The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1885-08-16
nothing else--not even Bit OF bread or a

nothing else--not even bit OF bread or a
drop OF soup.
| Another day passed. Allegro, worn out
with hunger, slept. When morning came
his eyes glittered, all his hair bristled, and
he pulled crafty at his chain.
| Still the old woman gave him nothing TO
eat. Tho brute became furious, and barked
hoarsely. Another nigbtpassed.
Early in the morning Mother Saverini
went TO her nearest neighbor and begged for
some whisps Of straw. Then she took some
| old clothes that had formerly belonged to her
husband and stuffed them with the straw so
as to initiate the form OF a human body.
Planting pole firmly in the ground in
front of Allegro's kennel she fastened the
mannikin upon II so that Il seemed TO stand.
| Then she made head for IL out of some old
rags fastened into ball.
The astonished dog stared at this man OF
straw and stopped bowling, although tor.
tured with hunger.
Then the old woman went to the butcher =
| shop and bought a long, black sausage,
which she took home with her. She kindled
wood fire in the yard near the kennel and
began 10 cook the sausage. Allegro, wild
with expectation, mad with the odor OF meat
that entered his very entrails, leaped and
howled and foamed at the mouth.
Then the mother made cravat for the
straw man out of the smoking sausage. She
tied II very tightly around the neck of the
mannikin, as II to squeeze II into the pole.
When this was done she unclaimed the
dog.
With one tremendous bound the dog
| reached the throat Of the mannikin, and
with his paws pressed against the shoulders
began 10 tear. He fell back with piece in
his mouth, devoured it--leaped again, driv-
Ing his teeth through the strings, tore away
another morsel-and leaped again, and tore
away furionsly. lie rent away the head
with frenzied bites--he tore the neck into
ribbons.
Silent and motlonless the old woman
watched him, while her eyes blazed. Then
she chained up the dog again-ma,le him
fast for two days more, and recommended the
strange lesson.
For three whole months she accustomed
him to this sort Of struggle for food-to
repasts obtained only by the strength Of his
fangs. Then she ceased to chain him for
she had him SO we'll trained that he would
leap at the mannikin the moment she gave
him sign.
She had trained him even TO rend II, TO
devour 1t, when there was no meat attached
to II. As his reward she always gave him
a big piece of fried sausage.
Whenever Allegro looked at the mannikin
his whole body would culver with excite
ment, and he would turn his eyes to the
face of his mistress, waiting for her to hiss
the words "At him ~ with finger pointing.
When she thought the time had come old
Mother Saverini went TO confession and
communicated one Sunday morning with
ecstatic fervor. Then she dressed herself in
mans clothes, disguised herself as an old
n,~I :.l.
Sandman fisherman to take both her and
the dog across the strait.
She Lad an immense piece of fried sausage
In canvas bag. Every once in u while
she made Allegro smell 1t, SO as to excite
him. The dog had eaten nothing for two
days. \
They entered into Longo Sardo. The old
Corsican woman walked with limping gait.
She stopped alta butchers shop and asked
where Nicolo Ravolati lived. He had gone
back TO his old trade-carpsntering. He
worked all alone at the rear Of his shop.
The old woman pushed open the door, and
called him:
Hey Nicolol''
He turned his head She instantly let
loose her dog, and cried out:
AT him at himl Tear himl tear him!'
The maddened animal bounded forward
and caught him by the throat. The man
struggled to throw OF the brute, fell on his
back, writhed, beat the ground with his
feet for a moment. Then he lay very still,
while Allegro buried his muzzle deeper and
deeper in his throat, tearing the flesh away
in great shreds.
Two neighbors, sitting ON their doorsteps,
said they remembered distinctly TO have
seen an old beggar leaving the house &C.
companied by a great, gaunt, black dog,
which, as 1t walked along, kept eating some-
was giving it.
The same evening the old woman returned
home. That night she slept we'll.
Guy DE MAUPAssANT.