New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-07-01
THE DIXIE.
ORLANDO AND OZIAS.


Ransom, June "a" Zlas Jest as lives 40 us iot
In fact, think he 'druhcr"
Tho voice that gave this assurance was high ana
thin and precisely like that Of Ozias Baker, COM
monty known rs "Mar Bakers dilt" IIdecd, II l
had not Seen the speaker. should haye thought IL
was Zlas himself But It was bis mother, woman
as phcromenaly short in stature as no was TAN AZ
o o'clock this morning had looked across tho nat
toward the west and had seen two figures approach
ing side by side Ono was Ike the shadow person
casts ct noon and that Mar Baker; the other was
like the shadow he casts Just before sunset and that
was 'Zas.
did not reprove the terrier for going into con-
vusion of barking at sight Of these two forms grad
ually lessening the distance between them and the
shanty. II had been dog myself feel that
would not only have barked, l would have bitten
something, when such sight was presented TO my
vision.
dId not state at the proper time for the state
ment tina. when We had found the terrier nearly
starved I'm the bunk he had worn collar, fine
chcn silver collar We were pleased with him
and he pleased with us that for some time We
scrupulousy refrancd from examining tho plate dlI-
hcult as II was to abstain lest should find the dogs
address and DO compelled by honor to wrltc 10 MS
former friends Already VIC hal learned that, II you
are going spend any time in shanty on dixie lands
tho sweetest companion possible IS wide-awake,
were not only resigned, but contcnted How cheer
fu he was He seemed really TO radlate cheerful
ness A dozen times a day he told us that tho loi-
Hest life IN the world to be on dixie and to gee
in your own standing grass. His brown eyes shohe
so through his hair that you could not be gloomy
when you met his glance, which was every time you
looked at him.
It IS supcrfuous fer any ono to tell me how cow
ardly and dishonorahe It not to look Immediately
MI 10
to restore him TO his owner We knew
all about how wicked we were Whenever wo
Rugged him ard whenever he touched our hands with
his dny red tongue we said to ourselves "Oh, how
they must long for him!7
We felt rcmorso; but remorse, as Owen Meredith
and others havo assured us, IS rot penItencc. We
did not turn from the OWL VIC were doing; we kept on
IN Il, suffering, ard yot happy.
Besides, to add to our guilt, this creature was valu-
able pccunaIly. He was thoroughbred, and showed
his breeding in looks and behavior But we would
have gladly paid all he was worth to own him. Could
We not at any time mortgage slice of dixie! or We
could pay in dixie itself, only unfortunately for US,
dixie has not yet become a legal tender.
But whcn at tho end Of two weeks, we couragcously
read the inscription the collar plate felt greatly
relieved although the duty of advertising still re-
meinod There were but two words on the collar,
and they were these: Orlando Innamorao."
OF course this was the name Of the dog. It was
a large name and he was a small dog but when We
trl It on Lin that 1t fitted him perfectly.
It was pathetic his demonstrations Of joy when
we addressed him az Orlando. He leared and frisked
and whined, and shOwered caressCs on us. Before
this We had mostly called him such things Dcarie'
and DUck7 and other words suitable for two women
to have thought of unsided by masculine mind.
Strange to say 1t had never occurred to us that his
real name was probably Orlando Innamorato. lIIth-
rto alco } al
the surname OF Orlando, but thankful IT was
not so I'm this case, for any wOmaDly woman must
much prefer InnamoratO This suggests love, and
coniurcs radiant visions OF Angelica before she made
her lover furious.
We each embraced Orlando so that he nearly died;
but even when he was almost smotheled he would
give us quick ics with his scarlet tongue and lovely
clancas from his eyes.
Yes | thought to myself his last name IS certainly
correct We promised the terrier that we would love
him SO that lie should never miss his other friends;
we would be TO him more than any people ever were
to a dog before.
In the midst of this my friend propounded the
question TO whether by any possibility, that name
could be the Of the owner too. And she said
we must advertise. She would not wait day longer,
for every day but forged more strongly the chains
which bound her TO this dearest. darngest creature
that lived And if the advertisement should
be answered. and we lie torn asunder!- but We could
that we would not 90 In this sin any longer
Jointly We composed advertisement then and
there We would send IT TO Boston paper. One
was enough; one would ease our conscences.
The notice, when finished, read like personal, but
that was no matter. We liked It: it n title
mysterious also, personals usually arc, and We
liked # for that. This is tho way II read:
"To the old friends Of Orlando Innamorato Tie
IS well he IS happy he is beloved If former friends
wish to communicate address -
We goacd over this. We showed the paper to
Orlando, and he barkcd approval. he assured US
that we might bavo added TO no IS beloved the
assertion he also loves" We thought of rewriting
and adding this but I took my pen to do so, Or
lando rushed to the door, glanced over tho fat to
the west and began to bark convulslvcly as though
a platoon OF robbers were coming toward us, ard
did not blame him, l have stated FOR what he
was Mar Baker and her son Ozas.
They lived In tho first house the road that
skir;cd the dixie. Tho house not much larger
than shanty but 1t clap-boarded, and painted
in vivid green's, with white trimmings and blinds.
This had been done by Ozias His mother said she
had told him if he'd put his mind to IT and paint It,
he n,lght choose tho cOl0rs. So ne had put his mind
TO H. and each day his mind appeared TO vary as to
the shade, and more or less coorins put I'm tho
paint pot every morning. As he only painted hour
or two In the forenoon, thcro great variety OF
tints each tint showing days application
Mar Baker said she s'rosed tho woodd be Jest as
we'll kept, and for her part, sho'd got past caring
'Zils was test the Lord made him, and If She could
1.-Two I'm that house. she guessed her neighbors could
bear to sec IT,
Mar Baker had been e widow for thirty years now.
Zas was her only child and the father had died three
months before the birth Of this son. She was as
llccn looking I'm her way the terrier was I'm his,
and I'm alortness reminded mo of him.
used to look at her and wonder how she learned
to bear IT, when, years ago. she had hoped this child
would be q comfort TO her. and whom each
day told her more emphatlcaliy than
the day before had done that he was dlfrercnt'
And he grew more and more different as time went on
instead OF growing brighter he grew less bright He
was not IN IDIOT but that's what everybody called him,
,f.oJt