The morning call., 1890-10-26

there's nobody left alive to tell the story.
As much mystery was it, too. why that
there dog should have answered to the name
of jackson. Maybe his master was so called.
Be this as it will, you Lad only to call him
jackson to bring him to your feet and con-
vert him into the loviDgest beast that ever
wagged tall
During the week we were aboard the
wreck that dog never lost sight of me- He
followed at my heels like my own shadow,
lay down with me, watched me as If he Yves
human with powerful intelligence work.
ing out imaginations in bin. He was tie
first to sight the ship that took us off. l was
lying asleep on the cuddy deck, and he
awoke me by licking my face. | was vexed
to be disturbed, and told him to get away,
and turned over for another nap. On this
he icks my face again and barked.
=" Blast that dawgv says William and he
sits up to chuck boot at the poor beast
Hold your hand says ]. Now, Jack
son. what is it% says l.
''He parked again, and walked to the deck
house door, looking behind him, and on my
following the fist thing saw was large
brig within half mile of us.
Well. to cut this, we were taken off, and
| took good care 10 carry Jackson along with
me, for by this time the love between us was
something beautiful. Throughout the pas
sage home he lay in the clews of my ham,
mock at night, aud by day followed me about
the deck; and laugh as you may. sir, l tell
you I've seen tears Of JOY gush into his red
eyes when I've allowed him to jump upon
my knees and lie there and lick my hand.
The master of the brig wanted to buy him
from me, but said no, not for ten times his
weight in gold. IN pawn the shirt off my
back to repay You Tor your kindness, SIR
says !, but Jackson and me are friends that
must not part if we can help it,
However. / couldn't take him to sea
with me every voyage. and when | got home
gave him to my sister to take charge of.
/ obi nHrv iVary ftttN a
absent for short spells only, and lodging as
ala with my sister when | was ashore,
never did mortal man from the most loving
of wives or mothers, from the most affec-
tone of fathers or brothera, receive such a
welcome home as l did from Jackson. His
joy was almost terrifying. 1t came to this,
that when the neighborS heard l
was TO return they'd assemble in a
body in the door to witness Jackson's
delight You would have thought he'd
spring through the very roof. When his
demonstrations were over he'd sit and grunt,
with his eyes fixed upon me as though he
were talking. He was the only dog | ever
met that seemed 10 know his bark didn't
convey all that was in his mind. can as
sure you it used to affect me to see him try
ing to give expression to his thoughts by
uttering sounds and maneuvering with his
ears. | believe that dead sailors soul had
passed into that there dog Ha! But | do
theni Never did the like Of so much inteli-
gence walk on four legs before.
There came time when | shipped as
second mate and carpenter aboard a coal
man bound to a French port. This gave me
chance to carry jackson along with me,
the skipper not Directing. | had now had
the dog about three and hall years-perhaps
four. He was still an active, beautiful dog
with a lovely brown coat Of hair, fine as
silk, and eyes as expressive as pretty
girls. 1t came on to blow after we had
left port a few hours, and the weather
turned thick as mud IN wlne-glaSs. We
got the vessel under easy sail the wind was
a little abaft the beam, and we were plow-
ing through 1t reckoning on forty fathoms of
water under our keel, when shortly after
six bells of the first watch the vessel took
the ground off the Norfolk coast; the maSts
went over the side and she was wrecked in
a breath. beating hard with the seas burst
ing over her.
There was bit of a deck-house aft and
most of the men took shelter III it. | was
making my way to that structure TO join
them when the deck blew up amidshipS, and
to save myself from being washed over
board | crawled into the little caboose, and
when | was there, feeling horribly lonesome,
l thought of Jackson, and putting my head
out through the door and whistled on the
little silver whistle | used to carry expressly
to call him with. Whether he was aft with
the men and they let him out. suSpeeting by
his capers on hearing my whistle that he
tering himself waiting for me to cali him, |
never could tell. The hull Law with strong
list and the air was white with flying spray.
All anIidShips the hold was yawning; yet
five minutes after | had sounded that whistle
| heard a scratching at the galley door, and,
on sliding it bit open. in bounded jackson.
He had scarcely entered when lump Of
green sea struck the cabOoSe. What fol-
lowed is like recollecting the waking up out
of 4 swoon. | remember finding myself in
the water and of sc1aplng at something
with my finger ends. 1t was the top OF the
caboose, as you see it there: but [ didn't
know what it was till the day broke. In
cropping L put my arm through hole and
held by it. Just then | heard yelp close
beside me-. l put MY other arm into the
smother where something showed black and
caught hold of the dog-fOr the dog it was
and hoisted him on to my back with his fore
paws on my shoulders. The water Was
horribly broken and the tumbling Of the
cabOose root sickening; yet held on with
my arm through the chimney-hole and the
dog clung to my shoulders encouraging me
as it were by sometimes licking my iace;
and whenever bigger sea than usual ran at
us, The poor beast would bark as though he
thought to brighten itaway from hurting me.
We fioated away from the broken tumble
OF the shoal into run OF the sea that was
something regular, but the water was CON-
Stantly washing over us. | cannot express
what comfort found in having that poor
beast on my shoulders close TO me, barking,
and then giving little grOwl as though to
Eearten me, and then licking my face. At
last he fell silent. The gray of the dawn
was stealing into the sky. | said, jackson,
how is it with you, poor beast?' He didn't
answer. | spoke again, and finding him still
silent pulled him down and found he was
dead. l was too weak, too near my own
death to cry; yet / felt to be weeping in my
heart when pulled him down and found he
was dead. My exhaustion was too great 10
suffer me to hold him long, aud | had to let
him go. His body floated off and lost sight
of it.
shortly after sunrise a smack hove into
view. The mate of her, seeing black
object, put 4 glass to his eye ana instantly
spied me waving my arm, whereupon he
headed for me, launched boat and took me
aboard. l was the only man saved the yes
sci had gone to pieces in the darkness and
drowned all the others. That's the little
yarn, sir" exclaimed Bob Ridley, knocking
the ashes out of his pipe and rising. "Poor
old Jacksonw and with deep sigh and an
air Of abstraction, he led the way out of his
summer arbor.
THE END
Copyrtoht, 1890, By The Authors alliance.