The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1881-09-30


jamie was thiuking. Well, what of
that? Boys often think, don't they?
No, indeed, that's just what they don't
do; at least. Jamie couldn't remember
when he had seated himself deliberately
TO make business Of thinking before
this occasion Aud now he sat with
puzzled face and line between his eyes,
! so deep II thought that neither the
coaXing re paw Of Nep the dog nor the
sound of cllnking marbles could arouse
him, The question with Jamie was just
this: Should he continue to hide Nep-
pie from the eyes OF man. aud thus be
| happy in the secret knowledge that at
| last hesowned pet Of his very own, who
| came aud went at his bidding, and gave
him love for love, or should he take
/ him To the dog pound and earn his
| thirty cents as well as the others who
reioiced in the tide of "do0-catcher"
- [ want that thirty cents, that's one
| thing sure and certain" thought Jamie,
"an if / don't get it by luggin' Neppie
/ to the pound | won't get 1t anyway, and
/ that's Just another certain sure thing.
/ / sha'n't get rich waitin fur Aunt Betty
/ To give me a cent now and then; and
/ there's Tom Blake got his pockets full
/ half the time. But when a fellow cares
/ for a dorg he kinder hates to go back on
/ i'm And Nep cares for me, too, and he
/ wouldn't think I'd be such mean chap.
/ Now if Aunt Betty didn't hate dorgs SO
/ bad, I'd ask her to let me keep i'm fair
/ an square, and then | shouldn't have to
| be 'fraid he'd bark every minute, and let
/ folks know | was hiding i'm here under
this old box, tied, poor feller. so he cant
/ move hardly There comes Jack Jones.
/ Wish he'd keep away and let a feller
/ think n moment IN peace.
Along came Jack, jingling some money
( in his hand. Hello, Jim, whose dorg
/ yer got?"
/ Jamie passed his arm caressingly about
/ the dogs neck and replied, mime, Of
course; who'd yer think, Jack Jones?"
"Ain't yer goin' to take him to the
/ pound? See here, displaying three
/ silver tens IN his soiled~spaln to <Z=EzEa
envious brown eyes.sN -. 81 e
I pound just now for catching a dorg
| Coin 10 the circus tonight Big show,
/ l tell yer. Can't yer come along?"
James eyes began to widen and grow
/ shiny. The circus. Oh, lc0uldnt he
like to gol But Aunt Betty only kept a
/ little store, and had hard work to keep
! herself and chubby-faced little nephew
/ in bread and butter, and as for giving
! y,
Jamie knew he might as well hope to
catch stars. SO he only shook his head.
and Jack passed on with the parting ad-
! vice Better sell that dorg and earn
thirty cents and come along"
Again jamie plunged deeply into
thought, forgetting to pet and fondle
/ his four-footed companion according
TO his usual custom during these stolun
visits
About ten days before our introduc-
| ticn TO the little boy. a lady, living in
/ one of the handsome houses out on one
of the avenues, where each house has its
own garden, and where there is always
a sweet suggestion of real country, hap
| pened TO look out of her window one
morning, and exclaimed anxiously
There is that dog again, Bridget.
What shall we do to get rid of him ?
He'll be sure to bite Nellie. some dav.
and it is a shame the dog catchers don't
come out here"
Then she went in haste down to the
front gate, and Bridget followed with the
gardeners rake and hoe, with which to
shoe" the intruder away. Although
he was frightened, vet Mr.. Dog did not
seem inclined to leave the fence a little
further down and no wonder, for there
was little Nell, the three-year- baby.
sticking her wee fat hand through the
railing, and smilingly feeding the four
footed tramp with the cake mamma had
just given her. Poor, hungry, strange
dog no friends, no home; no wonder it
was hard for him to leave the only friend
he had found in his vagrant life.
But despite Nellie's cry, "Me love
doggie," the rake and hoe did valiant
duty. and the intruder was driven away.
Just then Master Jamie came whistling
along, returning from an errand for Aunt
Betty.
Here, boy" called the lady. "Ill
give you ten cents if you'll catch that
horrid dog, and take him to the pound,
or anywhere away from here. They'll
give you thirty cents if you take him to
the pound. He doesn't seem to belong
to anybody. so you can earn your mon
ey, if you like, quickly"
Without much trouble, jamie secured
the dog, and lifted him in his arms, glad
of the chance for making the promised
sum. But before he had gone very far
he found the dog so gentle and inclined
TO be so playful that he began to think
that it would be nice if he could only
pity that nice dog like that should go
to the pound ,Jamie's warm little heart
rebelled against anything so dreadful,
and bv the time he had reached his own
street his mind was fully made up and
so the new pet had been hi lden all this
time, while Jamie had paid him many a
stolen visit in his secluded home.
But at last it seemed impossible to
keep the secret any longer from Aunt
Betty, and this is why we found Jamie
thinking so intently. and troubling him
self with question to him very serious.
For some moments after Jack had lett
him Jamie thought over the matter, hes
itating between the pound and Aunt
Betty in regard to his favorite, until at
last the dog, which Jamie had named
Nep. reminded his master of his pres
ence by poking his cold nose so far into
Jamie's neck as possible, and laying his
fore-paws gently upon his arm. The boy
could not resist that, and in moment
he had squeezed Neppie's breath almost
out of his body, and exclaimed, :. III
Just keep You, you darling; you shlll
stay with me- !" Then bravely he walked
into Aunt Betty's store, with the dog
close at his heels, and made full con-
fession.
The old lady looked unusually severe
and prim just at that moment, owing to