Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-12-27

LITTLE FANCY.
One reason why everybody loved Grace
Merton was because she had such good
heart She wasn't a bit selfish She never
saw ragged and uncared for child .
wretchei heggar, or a hungry animal, that
she did not express commiseration and in
stantly set about doing something to make
the object If her pity more comfortable.
Yet she WAS only a child herself.
She lived in one of the county seats" of
northern Indiana. where in summer the level
rnad> are 80 deep with white sand that horses
walk Us though walking in snow drifts and
in winter tine coffes-colored rivers are 50
smooth and solid that no other skating rinks
are needed At the time i write of Grace
was nine years old, very pretty and very
much liked She had bright face, big gray
ewes, that had habit of growing very misty
when ANYTHING moved her to pity. dark
brown hair, and, as everybody said, the
sweetest manners in the world
The Jewetts. who We're poor-superla-
lively poor and very indolent-lived near
enough 10 the Mertons for Grace to know
them well Like most Of their shiftless claSs,
they divided their poverty with a dog. the
most miserable, NANCY. haggard-looking dog
that ever owned an empty stomach. They
were the kind Of people who move often, and
aiWays for the worse.
One day they moved awsy-took them
selves and their iniigence in the same direc-
ton the star Of empire is said to take-and
left the dog homeless He was not much
worse of than he had been before, except
nat lie uad 10 shelter and was lonely. He
was a sad. shrinking, tacitun dog. utterly
without any wholesome doggish ways. and
be was old He knew he was an illfavored
brute, hiieous to look upon. and the knowl-
edge embitterei his thoughts and took away
his assurance ANY one could Sc at
glance that he was dog that had always
been under the harrow He had the air IF
creature the world cuts the same air that
shabby. diSreputable persons get after
long intimacy with misery. When h. >aw
a stranger looking at him he shank to
about half his normal size. and sunk away.
His eyes had a look of hopeless sadness in
them not often seen in creatures below the
human species.
This dog had had too much harsh expert
ence to make anv appeals for charity. He
knew the world as well as he knew hunger.
After his owners departed he lurked
around their miserable house in a ghost-liks
way for day or two, sleeping in a corner
of the tumbledown shed at the rear at
night. and sitting mournfullv on the rickety
front step in the day time. He resemtled an
old human pauper who has ourlived kindred
and sympathy At last hunger got the
whip hand of him. and he went out to try
his luck He was As wise he Was mlser-
able. and he went to Grace Merton.
Pret'ily dressed. in dark, rich red. and
very happy. she was raking the leaves of
early autumn from the croquet ground, sing
ing softly to herself The dog stopped on
the sidewalk and looked at her through the
iron fence. She was very busy and very
much interested, and she did not see him, II
was new picture of Beauty and the Beast"
Tie child. in her beautiful bright clothing,
with her sunny face represented opulence.
comfort joy. all the rich possessions of life
to the starving creature that watched he,
silently. Looking up suddenly, she saw two
red fearful ewes staring at her beseechingly
through the fenc. Accompanying the eyes
were a fabby. woe-begone mouth. two
dropping ears. and shapeless, shrunken,
shaggy black body.
Grace was the only human being who could
value the soul of that wretched dog high
as the soul of king.
''Oh. its Prince, dear old Prince" she
cried Poor old fellow, Did they leave
you all aloneF" And running to the gate she
called him TO her, petted, fiattered and actu-
ally caressssi the hlearv disreputabe-looking
creature Then she fed him. though the task
was an almost endless one, his capacity, after
his long fast. heing something phenomenal
The dog began 10 believe in humanity once
more His recent hard skepticism faded out
of his mind like dream before the revivify-
ing power of Grace's sympathy and minis
trationS His future lay III the child's
hands. and she accepted the responsibility at
once
She went to his old quarters with him and
fixed him comfortable Dee out Of scraps OF
CARPET and old newspapers. talk ing TO him all
the time telling him how sorry she was for
him. and what good, good old doggy" he
was. and how she wished she had a house Of
her very own that she might make him so
comfortable"
Meantime the degenerate Prince stood lis
tening in an attitude of humble gratitude
He was past the days of extravagant delight
Sla ,lait to i'm,
that his daily bread would tie provided He
understool aud gave up all idea of personal
exertion at once After urging him to be
cheerful and promising 10 see him often she
left him
The question Of how To maintain him puz-
zei Grace She had been taught that when
She dispensed charity she alone niust pay the
cost; that it would not tie creditable TO give
away other peoples food and property. She
revolVed the problem over and over in her
mind on her way home without seeing any
solution She sat dowa on the wide front
balcony Of her home with the heaviest heart
she had ever carried. 1t never occurred TO
her to ask help in her project She cad been
taught self-rel ance, and she remembered
having been tod more than once that she
must not think she could bring home all the
stray dogs and cats that excited her compas-
sion Her mu.her'S fine hous.. could not be
turned into Il hospital for unfortunate
animals
She saw IiEh: at last She was in the
habit of carving her dinner TO school, As the
school house was on the other side of the
town across the river. She would manage
To get as large dinner as possible, carry it
10 poor Prince, and do without herself She
decided on this plan, not thinking for mo
ment that she would be doing wrong TO
pursue it. She thought she had right to
do as she pleased with her own dinner She
had a very CLEARLY defined opinion that her
mother would object, 50 she SAID nothing of