Sharp County record., 1880-09-09
Carlos Bonnet.

Of course Carlo was dog, and I'll
tell you how he came. to us. AS my
father was walking up Arch street, Phil
adelphia, one day, with his hands
clasped behind him, something cold
and damp was pushed against his fin
gers. He turned round quickly, and
beautiful brown-and-white pointer came
to his side, and looked up at him with
such pleading look in his soft brown
eyes, that my father said, as he patted
him on the head, Poor fellow, are you
lostp"
That was enough for Carlo, as we
named him. He had found kind mas
ter, and my father a faithful friend. Of
course it wouldn't do to keep the dog
without trying to find his owner; so
the next day he was advertised; and,
for several days after, every ring at
the bell would make us children start,
and feel afraid thatsomebody had come
to take him away. But nobody came
for him; and we loved and petted our
new-found treasure to the neglect OF
wooden horses and dolls, and all our
other toys.
Sometimes he would come to the par
lor-door with his feet very wet and
muddy from running through the street.
cutters. Then we would say, 80 Carlo!
what dirty boots!" He would hang
down his head, and 90 off to the back
yard, and lick his feet until they were
clean, when, with bound and a wag
of the tail, he would rush back to the
parlor, quite sure that he would be
let in.
But the month of June was coming
a sorrowful time for dogs; for the city
had ordered that all dogs found on the
streets without muzzles on must be do
stroyed. At five o'clock every morn.
inc, the wagons used to 90 through the
streets, and take up all dogs that were
not muzzled. So we had to get 'bon-
net" as we called it, for our pet.
1t was made OF bright red leather,
and really he looked SO handsome in it
that we thought he out to like to wear
it when he went out for walk; but he
didn't one bit. He used to rub his head
on the sidewalk, and fuss and squirm,
and when he didn't get rid of his bon
net in that way the cunning fellow used
to hide it when he got home.
We kept it hung up on a high nail in
the dining-room; but one day when We
called Carlo to have his bonnet put on
before he went out there was no bonnet
to be found. Who could have taken
it? / must say Carlo acted very much
like the thief; for he hung his head and
looked sheepish when we asked him
about it.
We hunted under the chairs and the
lounge, in the closets, in the parlor and
dining-room, Carlo fussng round with
us, just as if he wanted dreadfully to
find it; but it couldn't be found. So
we went out and shut the street door
after us, saying, "Well, Carlo, you
can't go out to walk, that's all. "
Those who hide know where to find
When Carlo saw that without his bon
net there was no walk for him he scam
pered into the basement-kitchen, got out
the muzzle from pile of old papers in
one of the closets, carried it upstairs
and laid it down on the dining-room
floor.
But this was not the last time Carlo
hid his red bonnet and found it again.
In all sorts of places he would stow it
away when he came in from his walks.
And at last he got so used to it that
when we said, "Now, Carlo, 60 fetch
your bonnet" he would dash off and
pull it from its hiding place, and quietly
stand to have it buckled on.
He behaved so well in the streets
that, before the dog season was over
we used 10 take his bonnet of and let
him carry it home in his mouth. One
rainy day, when the water was pouring
down the open cutters and | was hurry
ing home, happened to look round,
and there was Carlo coming along be-
hind me; but his pretty red bonnet was
bobbing along in the gutter, where the
sly rascal had thrown it, hoping, | sup
pose, that it would be carried down to
the Delaware River NurSerq.