The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-09-13
The Tragedy at Dodd's Place.


sorrow in that way without disguise. The
strangers stirred sympathetically. After
awhile the proprietor Of the store went up
to him and said
"Well, neighbor, you seem to be In
trouble; can we help you any"
The man did not look up he shook his
head and said: ~
s.No, no, no! It's very kiEd of you,
but nobody can help me. l suppose you
think I'm an old fool; but she was all the
family I had, and she's dead;n and a
great tear splashed down upon the floor.
"She's dead You can't do me any
good now; but if you'd come around to
my little shanty there about nine O'Clock
last night you might have done some good
Il dunno. When man is determined
to make brute of himself he'll do it,
perhaps; but if therein been some one
there to say: 'Dodd, what on airth are
you aboutY why, mebbe-I dunno, tho
/ was mad. When a mans mad and has
had glass too much, what's the use of
talking to him? It's fixed things for me.
Anyway-Lord, forgive me!-she's dead. !"
The tears splashed down again, but the
people looked at him with faces that had
lost little of their sympathy.
"You didn't-didn't do anything to
bring it on-whatever it was?" said an
old lady with large basket on her arm
Il shouldn't have thought it of you."
Yes, did, did," sobbed the man.
If it hadn't been for me it never would
have happened. / loved her, too. Yes,
did love her. Nobody could say she'd
ever had hard word from me before in
all the days we'd live together; but last
night I'd had glass too much, and l
stopped at the butchers down in the vii
lage and bought bit of steak-a man
wants change from pork once in a way
and she was fond of steak, she was and
| jest fetched it in, and said to her. Wen
have supper tonight, Ell 2 and she sort
of nodded and winked at me jest as jolly,
and then / went out to the well to draw
water, and as body does sometimes when
any body is in hurry, | lost the bucket
oil, and was a terrible time finding it,
and when l went in-well, you see, went
in with an appetite-and there she sat,
and-well, amt dainty, but | couldn't
have touched that steak to save me; and
got mad. Well, got madder than | ever
was before, and just around and gave
her kick. Yes, l did, If l was to be
hung for it tomorrow, I'd have to own
up. kicked her."
"You brutep' said the woman with the
basket" kicked her because your steak
didn't suit you! Well may you cry"
Yes M" said the man. You can't
speak harder to me than / feel to myself.
| kicked her in heside, and what is more,
/ opened the door and kicked her out of
it, and then jest sat down alongside my
fire and talked the worst kind to myself
did indeed-Heaven, forgive me! and l
said I'd never let her in again. Yes'm,
you can look as you like at me; | deserve
it; and then | went to bed"
Went to bed and left her out in the
cold :" said the old lady. Never seeing
whether she was dead or not?''
Eyes, did," said the poor man, Sob
bling hard, "and more than that, | went to
sleep-I slept sound, too; and what do you
suppose walked me-? Why, her VOICE.
knew it from a thousand. 1t was the aw-
fullest shrek, and then another, and then
another, and it came all over Ee what I'd
done. I'd turned her that had slept along
siue of me winter nights more years than |
could remember, out into the cold night.
I'd kicked her out. Oh, / was sober then,
| tell you. saw what brute / was to
do thing like that, all for bit of paltry
steak, and got up and went to the door,
and called, but she didn't come. |
called again, and then heard her scream,
hut fainter and farther off; and then felt
Kind of horror coming over me, and
dressed myself and took my lantern and
went out. / walked this way and that. |
looked and | called. / swung the lantern
low and l held it high. There wasn't a
sign of her; and at last got down to Boil
ter's pond, there by the edge of the woods,
you know, and heard a kind of growl-
ing; and past me, all in a hurry, as they
60 when they've been doing mischief, flew
those dogs of Bolter's-ferce devils! but
they knew enough to be afraid of me
then. c
"And when / saw them my heart stood
still, and swung the lantern low again,
and / saw her. She lay alongside the
pond, and her gray hairs were dabbled in
blood, and the mark of the dogs teeth
were on her neck: and / Just took her
up in my arms and carried her along the
road home and brought her to the fire, and
there cried over her and called her all
the pet names l used to call her " hen /
first had her, little young thing; but it
wasn't any use-she was jest as stiff ard
cold, and laid her down on the bed, and
there She's laid ever since. Oh, it's dread
full"
Eyes, and you deserve to be hung, y
said the old lady; (" but row suppose she
isn't dead, and maybe she isn't. Let us
go over with you, and stop and fetch
the doctor. Folks has been brought to
that seemed dead. Anyway it's all right y
Well, I'll do it" said the man, but
it's no use, know .;s
The proprietor of the store called his
wife to wait on it, and he headed pro-
cession of his customers, and they all
went down to Dodd's cabin, calling on the
doctor as they passed his house, and TAX
ing him with them But when they came
to the lonely little house, no one cared to
be first to go in; but at last the doctor, as
being best used to such things, opened the
door and stepped in. 1t was mean little
room, and furnished ouly with table,
two chairs, some shelves and bed, and
on this bed sat an old gray cat, washing
her face. si ,N8ifit N
As soon as Dodd's eye rested on this
animal. he uttered cry of joy and flew
to her side; bit she at once set up her
back and uttered loud " Mee-ow," while
her tail swelled to immense proportions.
"Oh, j don't mind, Idon't mind, " said
lJOuSts ANSoSi w you ohOAiA " A3A"S sNs
me-anything, anything, so as you're
alive. She's come to life again. Glory,
glory, glory ~ os7s
"Why, you don't mean to say you were
talking about acst all the whiler' screamed
the woman. with the basket g You said
she didn't cook your meat properly, and
- Sc. i.fT %ts,gf II 5fLesSi
8 No'ml" said Dodd, meant to say
she ate most of it up for me, and tore
and chawed what she didn't eat; but she's
welcome. So that she's alive. don't
care. Though she's weaned from me; ]
see that. Our happy times are over; she
doubts me- #. sls .aeEs
Z Called me in to cat, indeed!n said
the doctor. II
e Left my business for a cat! ~ cried the
stofekeeper. iifss
J" Oh, what an old fo0lp' said the
woman. q, ~ 81 III Z.
Miaowr yelled the attendant train Of
boys; but old Dodd never looked at them.
He listened to none Of their insults, and
they left him, doing his best, with tears