The Portland daily press., 1882-02-18
A Dogs Luck.

we're, with a wealth of love and devotion IN
their clear depths. Long, silky ears he had,
too. and his face was so intelligent and good
humored, that no one thought Of his rough
hide.
"Pure mongrel,' Mr.. Ray said to his
wife. shepherd and Newfoundland, and
nobody Knows what else; but knowing fell
low. they say. He's old enough to be throo'
his puppy tricks, and he's good-tempered.
He will be a playfellow for Bessie, besides
guarding the house when Pm gone.
For Bessie was the only child in the little
prairie farm house, and the nearest nelgn-
Dor was a mile away. Five miles TURNER
was the scattering village; the future station
of the railroad, that was even now coming
slowly out to them from an Eastern 'city.
When that was finished all this nopie
country would be opened to the woriu anu
everybody would be rich. Meantime, now
ever. most of the settlers were poor; help
was even harder to get than to pay for; and
Mrs. Raw was forced to do her own work
and leave Baby to take care OF herself most
of the time. So she was glad OF the dog.
otis a good thing. If she can play with
him 1 sha'n fear her getting oil. Since
she can walk she's got in such a way. OF
trotting outside the yard after flowers. And
I wonder if he couldn't be taught to churn,
too Pm sure I've heard of dogs doing It,.
Mr.. Ray laughed. cts because he don't
like to churD that his mistress let me have
him. She bought a churn on purpose Tor
him: but she said the dog knew butter days
as well as she did, and had to be tied up a
day beforehand to keep him at home. II he
takes care of Baby, wife, guess he'll earn
his board.'
Mrs Ray patted him in hearty agreement.
whats his nameY' she said.
swell, they called him Nero; but don't
fancy giving even dog such name. l
propose to change it to Hero. The truth is,
| they weren't very good to him down there.
That was half why took him. | can't bear
\ to see even dog abused, you know, and
thought we could made him useful"
And so it was settled, and with his new
name his new life began. Mrs. Ray had
feared his good temper at first, when Baby
put her finger in his eyes and pulled his long
ears and dug her fat knuckles into his SIDE;
but it soon turned out that Hero loved his
little mistress even more than she him, aud
that his temper was equal to any strain.
ALI the long summer days they played To-
gether on the grass before the door, and
when Bessie wandered out of the little en-
closure, after flowers, her mother felt no
fear Hero was with her, and he seemed to
feel his duty of guarding her well. More
than once, in the warm afternoons, the child
and the dog took their nap together under
the single oak at the back door. Hero
stretched on his side and the child's golden
| head pillowed on his rough brown fur. 1t
was a pretty sight; but prettier one to see
| them playing together Hero, perhaps, with
| a tangled wreath of prairie blossoms about
| his neck, his beautiful eyes shining with
| happiness. and his hoarse bay telling every
| one his delight. The truth was, Hero had
| not had very pleasant life with his old
master. He had had more kicks and hard
| words than any thing else, and the churn
| was great grievance. 1t was like new
| world to him here. He liked the wild,
| breezy prairie, gay with flowers, the free
| life, the sense of being of some Importance
| 10 the world. All the devotion Of his nature
went out to these new friends. Baby
might pull his long hair as much as she
pleased. An amiable growl was his only
| objection: but once, when she played horse
| with him and used the whip a good deal,
| Hero turned, took it from her, and, trotting
| off, dropped it down the well. Then he
| came back, looking little ashamed OF his
| breach OF discipline; but Baby, who had
| watched the performance in round-eyed
| wonder, did not resent it. Bot even more
| than he loved Baby he loved his master.
| Happy was Hero when he could follow him
| to the fields happier still when allowed to
| trot after the load on trips to town. That
| was not often, because usually Mr. Ray said
| Stay at home, Hero, and take good care of
| the folks till get back, old fellow That
was charge, indeed, and Hero felt his
responsibility. They had thought him home
". at first: all but his eyes. They grew, be-
| cause of his goodness, to find him fairly
| handsome, and Mr.. Ray refused good price
| for him before the summer was over.
81 really believe" Mr.. Ray said, one day
after he had had a famous romp with the
dog ''that next to you and baby | love Hero"
8We're much obliged for being put first"
laughed the young wife, calling Hero to her
and setting Bess on his broad back. The
father looked at the pretty group and his
eyes grew little dim.
s"Ihey say man is the dog ssgod," he went
on to say, ''and I'm sure he serves him
better than we do ours. never saw any
thug like Heros devotion. | believe he
would die for me-"
cave, that would'' Hero's speaking eyes
answered, as he laid his head on his masters
knee. looking up at him with all his deep
devotion in his glance.
All through the summer Hero bad slept
on the door-mat; but when the SHOWS came
and the long winter was upon them Bessie beg
| ged for him to come in, and it ended in his
sleeping at the foot of his masters bed on
| bit of a rug. Pm afraid Hero was little
| spoiled He was really treated quite as if
| he had been human, and his tastes were
| even consulted in the matter of food in
| way some people would have thought dread
| full. He was not put off with bones and
| stale scraps, but given reasonable portion
| from the family platter; and he grew fat
| and glossy and more good-tempered, II that
were possible, every day.
And so four happy years went by. Hero
| had lost little his heetness of foot and his
| fondness for romps with his master after
| ba work W dnnn He SODere0
| bit; and yet he was always willing to play
| with Bessie, always delighted to follow his
| dear master to the fields. Bessie, meantime,
| had grown old enough to be sent to the dis
| trict school, half mile away, and that
| was HERDS great opportunity. Who but he
| could escort her to school, decorously trot-
| ting by her side, with her dinner basket in
| his mouth? All the children learned to know
| and like him; but bis greatest pleasure now,
as all the summer before, was to go with
| Bessie to the bars leading from the barn to
| the fields, and there wait his masters return
| from work Then the three went up tOgeth-
er to the house, where in the doorway the
| mistress stood, to welcome them at evening
meal. Afterward there was talk and laugh
| ter in the little sitting-room, and perhaps
| the reading of the paper; and Hero, curled
up under the table, took sleepy pleasure In
| it ALL Four happy years, that made Hero
one day the shadow of death dropped upon
| the dear little home and the mother went
down to her grave. 1t was so sudden, so
unexpected, that it came on the husband
| with a kind of stupefaction. He could not
comprehend his loss. He sat all day with
| little Bess on his lap. and by lis feet. Hero
| lay and mourned. Hero walked beside the
carriage the dreary day they buried her, and
| in his way the dog mourned his mistress as
| much as the others.
That was long and dreary winter that
came after. The neighbors were good, but
it was little they could do for the little ones.
Help was hard to get and Hero, no less than
his master, learned the taste of underdone
potatoes and overdone meat, sour bread and
heavy biscuit; but how close they three grew
together 1 cannot tell. There was silent
comfort to the stricken man in the touch of
HERDS paw on his knee, the look of Hero's
loving eyes into his own. He could pour
into his faithful ears all the grief he did not
dare to show his neighbors; he could tell
I, +ho cto IF bo nos