The Opelousas courier., 1888-01-07
THE LOST DOG.
A Readable Little Sketch OF
Metropolitan Life.
A Forlorn CANNES Search for
His Master,

l was standing at my housedoor one
night recently when a dog trotted by,
says Alfred Tumble in the New York
News. He was an ordinary mongrcl,
but with a sleek and well-kept lock and
wearing Il collar. 1t was still carly
enough for people to be out strolling,
and l supposed he was following one OF
the passers-by, lut presently he came
back, head and tail up shifting the air
with an unmistakable expression OF
inquiry. A few minutes later he passed
again, with his snout to the pavement,
running in zig Gags, and evidently
seeking a scent. His jaknty carriage
was gone, and when he 'feturned once
more he stopped in front Of me and
looked into my face. l offered him my
hand, but he lodged it suspiciouSly,
retreated q few steps, and, finding thai,
l did not follow him, stopped and eyed
me again. I walked to the street cor
ner, and he trotted beside me, but
when he saw me halt there he gave me
up for a bad job and went nosing along
on mis- own account, and lost sight OF
him.
The next night at about the same hour
he made his appearance at the same
-Ioo H. ,o1l,, ~opa ITa uoG
muddy and his coat was lutled. He
shambled along dejectcdly, lodging
every male pas5er am smelling every
woman, and there was a piteous appeal
in the eyes he turned upon Inc. This
time he permitted me to pat his head,
and when | walked away he followed
me. | took him into a convenient beer
garden and fed him heartily, but when
we went out he left me again, and
went ON his weary way up and
down over the old ground in
search of the master he had lost.
Coming home in the small hours |
found him waiting for me on the door
step, and he fawncd upon m and lickel
nv hand and made his mute appeal
for help over again. He refused to fol-
low me into the house, thou ,h, and fl
nally settling in his mind that I was in
capable of serving him once more re-
sumed his round. In the morning I en-
countered him once more. He was in a
horrid state and had a cut in his head,
where some brute lower than himself
had kicked him. He ate the breakfast
I gave him wolfshly, and left me as
before.
This was the last I saw of him, and l
confess that I was not sorry. There
was a human e~ntreaty in his eye and q
human helplessness in his vagrant friend
l~cssness that touched me. Unable to
better his condition as / was it made me
melancholy to sec him. A couple of
weeks passed, and a few mornin gs back
I was leaving the house when something
began to fondle my legs with sharp,
Joyous barks. 1t was my oil friend.
He had o new collar on and was sleek
and independent of carriage again A
pretty little girl, with a little market
basket on her arm and a couple of
chrysanthemums in her hand,
called to him and he ran to her
AMI leaped about her and then came
back to me. I asked her if he belonged
TO her and she told me yes. Had he
not been lost recently Y? Yes; papa
had taken him out for q walk and lost
him, and when they all thought him
dead, and she and mamma had cried
their eyes out, she had found bim on
her way to school being stoned - some
boys. l told her of our acquaintance
ship, and when she went away she
turned and ran back and Fat her poor
flowers in my hand. "Please take
them," she said, "because you were
good to Jack" l had her put one in
my %buttonhole, and, graceless creature
that I am, dropped it when, l threw my
overcoat off and trod it to pieces under
foot. Poor Jack had a longer memory
for favors done than but I'M only a
man.