The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-01-27

100 Cnat tn6 Gaming stranger was
little boy not more than three years
Did, wearing pretty dress and broad
hat that concealed his yellow hair and
shaded his big blue eyes and dimpled
lace. The sight was pleasing one
and Fido vibrated his tail-yery eau
tiously, however. for Fido was not
quite certain that the little boy meant
his greeting for him, and Fido's sad
with the old neighbors had
made him wary about scraping ac-
too hastily.
"Tum, little google" persisted the
prattling stranger. and g il to en-,
courage Fido. the little boy stretched
his chubby arms through the fence,
and waved them entreatingly.
"Me love 90" said the little stranger,
patting Ndo's ho>,st brown back; ''me
love 90, little goggie!"
Fdo knew that, for there were ca
resses in every stroke of the dimpled
hands. Fido loved the little boy, too
yes, all at once he loved the little boy
and he licked the dimpled hands and
gave three short, quick banks, and
,wagged his tail HISTORICALLY. So then
and there began the friendship of Fido
and the little boy. '
Presently Fido crswled under the
fence into the next yard and then the
little boy sat down op the grass and
Fido put his fore paws in the little
boys lap and cooked up his ears and
looked up into the little boys face, as
much as to say: ''We shall be great
friends, shall we not, little boyp"1
"Me love co." said the little boy;
''me wan to tiss 90, little goggie!"
And the little boy did kiss Fido-yes,
right on Fido's cold nose; and Fido
liked to have the little boy kiss him.
for it reminded him of another little
boy who used to kiss him, but who was
now so big that he was almost ashamed
to play with Fido any more. g96,
lis 90 sit. little goggiep" asked the
little boy, opening his blue eyes to their
utmost capacity and looking very pite-
Gus. 900 nose be so told, 90 mus be
sit, little google" 4 :. i
But no, Fido was not sick, even
though his nose was cold. Oh, no; he
romped and played all that morning in
the cool, green grass with the little
boy, and the red-headed woodpecker,
clinging to the bark on the hickory
tree, laughed at their merry antics till
her sides ached and her beautiful head
turned fairly livid. Then, at last, the
little boys mamma came out of the
house and told him he had played long
enough and neither the red-headed
woodpecker nor Fido saw him again
that day,
But the next morning the little boy
toddled down to the fence corner bright
and early and called: "Goggie! google!
goggiev' so loudly that Fido heard
him in the woodshed, where he was
holding morning chat with Mrs.
Tabby., Fido. fastened to answer the
call-the way he sprung out Of the
woodshed and down the gravel walk
and around the corner Of the house was
marvel.
"Mamma says 90 dot reas, little
google" said the little boy. "Has 90
dot f'easp''
Fido looked crestfallen, for could
Fido have spoken he would have con.
fessed that he indeed sOas afflicted with
feas--not with very many Aeas, but
Just enough TO interrupt His slumber
and his meditations at the most mop.
. perfume moments. And tile little boys
guileless Impeachment set FidO te
feeling creepy-crawly all Of sudden,
and without any further ado Eide
turned deity in his tracks, twisted his
head back. toward his tail, and BY
means Of several we'll directed bites
and plunges gave the malicious
bedouins thereabouts located timely
warning to behave themselves. The
little boy thought this performance
very funny and he laughed heartily
But Fido looked ores tfallen.
Oh, what play and happiness they
had that day; how the green grass
kissed their feet and how the smell O.
clover came with the springtimt
breeses from the meadow yonder. Tht
red-headed wood-pecker heard them a
play, and she clambered out of tn,
hollow maple and lodged hither ant
thither as If she, too, shared their mer
riment. Yes, and the yellow thistle
bird, whose nest was in the blooming
lilac bush, came and perched in thu
pear tree and sang . little song abou
the dear little eggs in her cunning
yhome. And there was flower in tn
fence-corner--a sweet, modest flower
that no human eyes but the little boy
had ever seen-and she sang q littl'
song, too, a song about the kind oil
mother earth and the pretty sunbeams
the gentle rain and the droning bees
Why, the little boy had never know
anything half SO beautiful, and Fldo-
he, too, was delighted beyond all tell
ing. II the whole truth must be told
Fido had such an exciting and Devil
dering romp that day that when nigh
came and he lay asleep on the kitchen
floor he dreamed he was tumbling il
the green grass with the little boy, an
he tossed and barked and wt!ned SO il
his sleep that the hired mansha1 to &c
up in the night and put him out Q
doors. o.,
l. Down in the pasture 1T the end Of tn
lane lived an old woodchack. Las
lyear the freshet had driven him fror
his childhood's home u the cornfiel
BY the brook. and now he resided in
snug hole in the pasture. During thei
ranhes oneday Fdo: end his little DO
friend had come to the pasture an
found the old woodchuck sitting uprigt
| at the entrance to his hole.
| "Oh, I'm not going to hurt you, oil
Mr.. Woodchuck," said FidO. II hav
too much respect for your gray hairs.
"Thank you" said the woodchucl
sarcastically, ''but I'm not afraid I