Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1885-09-18

howled at the empty air. Since his mas
ter had been killed the dog often howled
like that, as If his inconsolable animal
soul was also haunted by memory
which nothing could efface.
Now, one night while Allegro was
bowling, sudden idea came to the
mother-an idea worthy of a vindictive
and ferocious savage. She thought over
1t until morning, and, rising at the first
CLEAN of dawn, she hurried to the
church. There, PROSTATE upon the
pavement, casting herself down before
God, she prayed him to aid her, to sus-
tain her, to give her poor old body
strength to enable her to avenge her
son.
Then she went home. She had an old
barrel in her yard, which she used to
collect the rain-water in. This size emp
tied, laid on its side, fixed firmly to the
ground by means of stakes and slaves.
Then she chained Allegro to this ex-
temporized kennel and went into the
house.
She began to walk backward and for
ward in her room, without ever resting
-glancing from time to time at the Sar-
dinian coast. He was there, the mur-
derer.
All that day and all the night follow
ing the dog howled. In the morning
the old woman brought him bowl Of
water, but nothing else--not even Il bit
of bread or drop of soup.
Another day passed. Allegro, worn
out with hunger, slept. When morning
came his eyes glittered, all his hair bris-
tied, and he pulled crazily at his chain.
Still the old woman gave him nothing
to eat. The brute became furious, aud
barbed hoarsely. Another night passed.
Early in the morning Mother Saverini
went to her nearest neighbor and beg
ged for some wisps 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 fasten-
ed the mannikin upon it so that 1t
seemed to stand. Then she made a
head for it out of some old rags fastened
into q ball.
The astonished dog stared at this
man of straw and stopped bowling, al
though tortured with hunger.
Then the old woman went to the
butcher shop, and bought long, black
sausage, which she took home with her.
She kindled q wood fire In the yard,
near the kennel, and began to cook the
sausage. Allegro, wild with expecta-
ton, mad with the odor of the meat,
that entered his very entrails, lcaped
and howled, and foamed at the mouth.
Then the mother made cravat for
the straw man out of the smoking sau-
sage. She tied it very tightly around
the neck of the mannikin, as if to squeeze
it 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 to tear. He fell back
with piece in his mouth, devoured 1t,
leaped again, driving his teeth through
the strings, tore away another morSel-
and leaped again, and tore away furi-
ously. He rent away the head with
frenzied bites; he tore the neck into
ribbons.
Silent and motionless the old woman
watched him, while her eyes blazed.
Then she chained up the dog again;
made him fast for two days more, and
recommended the strange lesson.
For three whole months she accus-
toned 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 well
trained that he would leap at the manni-
kin the moment she gave him sign.
She had trained him even to rend it,
to devour it, when there was no meat
attached to it. AS his reward she al
ways gave him a big piece OF fried sau-
sage.
Whenever Allegro looked at the man
nikin his whole body would culver
with excitement, and he would turn
his eyes to tbe face of his mistress, wait
for her to hiss the words "At him!"
with finger pointing.
When she thought the time had come
old Mother Saverini dressed herself in
mans clothes, disguised herself as an old
ragged beggar, and made bargain
with Sandman fisherman to take both
ker and the dog across the strait.
~ 80. ii