The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-03-16
KINDNESS TO ANIMALS.
A Philadelphia Doctor Plays the SamarlS
%, tao with Questionable Success.

n Philadelphia Doctor Plays the Samarl<
%, tao with Questionable Success.
A gooa friend of mine, kind
hearted man, loving and gentle and
quiet, although Philadelphian, held
me the other day until l missed a
train while he did plain, unvarnished
tale, perfectly rigid with cold fact I'M
fold. 1t seems that DIR. Armluther, for
it was he, went home the other even
ing-I forgot which other one-and
found awaiting his home coming. cow
ering in the vestibule of the palace,
a plain, plebeian 'yella" dog, the
sands of whose life were liable to run
out through his ribs unless they were
soon caulked with bread and meat and
some sort of food. DIR. Armluther
stopped upon the pebbly strand, as it
were, to examine the inscription on
the dogs collar and there read: Dr.
Mayfield, Lansdowne." Not alone pro-
fessional courtesy, but the promptings
of kind heart and the influence of
early education urged my friend to
give the dog ''rest and guide and
food and fire." When boy many and
many time had he read stories of
boys who had befriended lost andt
homeless dogs, giving them shelter
for the night and crusts of bread
despised Of all boys and most
dogs-to eat and has then, Leading
the dog home to his master,i
gone straight away and married.
the bankers daughter, or else paid off
the mortgage on the farm for the poor
old father, or had been elected Cover
nor or something of that sort. Never
failed. Well the doctor decided to
keep the dog over night. But the cat
objected. Such are the narrow results
of a lack of early education. Nobody
ever read the ''lost dog and good boy
series to the cat when she was young.
She had always viewed the stray dog
question from the safe vantage ground
of the shed roof, and when this lost
dog came into the dining-room for a
simple repast, the cat of the household
cried out with an exceeding loud voice,
and smuggling up to the dog like a
house atire, made it interesting for him.,
1t was only q few miles out to Lans-
downe, so the doctor decided to take
the dog home at once; he could send it
out by the messenger. He tied string
to the collar and went his way to the
station, dragging the reluctant dog,
who seemed to be stranger in town,
shy and bashful when he met big dog
or a grown man, but insolent and ag-
gressive when he met pup or little
child. Arrived at the station, the
train and the messenger were gone.
Never mind; another train in twenty
minutes. All aboard; brakeman orders
dog to baggage car. Doctor kicks;
agrees to go into smoker, but draws
the line at baggage car. Conductor
comes along, tears coupon out of COM
mutation book for passenger; twenty
| five cents for the dog, DOCTOR" "Mon-
strous; why the fare for "a grown man.
is only ten cents" Cant help it;
dogs are not humans; twenty-five
cents" ''Well take it out of the book"
Cant do that; the ticket book is not
| good for other members of the family"
Doctor groaned and paid the fare. All
out for Lansdowne. Dog gets into %
fight in the station. Man is found at
last who knows where DR.. Mayfield
lives. Eyes, know him; used to live
here; moved into town last week. Lives
on Walnut street." Train back in an
hour; dog whites away the time by
| fighting other dogs. swapping at wait
| ing passengers, making himself fresh
with every body when he is loose and
! bowling like sin when he is tied. On
| the car, makes a rush for two peacea-
BILE setter dogs belonging to a hunter;
ticks the dogs but gets the stutfing
kicked out him by the hunter. Crawls
| under the seat and mutters all the rest
of the way to city. Drunken man, at
tracted by dog, insists on crowding in
to seat with doctor. who is Prohi-
bitionist, and entertaining him with dog
lore and stories of his own dogs; large
ly apochryphal. Another twenty-five
cents for dog fare. Some trouble find
! ing DR.. Mayfield's residence. Doctor APP
pears; benevolent man says: doctor,
have brought your dog home after a
! great deal of trouble, many annoy
ances, some cost in money and a great
loss of precious time. | wish, in
return for all this, you would
either take off this collar or put on
it your correct address. "Dr. Mayfeld
looks down at the dog with undis-
.guised contempt: "Why, bless you, sir.
l hope you don't think ever owned
such IL cur as that? Come now, that's
too bad; | wouldn't have the brute
about me for any money" But it's
your collar?" 30 yes; the collar which
you see is fine one, belongs to me.
1t was on the neck of handsome
spaniel, which belonged to my daugh-
ter; some fellow stole the spaniel and
evidently sold him, but kept the
collar. l will take the collar, if you
please. but you are quite welcome to
the dog
There was nothing more to be said.
| A moment later DR.. Armluther stood
| on the marble doorstep, under the still