The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1881-09-30
FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH.

| The fire burns cleerily on the hearll
the great logs crackle and flare up th,
wide chimney, up which it is m,
wont to say you could drive coach and
four. / draw my chair nearer to it
with shiver. "What n night"
say.
"Is it still snowingf" asks my wife
who sits opposite to me, her books anc
work on the table beside her.
EAST. You can scarcely see yart
before you."
Heaven help any poor creature o.
the moor tonight !" says she.
"Who would venture ont? 1t begal
showing before dark, and all the pcal.l,
about know the danger of being bs
nighted on the moor in a snowstorla.
eyes. But 1 have known peop:,
frozen to death hereabouts before now.
My wife is Scotch, and this pleasant
house in the Highlands is hers. We
are trying q winter in ii for the first
time, and 1 find it excessively cold AM
somewhat dull. Mentally, | decide
that in the future we will only grace il
with our presence during tho shooting
season. Presently / go to The window
and look out; it has ceased snowino
and through rift in the clouds sec d
star.
"It is beginning to clear" 1 tell my
wife, and also inform her it is half-pasl
oelosk As she ,,f lights R&lning RGn fhl snS
scratching at the front door.
"There is Laddie loose again." SAYS
she. "Would you let him in dear 2"'
I did not like facing the cold wind,
but could not refuse to let the poor AMI
NAL in. Strangely enough. when
opened the door and called him, he
wouldn't come. He runs up to the
door and looks into my face with dumb
entreaty; then he runs back few
steps, looking round to see if 1 am fol.
lowing ; and, finally, he takes my coat
in his mouth and tries to draw me out.
"Laddie won't come in" I call out to
my wife. son the contrary, he seems
to want me to go ont and have game
of SNOWFALL with him."
She throws shawl around her and
comes to the door. The collie was
here before we were married, and she is
almost as fond of him, / tell her, as she
is of Jack, our eldest boy.
Laddie, Laddie |" she calls; "come
in, SIR" Ho comes obediently at her
call, but refuses to enter the house, and
pursues the same dumb pantomime he
has already tried On me.
81 shall shut him out, JESSIE" ! say.
ga night in the snow won't hurt him.
and prepare to close the door.
"You will do nothing of tho kind p
she replies, with an anxious look, "but
you will rouse the servants at once, and
follow him. Some one is lost in the
snow and Laddie knows it,"
I laugh. "Really, Jessie, you are
absurd. Laddie is sagacious animal,
no doubt, but cannot believe he is as
clever as that. How can he possibly
know whether any one is lost in the
snow or not?"
because he has found them, and
come back to us for help. Look at him
now."
l cannot but own that the dog seems
restless and uneasy, and is evidently
endeavoring to coax us to follow him;
he looks at us with pathetic entreaty in
his eloquent eyes. "Why don't you
believe mew he seems to ask.
"Come," she continues, "you know
you could not rest while there was q
possibility of fellow creature wanting
your assistance. And / am certain
Laddie is not deceiving u.s."
What is a poor hen-pecked man to
do2 I grumble, and resist, and yield;
as have grnmbled, and resisted, and
yielded before, and as l doubtless often
shall again.
''Laddie once found q man in tho
sLOw before, but he was dead" Jennie
says, as she hulries OF to fill flask
with brandy, and get ready some
blankets for us to take with us. In The
meantime / rouse the servants.
They are all English, with the eycep-
ton of Donald, the gardener, and ! can
see that they are scohlngly skeptical OF
Laddie's sagacity, aud inwarlly dis
gusted ut having TO turn out of their
warm beds and face the bitter winters
blast.
"Dinna trouble yoursels," I hear old
Donald say. "The mistress is right
enough. Aud Laddie Is cleverer than
mony a Christian, and viii find some
thing in the snaw this night"
"Don't sit up, JESSIE" 1 say, as We
start; eve may be out half the night
on this wild goose chase"
"Follow Laddie closely" is all the
answer she makes.
The dog springs forward with Joy
GUS bark, constantly looking back to see
II va ara fnllouinO Aa wa naeo