The
out the fallen leaves that strove to hide from
it, and sent them scuddipg or: again. The
still radiance4uf the winter day SNas giving
place to an carly and boisterous night; to
such night as will not be forgotten in that
country by living man or woman. e
In her staunch overshoes, short cloth skin
and shaggy walking-jacket, Mrs. Hardy pre-.
q small store.chest, and excavated from its
depth sealed bottle, with, 4" Catawba grape,
written in homely chirograrhy on its de-
liciously dingy label.
my dear old father!" she exclaimed, by no
means addressing herselfto the bottle; but,
with dim eyes, thinking Of the kind hands
that were young hands when they made this
VAh0S "AiSHS utrIo aSC 0SaU Sb1Gu4tu, Wds,
as cordial, equal to brandy. Tie hands
were old hands now; capable Of little but
writing her shaky letters from the dear old
homestead. "Who knows but Roland may
be past its aid, thtt some dreadful accident
but won't thinkof H., And.who knows but
l may meet him trudging homeward; and he
will ask me what on, earth I have brought
not show it; and tomorrow I shah laugh al
myself for these foolish fears"
Talking thus incoherendy, but doubtless
thinking connectedly enough, she poured on,
a faskfSlI q ths ~, seeyrea j iesAAs.
s @5:, and IN Ss Pa 3 she N reaay A.
opened the door. g.. y 9 % ..~~
+ But, once In the path leading to the forest
David seemed TO have had its brief flicker Of
intelligence taken out of him. Instead Of
trotting on md le4aing his mistress, ine4tl
right way. follpling the recorded EXAMPLE d
all sensible dogs, he held back shrinkingiy
evidently declining to take an active part in
he meant to say, Il have done my part; you
20 on and do yours"
"You are an awfUf idfSt, David, ~ else j
am" snapped Jenny. But David only meek.
ly curleds fis taitapd trotted behind her. =
The forest or The "s wood lots' as Roland
called it, catching. the word from othel
settlers, was good mile away. Mr.. Hardy's
acres covered an amount of ground thai
would have turned his late New England
neighbors dizzy with its vastness. It would
soon yield him an ample return; at present
during these preliminary struggles, it wal
not much more than living. But in the
event of . certain phantom railroad becOm
ing real railroad, he would make a speed,
fortune. ,.
The path vas rough. Roland's boots alon.
had formed 1t, tramping backward and for
ware tc to HIS ,res-fellinK. Generally he paced
day dinner. The drifting snow had treachcr
GUS holes that well-niyh went to break Jen
ny's ankles, - she stumbled on. Tn,
wind, growing every momsht NOR
violent, pushed her on win . gian
hand; sharp needle points Of snow smot,
her neck. cit will be rather sharI
going home" she said, shivering and pulling
| In October she had come to the woods fo
| autumn leaves, and the spot was, in dc
gree, familiar to her. But the path seemed
| to disperse and lose itself after entering thu
thicker parts and she had to direct her way
by the piles .0ds wood that had been cut il
places where the trees could be most conven
iently felled: II they had not said those
dreadful words to each other! II they were
only asithey had been yesterday when IA
land loved her! she might not have felt &
desperately anxious. How. was she to fine
him! She called again and again, but thu
| wind overpowered her votce.
| There was no sound OF the AK. As sht
paused, listening intently, she could heal
nothing but the dreary whistle of the bias
through the naked trees, ana the sharp, sift
ing sound Of the snow as it smote thei
| trunks. II - e.
"David, where is Roland ?-where ia Won Won
master? 60 and find him this minute!n inn
patiently menacing the covering dog in he
terror. Find your master, there's a goot
dog" she added, in q coaxing tone Of en-
treaty, patting the poor animal, who stoo,
before her with dropping head. "Good David
good old dog!"
David went on. then. In the lowest ma
lures is sometimes enshrined the pearl O
delicate 1aa6QGss~ This dog had bad news t,
tell, and shrank from telling it. He made n,
pretense to light-hearted pace. He crept
halted. and seemed anxious to defer some
thing.
Leading the way over freshly -felled log
then another, and turning thicket of youn]
oaks, that caught at Jenny's skirts as II the
would fain hold her back from a painful
1vsieht, -AeAsnastoaha lt. There was no reasol
Why he st6dld go ynrther.
1 E-LG = ~ T. ~ u ~