Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-06-18
RAB AND HIS FRIENDS.
By DOCTOR JOHN BROWN.

School. our heads together, and our arms inter-
twisted as only lovers and boys know how or
why.
When we got to the top OF the street, and
turned north. we espied crowd at the Iron
Church "A dog fight" shouted Bob, and was
of; and so was !, BOTH ofus all but praying that
1t might not be over before we got I'D, And is
not this boy nature? and human nature too.
and don't all wish house on fire not to be
out before we see it? Dogs like fighting: old
Isaac says they delight in it, and for the best
of ali reasons and boys are not cruel because
they Ike to see the fight. They see three of the
great cardinal virtues OF dog or man-courage
endurance and skili-in intense action. This is
very different from a love of making dogs fight
and enjoying, and aggrayating, and making
gain by their pluck. A boy, be he never so fond
himself of fighting. If he be a good boy, hates
and despises all this but he would have run off
with Bob and me fast enough; it is natural
and not wicked interest that all boys and men
have in witnessing intense energy in action.
Does any curious and finely ignorant woman
wish To know how BOb'S eye at a glance
nounced dog fight to his brain? He did not
he could not. see the dogs fighting; it was a
flash of an Inference, rapid induction. The
crowd around q couple OF dogs lighting Is a
crowd masculine mainly, with an occasional
active compassionate woman fluttering wildly
round the outside. and using her tongue and
her hands freely upon the men, as so many
'brutes; it is a crowd annular compact and
mobile: q crowd centripetal. having its eyes and
It's heads all bent downward and inward to one
Common focus
Well Bob and I are up and find it is not over;
small thoroughbred white bull-terrer is busy
thrOttng q large shepherds dog unaccustOmed
to war. bnt not to be trified with. They are
hard AT 1t; the scientific little fellow doing his
work in great style. his pastoral enemy fighting
wildly. but with the sharpest of teeth aud
great courage. Science and breeding. however.
soOn-had their own: the Game Chicken. as the
premature Bob called him. working his way up,
took his final grip of poor Yarrow's throat
and he lay gasping and done for.
His master. brown, handsome. big young
shepherd from TWeedsmuir would have liked to
Knock down any man. would drink up Esil,
or eat crocodile" for that part. if he had
chance 1t was no use kicking the little dog;
that would only make him hold the closer.
Many were the means, shouted out in mouth
fuls, OF the best possible ways of ending it.
Water. but there was none near, and many
Cried for it who might have got it from the well
at Biackiriars Nynd :" Bite the tail!' and a
large, vague, benevolent. middle-aged man.
more DESTROYS than wise, with some struggle.
got the bushy end of YarrOw's tail into his ample
mouth, and bit it with all his might. This was
more than enough for the understanding, much
nerSpring shepherd. who. with CLEAN of Joy
over his broad visage. delivered a terrific facer
upon our large. vague, benevolent. middle-aged
frend.-whO went down like shot.
Still the Chicken holds; death not far off.
''Snuh pinch of snuff" observed calm,
highly dressed young buck. with an eye-glass in
his eye. - snuff, indeed" gTOwled the angry
crowd. affrOnted and glaring. Snuff pinch
of sntef. again observes the buck. but with
more urgency; whereUp0n We're produced sew
eral open boxes, and from null which may
have been at CulloGen. he took a pinch, knelt
down, and presented it to the nose of the
Chicken. The laws of physiology and OF snuff
take their course the Chicken sleezes, and
1arrOw is free
The young pastoral giant stalks of with Var
row in his arms.-comfortng him.
But the Bull Terriers blood is up. and his soul
nnsatiSiied; he grips the first dog he meets. and,
discovering she Is not dog. in HOmerc phrase,
he makes a brief sort of dlHerds. and is or The
boys. With Bob and me at their head. are after
him; down Niddry street he goes. bent on mis-
chief; up the COWgate. like an GrrOw,-BOb and
J. AM our small men, painting behind.
-frcTe. under the single arch of the South
Bridge. Is huge mastif sauntering down the
middle Oh the causeway. as if with his hands in
his pockets; he is old. gray and brindled as big
As little Highland bull. and has the Shake
epearean dewlapS shaking a. he goes d.
The Chicken makes straight at him. and fas-
tens on his throat To our establishment the
great creature does nothing but stand still hold
himself W. and TCar.-yes. roar; a long. ser-
Gus, rcInonStratye roar. How is this? Bob
ana are up to them. He Is niuzzIcd! The ba-
lies ha6 proclaimed a general muZzling. and his
Inantsr. Studying strength and economy mainly
apparatus. constructed out of the leather of
some ancient 5reeching. His mouth was open
as far as it could; his lips cured up in rage-a
sort OF terrible grin; his teeth cleaning. ready
from out the darkness; the strap across his
mouth tense as bOw-string: his whole frame
stiff with indignation and surprise; his roar
asking us all around Did you ever see the
like OF this:" He looked statue of anger and
establishment, done in Aberdeen granite
We soon had crowd; the Chicken held on
"a kpife,", cried Bob; and cobbler gave him
his knife. You kno& the kind OF knife worn
away obiiqueiy TO point. and always keen. |
put IFS edge to the tense leather. 1t ran before
1t; and then.-one sudden jerk of that enormous
head. sort of dirty mist about his mouth
no noise-and the bright and fierce little fellow
Is dropped, limp and dead. A solemn pause;
This was more than any Of US had bargained
for. | turned the little fellow over and saw he
was quite dead the mastif had taken him BY
The small of his back, like rat. and broken it.
He looked down at his victim, appeased.
ashar1ed and amazed: snufTed him all over
stared II him. and. taking a sudden thought
turned round and trotted off. Bob took the
dead dOE up and said John. we'll bury him
after tea" ''Ies." said l. and was off after the
mastiT He made up the COwgate at a rapid
SWING: ne lad forgotten some engagement. He
turned up the CanalenaheT Row and stopped
at the Harrow Inn.
There was a carriers cart ready to start and
keen. thin. impatient. biack-a-vised little man.
bis hand at his gray horses head looking about
angrily for something. "Rab. We thief" said
be, aiming kick at my great friend who drew
crinr!ng up. and avoided the heavy shoe with
more agility than dignity. and watching his
masters eye, skunk dSmayed under the cart
his ears. down, and as much as he had OF tail
down too.
What man this must be-thought Ito
whom my tremendous hero turns tall The
carrier saw the muZZle hanging cut and useless,
from his neck, and eagerly told him the story
which Bob and always thought and still think
Homer, or King David. or Sir Walter alone were
WORTHY 70 rehearse. The severe little man was
nltigGted. and condescended to saw 'Rab ma
man. pur Rabbie;" whereupOn the stump of
tail rose up, the ears were cooked the ewes
filed and were cOmforted; the two friends were
reconciled- "Hupp!" and a stroke Of the whip
were given 10 jess; and off went the three
Bob and buried the Game Chicken that night
1--WE had not much of teal in the back-green of
his house in Melville street No. II with con-
Siderable gravity and silence: and being at the
time in the Iliad. and. like all boys Troians We
called hinl Hector, of course.
III.
Six years have rassed.-a long time for a boy
and dog: Bob Ainslie is of to the wars; | am
medical student. and clerk at Mimic House
Hospital.
RAD / saw almost every week, on the We'd
nesday; and we had much pleasant intimacy
] found the way to his heart by frequent
scratching of his huge head. and an occasional
bone. When did not notice him he would