Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1881-11-02

| snatch up my Prln ana hide him under
my pinafore. / think he himself almost
understood the reason why, for he would
cuddle up to me and lie quite still, not
uttering single bow-wow till the enemy
had gone by. Perhaps some other dog
who had been ill-used by those brutal
boys had warned him against them. I
often think dogs do talk to one another,
or, Mt least, manage to make one another
understand things in way that we can
not understand at ALL
"Well, as [ said, Prin had grown up,
and I had grown to be girl of IL; but
we were still happy together-as happy
as the day was long-and the days were
very long just then; for I remember it
was the middleof the summer. One un-
lucky night my father, coming in tired
and hot, happened to stumble over Prin
who was lying asleep on the door mat.
"What's that good for-nothing brute
doing there?" said he. GAS if hadn't
mouths enough to ill, let alone dog
and we shall be fined for him, too, foc
it's getting nigh the dog days, and we
haven't paid the tax. Missis, he always
called my mother Missis'-' cannot YOU
get rid of him somehow before Cleaver
finds him out?"
"'He's the child's pet, and does no.
body any harm, said my mother. Get
away Prin.'
"She gives him little kick, not
meaning any unkindness, but he wasn't
used to it, and uttered feeble howl
"'Stop that noise, or I'll make you,'
said my father angrily.
81 snatched up Prin. Ialmost smoth-
cred him in my pinafore.
"'No, indeed, father, he does nobody
any harm, and he eats very ittle-not
nearly SO much as I do
'' should hope not I! that would be
too good joke. But, little or much,
he won't do it for long.
so looked up in alarm.
"'No, child, can't pay the dog-tax;
and they've grown very strict about it
lately. Besides it's sin and shame to
have to feed dog that eats as much as
child. Make up your mind-Prin must
CO.
Poor father he must have been very
vexed OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES which
| could not in the least underestimate
he would not have spoken so sharply.
And he turned away, not having the
slightest idea, l am sure. of the effect
his words had upon me.
Grown-up people do often vent their
irritation upon children in that way;
they ought not to do it; but they do.
They have SO much to try them which
children cannot take in. NV parents
had, as [ afterward found out; and it
helped me to make excuses for my father.
He was no better next morning: he
seemed to have got up on the wrong
side of the bed, as people say; and when
I anxiously asked about poor Prin-for
[ had lain awake half the night thinking
of him-he gave me sharp answer.
Z" No, Jane. / knew he was very
Jane, but Jenny. L can't keep dog,
and won't. Missis, when Cleaver comes
round tell him we can't afford to pay the
tax and don't mean to-.
"'And what's to happen then?" asked
my mother, for [ was dumb with fear.
"'Oh, l suppose he'll take the dog
and make away with him-give him to
his boys, perhaps.
CT shuddered; for Cleaver was the
butcher, whose poor little daughter was
my friend, and her brothers my most
dreaded enemies-the cruel lads whom
all the village was afraid of.
"'Oh, father please, father! | be-
gan, running after him in an agony of
entreaty. But my mother called me
back
s'' Fathers got quite enough to bother
him without you. Can't you see that he's
best let alone?'
$50 [ did let him alone, and only sat
In corner crying quietly, with Prin on
my lap, hid under my pinafore, raising
himself now and then to put paw on
my shoulder or lick my cheek, as he al
ways did when he thought I was I'M
happy. We sat together until mother
told me it was time to get ready for
school.
How [ managed to do my lesson
that day and the following, when my
father was away with the barge, ] cannot
tell. must have gone on in sort of
dream; for know Prin was never out of
my head the whole time. [ thought and
thought-planning every conceivable
way to get out of the difficulty, but
could find none. spoke to none of my
school-fellows about it; indeed, scarce
ly said word to any one, except asking
Fanny Cleaver if her father really had
to collect the dog tax, and what would
he do when he could not get the money?
To which she answered, as she did to
most thlngs-poor little broken down
creat,lre-' that she didn't know
Mother, too-when put to her the
same question-gave me the same reply;
but quite carelessly. She had heaps to
do and to think of. Prin was of no i'm
portance to her. But to me-
81 have sometimes heard the children
say of cat, or horse, that they loved
it like person. and I think a child
who takes fancy to some special ami
NAL puts into this love special tender
ness almost maternal; the dumbness, the
helplessness OF the creature possibly
arouses it; but, whatever it is, the feel
ing is very strong-stronger than grown
people have any idea of.
Gall these two days, during the hours
[ was at home, [ never let Prin out of
my sight; and when [ went to school I
locked him up in Toulouse we had at
the bottom of the Garden. thOuUh he