Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-04-23
HOW THE SPOONS WE'RE SAVED.

HOW THE SPOONS WE'RE SAVED,
| Two Remarkable Bronze Dogs and q Boy
| Who Was a Sort of Hero.
Eyes" Philip Howard was saying,
III tell it to you ten times more, if
you say so. 1t is as true as preaching.
Every time those bronze dogs on Uncle
James Monroe's steps hear the Fourth
Ward fire-alarm they jump down and
BARK
.'Pooh!' said Earnest Weston. Il
don't believe it. Bronze dogs can't
bark
II didn't say they could" replied
Philip. 81 only know these do every
time they hear that bell.'
81 don't understand it. OF course /
know well enough that it's trick, but
l can't see through it, said Richard
Monroe. Say the whole thing over
once more, slowly, won't you, Philip"
Philip spoke with great distinctness:
"You know, / presume, the house on
Euclid avenue, where Mr.. James Mon
roe, who has the honor of being my
uncle, lives?''
Il ought to-" said Richard, doubt
fully, for live there myself, if he is
the Mr.. James Monroe who has the
honor of being my father
Exactly the same,'' replied Philip.
''Well, you are aware then that beside
the steps before that house are two dogs
made of bronze. Many time and oft
have you and played circus upon their
backs. and now you pretend not to I'M
derstand me when 1 say that every time
they jump down and bark"
did you ever see them do it?' per-
sisted Richard.
mo"
Philip admitted the fact with some
reluctance.
Il never remember, though, being at
your house when the Fourth Ward fire
alarm sounded. You must have been
there lots of times-queer you never
noticed them"
zone question more and I'll stop"
said Richard. ..'@Have they always done
sop
"Always; just the same as now," was
Philips prompt response.
And Richard, pausing only to say: 81
know it's trick and not the truth, and
I'll find out before I'm done,' walked
slowly away from the boy and towards
his own home.
"Why didn't you tell him?'' said
Earnest to Philip. HELL bother over
it ever SO long"
''But he'll puzzle it out before he
stops said Philip, proudly. HE is
smart little fellow, if he is my cousin;
he thinks and thinks till he gets things
worked out every time.'
On the steps leading up to the front
door Richard stopped to look at the
dogs. They were certainly quiet, as
their kind are liable to be; Sif they
jumped down to bark at fires, they were
very careful to jump back in exactly the
same place.
1t was very provoking to be SO puz-
Zled by what he knew perfectly well
was only the twist of some word; though
he repeated Philips sentence over and
over without getting the least idea of
what the catch might be.
The next Wednesday he was Weakened
in the night from a sound sleep by the
noise of door, slamming violently. He
started up in his bed, listened, and heard
the ringing of the Fourth Ward fire
alarm bell
Then, if ever, was the time for prov
ing that dog story. He was forbidden
to 90 to fires at night; but Tom, who
was grown up and did business with
lumber company, always went He
had slammed the door. which Richard
knew would be unbolted until his re-
turn.
Richard had never been told that he
must not go into the garden to hear the
dogs Oh the step bark at fire-bells, so
hastily slipping on shoes and clothes he
made his way quietly down the stairs
and out the door.
The dogs were in the usual position,
but Richard knew that Philip had some
foundation of truth to his declaration;
so he waited for the bell to ring again.
He leaned upon one of the dogs-a dam
gerous proceeding if the animal per-
formed as Philip predicted. But Rich
ard knew that if the rush of the hose
carts caused a trembling, or if the wind
or echo sounded in their Threats the
gentlest noise that could be exagger-
ated into bark, he should be in q po-
sition to hear.
But there was neither motion nor
sound. Again and again the bell sound
ed, and each time the dogs failed to
Jump, or bark, or be in the slightest de-
gree affected.
He was SO interested in his expert
ment that he did not notice Tom, who,
finding the fire far distant from his
undergrad, had returned after few
moments.
The slipping of the bolt on the inside
of the door reused Richard to the fact
that he was locked out. When he
thought of ringing the bell, and so gain
ing admittance, he had for the first time
grave doubts as to whether the heads of
the household would altogether APP
prove his performance, even if they had
not forbidden it.
Moreover, he felt that he would not
enjoy explaining his motive; he real
lied as he had not before the utter fool
ishness of imagining even that those
dogs would Jump and bark, and he did
not care to expose his folly.
He walked around the house, but he
knew the fastenings too web to have
any hope of getting in.
He came back, resolved to wait quiet
ly until the servants came down in the