Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1889-07-25
a PR0DIGAL'S RETURN.
The Touching Tale of Donal and
His Double.

@H- AlAuEo-~ Ofute nVeu ~ Up
perhrooSe. UP~perbrooke i a pretty
better than pretty. indeed; one
might almost call il pieturesQue-viL
la-c. fully three miles from q railway
station. though within an hour and a
half from London. Mr.. Dornley's
"resblence' (for in this ease there Is
no avoiding the objectionable world.
Brooke Hamlet. stood at one end of
the village 1t was scarcely important
enough to be described A. n place.
yet, - there was nothing OF Z sub
urban villa about il. the exact term
l. difficult To find II WAS an old
house. too. and had belonged to it,
present owners for more than one
generation Mr.. DornIey was n man
az quiet tastes; coutented with his lot.
neither impulsive or irascible; by no
Means dorsey though such horses
A. he had were unexceptionabIe; a
good husband and father. though far
from weakly induIgent in either re-
lati0n; with but one i-diosyncrasy in
tho least approaching n foible. and
that was his dog, his ..DouaT~-DonaI
without the ina ID be il observed.
which | am assured Is the true and
original form OF the Gaelic name.
Donai. or Don. As the Dornley boys
abbreviated it. was. a. might be
guessed. n collie. 4 real, thoroughbred
collie Of the best. a splendid fellow.
even IN the eyes OF a dog ignOramus
like myself. on whom doubtless many
of his finest points were thrown
away. but who nevertheless could
kecniy appreciate his handsome
physique. his rough yet glossy coat. his
httshy tail. best of all his bright. intent.
loving brown eyes; loving. that Is to
say. where his faith and affection were
due, for Dor was no fool to make
friends with the first conner. We will
nct call him suspicious it Is M uglv
word; rather let Us say he was gifted
with a fair share of Scottish caution.
which rendered his confidence. once
acquired. all the better worth having.
All Up~perbrOoke knew Don. nearly
all Upperbrooke loved him. and the
dislike with which he was regarded bv
the few inevitable ne er-do-weels or
sour and Grabbed souls in the little So
ciety. in itself a compliment to the
htgh-minded collie, never iutesifed into
any thing like hatred There was moth
Ing about him to call forth such a seuti-
meut; he never interfered when not de-
sired 10 do 50, his disapproyal was in
dicsted. but by n more dignifed de-
meanor. a something in the sweep of
his tail. in b sitter erecting of his
ears. u in lOrdly contempt he staIked
past Nor was this silent protest in
eiiicacious on all occasions There ran
a legend that a small DornIey had been
brought to the avOwal Of a childish
n--lsdsmeaHor by Donal's influence.
Don isn't pleased with me, man.
ma. the boy sobbed out to his mother.
who vas weIl-nigh a. fond of the dog
a. was her husband. He hasn't said
amy thing. but has looked at me so. and
'VuicSed up his ears and lone his tail
at NE. and it's because he knows I've
been naughty"
To ~dOg-lovers. at least. eve n to those
With no very special leaning in this
direction. it will not be difficult 10
picture the dismaY and CONSERVATION
With which q morning there broke
Upon The ears of the Dornley family
the fell news that their DOnaI was lost,
Ill news spreads quickly. but in this
case, u~nlucktly. those whom the dis
aster most concerned were the last To
hear of IL For Mr.. and Mrs. Dornlev
had been away from home for two DAYS
and a night only. returning by the last
train. when- according 10 the servants
opinion. 1t was too late TO do any thing
more than, in the masters absence,
they had already done themselves.
This, at least, was the coaehman's ex-
euse when met by Mr.. DonIey's imper-
alive reproaeh:
Why did you not tell me at once
when you came tt meet Us al the STA
tiOn last night27
Then followed the particulars. Don
had been missing since about three
o'clock the day before. AZ which hour
various witnesses were axle TO depo=e
20 having seen him strolIing about the
grounds as usual And. rs worse luck
would have it. about that very hour
there had passed through the village