Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1889-07-31

| Cllcy Iltu stIiCStuy uOuS CACtuSOlF0''
This, ut least, was the coachman's Ell:
cuse when met by Mr.. Donlcy's impers
ative roproach:
"Why did you not tell mo at once
whom you came to meet us at the sta
ton last night?''
Then followed tho particulars. Don
had been missing since about three
o'clock the day before, at which hour
various witnesses were able to depose
to having seon him strolling about the
grounds as usual. And. as worse luck
would have it, about that very hour
there had passed. through the village
and along the highroad to London a
number of vans, travelling menagerie
vans, OF second Or tnird-rate class,
with the shady-looking drivers and
wild-beast keepers and what not more
or less of the ritfraff order, who &C..
company them
Mr.. Dornley's face grew storm; Flor
ence, his wife, was already very pale,
biting her lips to keep back hor tears;
the little boys were weeping audibly.
Yes, that was the worst of it. AS
the coachman, determined, now he had
taken the plunge, to make clean
breast of it, related the fatal coinci-
dence, the Same thought struck every
one. Faithful, sagacious Donal was
not lost. but stolen.
He is far too Intelligent ever to be
lost said the dogs master, sadly.
"Besides, hsv often noticed that
when | am away he has 9; sort of feel
ing that he is left in charge. Don't
you remember, Florence, as We drove
off the other day, Donal was on the
lawn with the children, and he came
forward as we called out Goodbye
and wagged his tail and looked up as
much as to say: Trust me. I'll look
after them ALL No, Don is not lost
Nevertheless, he had to be found!
Little else was talked of in Upper
brooke for some days to come than the
sad event at the Hamlet Mr.. Dornley
drove all over the neighborhood, man
aging even to trace the wild-beast show
to small town where it had made a
halt, and to interview the proprietor,
but with no result If any of his peo-
pie had stolen the dog-and, after all,
as he himself said, a dog was
| OF no special value or attraction to
them; they had quadrupeds enough
it was quite possible that ho did not
know of it, and more than probable
that the thief had already disposed of
his ill-gotten gain. There WAS moth
ing to be learned in this quarter. Then
the master of the Hamlet went off to
London; he put advertisements in
every daily paper; posters here, there
and everywhere; visited half the po-
lice stations and all the dogs homes in
the metropolis, in vain, coming home
disconsolate, to be met at the station
by Simpkins, the coachman, and Jeph-
son. the groom, in an equally limp and
detected condition, having each OF
them been securing the country in new
| directions on his own account, with a
like fruitless result.
Next followed the tantalizing tor
ment of false-not alarms, but hopes,
as quickly quenched as excited. For
some days every post brought letters
telling of canine waits and strays, the
dotsam and the jetsam of Dog,and APP
parently, all over the country, alike
but in one particular-their total and
entire unlikeness to the collie so care
fully and efficiently described in the
advertisements which had called forth
this flood OF useless response.
1T must be the high reward you Of
fered," said Mrs Dornley, illogically,
it must be confessed, as it, as her hus-
band pointed out, any hope Of reward
could turn a mastif or pug into a
collie, though some few of the letters
which contented themselves with in
forming the advertiser that dog IAN
swering description" had turned up at
Twickenham Ferry or St. Leonard's-
on-Sea we're even more trying. For to
more than one Of these latter Mr.
Dornley was tempted to reply by Ego
ing HIMSELF or sending Simpkins, a
proceeding sure to end in disappoint-
ment and Indignation at the waste of
time and trouble, as in no case was the
individual produced for their inspec-
ton the least like Donal!
lit is no use; we must give it up
and try to forget him." said the collie's
master at last, bitterly. ut really is
the most mysterious thing. If one
could but be sure the dear fellow was
properly treated, and not suffering in
any way, it would not seem so bad.''
He is surely too valuable and hand
some to run any risk of neglect or ILL
treatment" Mrs. Florence ventured to
observe, with more success this time,
as her usually sweet-tempered. but of
late sorelyirritated, husband allowed
there might be something in that
And as the days went on the chill
dren, as children must. began to for
get their old friend a little; they left
off crying when they said their pray
ers at night at the special petition
they had themselves composed that
''dear Don might soon come safe
hOme:'' and the emntv kenna1 w,s