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

her. an ,i,en went hack to school dinnerless,
H. unusual appetite at tea WAS remarked
uton aud ~ her dinner basket came home
empty every evening 1t WAS supposed that
school and hard study were benetiting her
health
One unlucky day a soulless little girl dis
covered her in her benevolent work and told
Mrs. Merton who immediately issued pros
lsmAtion that no more dinner should be car
ried away to feed dog>. She argued that if
Ora ,e could come within IA square of home
to give away her dinner She could come all
the way home and eat her dinner there.
After some entreaty and fearful eloquence
in behalf of the vagahoud dog Grace was per
mitted to carry refuse scraps to HIM This
worked very well until the cook complained
that she could keep no cold meats from meal
to meal. Grace regarding everything she
could find a. refuse and carrying it to the
shaggy starveling
The freedom of the pantry was then denied
her Still the dog was on her hands, and his
appetite was better than his circumstances.
He slept well, but Grace did not His faith
in her kindness and ability was without the
shadow of doubt but the child knew very
we'll that faith alone would not ward off
starvation
She could not appeal 10 her father and
mother for further help. aS they had often
told her that whatever philanthropc work
she undertook on her own account she must
carry through by her own exertions.
She thought of her monev-a possession
she attached but little value 10 and rarely
remembered She counted it-eighty three
maintain a dog-a dog like Prince, whose
gsstronomic talents were of the highest
order. She had no idea but she consulted a
butcher. big. bluff, kind old fellow, who
knew her well
We'll" said he "a dog could eat eighty
three cents up at meal if Won bought
good meat for him; or he could rub along
quite awhile if We kind o 'lowanced him"
Struck with the old mans wisdom, Grace
made him this proposition: Il will leave the
eighty-three cents with YOU and will call
every dav for scraps until it has run out.
Please make il 60 As far you can
The talkative butcher inquired into the
case, and as soon as he understood it offered
10 contribute to the dogs support by saving
scraps which otherwise would be thrown
away.
Grace regarded this offer of help as spe-
cial boon of fate and went har "-av relieved
OF a te. riDIe burden. Poor Princes board
Was certain
Poor Prince. Never was creature more
pitiably misnamed The irony of nomencla-
ture found rare expression in him Prince
only Of the vast kingdom Of Poverty, Heir
to the sorrowful estates of Pauperdom! Most
unprincely in person and demeanor was he,
Every movement of his unhandsome body.
the expression of hopeless misery that sat
perIetually on his aged countenance, and
the forlorn droop of his tail. all bespoke that
ignoble melancholy that comes from chronic
and insurmountable poverty He was at the
foot of the ladder, with no prospect of ever
getting up a single round, and worse than
that with no hope.
Misfortunes travel in groups As soon a.
YOU have disposed of one. YOU are likely Is
meet his twin brother. The days when the
skies are clear are the days on which the
avalsnches fall" That evening, Grace
was coming from school. freer from anxiety
than she had been since she had assumed the
care of Prince she met him on the river
bridge He wss shrunken TO less than his
usual size: his eyes were more watery than
ever; his mouth fabbier: hi- tail dropping
like plume in rainstnrm; his " hoie per
son an appeal Grace's heart stood still What
was the ma tier! Some dire misfortune had
again laid its heavy hand on the unlucky
beast
torture in seeing her children hungry and
destitute than did this child Oh seeing this
poor old brute a pauper. She cried out
against the meanness of the world that be
grudged poor Prince food and shelter. and
great tears fell on the shaggy back Of the
canine beggar She petted him and tried TO
comfort him with many an endearIng name
which must have made his old heart glad,
though he still looked woe-worn and melan-
choly. and she still sobbed in a heart broken
way at every caress
Together the two sal hearts went over the
bridge and down the long street hordered
with pretty houses. through whose windows
the freight glanced, making the raw
autumn air seem even colder than it was, by
contrast The child felt the first throb of
Indignation and rebellion against the world
that she had ever known. For the first time
she realized the seltshness OF human kind.
All the people who lived in those houses were
warm and comfortable, and. as she well
knew. daily wasted food enough to keep half
a dozen dogs i'll opulence, yet they would all
laugh at the very idea of supporting dog
like poor Prince.