The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1883-09-20

way into Caleb's hat; and Jack also
would sometimes get pat on the head
and biscuit or two thrown to him but
in winter things began to go very hardly
with them. Not that the people of the
house were ever unkind to them. Poor
souls. they were kind enough, as far as
they had wherewithal to be kind; and
one, who remembered the old mans wife,
would come in and clean up his room for
him and all would give a kind word or a
pat to the faithful Jack, now the old man $
sole companion and protector. More,
they couldn't do. You see, when people
have hard work to keep their own and
| their children's bodies and souls together,
they can't be expected to go about dis
| tributing lOaves of bread, or have many
remnants Of meals to put down in their
cutters to feed stray dogs and cats.
When the long frost set in in January,
many and many a night did Jack and
Caleb 90 dinnerless and supperless to
bed "Timcs are little rough inst now,
| but We'll see them out together, ell, old
| fiiend?' Caleb would say when Jack
came to lick his hand by way Of good
night and to testify his opinion that,
whatever happened. his master was in
no sense 10 blame. Then they would
turn in together, Caleb on his straw (the
mattress had gone the way of bis bed
stead now), with his head on an old box
| for Il pillow, and the faithful Jack hud-
died up on his feet
Would the frost never come 70 an end?
1t was all very we'll for ladies wrapped in
| their warm sealskins and velvets to say
what healthy winter it was, and for
| young people with rosy checks, as they
looked out their skates and pulled on
| their thick gauntlets, to discant Oh the
glories of "tine frost;' Caleb and Jack
taking their stand against the wall -sun-
shiny alas. no lOngcr-WOuld have told
different story. All, surely never did
east wind sweep down 50 ruthessly be
fore, never before did snowstOrm last so
long, never before We're streets SO forlorn
and empty Of passers- by. Caleb and
Jack went home one terrible day at least
one hour earlier than usual it was use
less waiting there any longer for aims
Caleb with one half-penny in bis hat and
that the gift OF a poor frOzen-out cross
ng-sWeeper, who rightly judged the old
man to be worse off than himself.
Part OF loaf was all Caleb's food that
day. "Eh, old doggie, thou shalt have
thy bite Of it," he said, feeding Jack with
crumbs in the hollow of his hand, "for
it's little enough 1hourt find for thyself
i'll the cutters" Little enough, indeed,
anywhere save snow and ice and Jack
may hunt low and thrust his patient old
nose into all sorts of odd corners that
seem to have a faint scent of red herring
or haddock, but there's little enough for
supper he'll get tonight.
What was it made him so late on this
particular, windy, frosty, snowy after
noon? Had he lost himself in a snow
drift, thought Caleb, setting open wide
his door and listening in vain for the pat
ter and scramble Of the four little feet up
the carpetless stairs. Six, seven, eight
O'Clock came and went, and Still no sign
of Jack and Caleb crept to bed at last,
shlTerlng and torlorn, and with u sense
OF utter desolaton and loneliness at his
heart which he had never felt before.
Frost, snow, sleet, east wind, went ON
through the night and began again with
the dawn. "Nay, but you re not going
out, triendg' said a kindly old body,
meeting Caleb on the stairs as the old
man Wearily and slowly was feeling. his
way down. "Thcrell not be a soul in
the streets with a penny to spare; you'll
not get your bread that way to-day"
'lts my Jack I'm going to look for to-
day" said the old man, ''not my bread !;
it may be he lost his way in the snow
last night, and he's waiting for me now
in the old place by the wall 'Give me
hand, neighbour, and help me along Il
bit, will ye!" 50 the woman helped him
along to the wall, through the biting
wind and snow, but no sign of Jack when
they got there.
Gwen try the bakers shop" said
Caleb, thinking Of their old haunts, and
whether it were possible that the bakers
wife, who sometimes threw Jack a bro
ken biscuit, had taken him in out of pity
for the night.
And while they were in the shop ask
ing after the dog, there came in two chill
dren who had 4 strange story to tell, a
story which troZe Caleb's blood in his
veins as he stood and listened. They
had seen dog, dog for all the world
as like Jack as could be, being led along
the day before by two men who came out
OF public house, and who talked and
laughed loudly as they went along Said
one, "lt doesn't do to be too tender heart
ed in these hard times human flesh and
blood reckons before dogs flesh and blood
any day in the week" Said the other,
'And the doctor will give us good 'art-
crown for him safe enough and ask 10
| questions into the bargain
Caleb trembled from head to foot.
''Take me to the house, he said in a
voice that startled the children, for it vi
brated and twanged like any old harpsi-
chord with all the music gone out of it,
AT the doctors door the two children
left him standing on the door step, they
themselves running away and peeping at
MN round the corner OF the street A
an-scrvant answered Caleb's ring,
"My dog.' said the old blind man in the
same harsh, trembling voice; ''what have
you done with him? He's white haired
| like me, and thin like me; YOU can count
every rib in his body"
Ugh! how cold 1t was. The east wind
and sleet blew in the servants face, and
how could he be expected to stand there
talking with an old blind man on the
door step? He half shut the door.
"Your dog, old man !" he said; eve know
nothing about dogs here" He would
have shut the door in Caleb's face, but
the old man was too quick for him, and
had put his stick across the threshold
"My dog" he repeated, louder and loud
er; "white- haired, thin like me; you could
count every rib he had !"
a gentleman was coming down stairs
at this moment. He was dressed in the
| glossiest of black with the Whitest of ties.
He had cleaning smile, thick, square
jaw and eyes that changed as you looked
at them. "What is it ?" he said TRANQUILITY,
coming toward the door. ''Does the
man want money? | do not like a dis
turbance on my doorstep. A dog did you
say-Whlte- haired thin! Oh yes, had
him with two colleys yesterday afternoon
The brute. he wasn't worth the money
paid for him; he howled so we had to cut
his windpipe, before we could do any
thing with him. | wouldn't have had
him If could have got third colley;
they are so much more quiet and patient
Villain. did you say, old man? No, I'm
1 INxrr ry.Nl.