St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1890-10-23
The Californian
81. Johu.bury, Thur-day, Oct. 28, 1890
CASEY
And How He was RehabiIitated.

he was well-born If he did, he
concealed the knowledge with a
clever appreciation of what discom-
forts the fact, if known, would i'm
pose upon him, for he was sly dog.
But it was probable that he knew
nothing of his high birth, just as he
thought nothing of his seeming low
birth; for the question of life-mere
existence-was so ever-present and
tremendous with him that its CON
tinuance was of much more concern
than its origin. Blood may tell, but
in the case of Casey it told nothing
to his credit. He was just as dis
reputable, homeless, taglesS and
thievish as any of the companions
with whom he marauded, quarreled
and struggled for maintenance
Casey had fallen from the high and
comfortable state to which he was
born through no fault for which he
was responsible, but owing to the
verdict passed upon him by the
coachman and the gardener that he
was a ''runt" At the time this ter
rible verdict had been given, Casey
(then known to his aristocratic circle
as "Rollo') was feeding on the milk
and bread of plenty, without other
clouds in the summer sky of his
young existence than such as were
caused bv the depressing knowledge
that every one of his brothers and
sisters could thrash him with ease
and did so with frequency.
1t was partly this fact, observed
by the coachman and gardener, and
partly a whimsical mark over his
eyes, which decided Casey's fate.
The sentence was: Death by drown
ing!
The cOachman was appointed exc
Cutioner, and to his credit, accepted
the task with regret, for CASEY,
though small for his four months and
Il lacking i'll beauty, being SCARED with
n much disastrous war, was as plucky
as anv one of the litter. The house
q keeper decided against pail of water
in the barn, as the means OF Casey 5
III taking off, for although admitted to
be simple and convenient, as urged
by tie executioncr, the story would
DC a sad one to relate to young
Master Francis upon his return
che must be LOST concluded the
"a good woman significantly taken
to the water front and lost"
Casev's mother and father were re-
corded III the Kennel books. by num-
"a best bred fox-terriers in America, so
there must be some pride of birth
lacking in runts, or Casey would
have shrunk instinctivcly when he
found himself III the company of two
young men who were engaged in
cOncealing stolen scrap-irOn under q
wharf, when disturbed by CaSey's
spIashing III the cold water of the
bay by their very side. His indigna-
ton at the cOachman for throwing
81 him into such unpleasant water may
have had sOmethIng-eve much-tO
q do with his absence of all haughtI-
ness and restraint i'll the presence of
"A low companions. After being fished
out of the bay by one of the young
men, and having his mouth held close
to prevent his yelping-which might
have attracted police attention
Casey at once fraternized with his
new friends i'll a manner which
showed, as before suggested, total
abstinence of pride of birth.
Casey was too young to be guided
by the great moral truth that per-
sonaI comfort-yea, safety gained
by the sacrifice of any principle, es-
pecially so sustaining one as pride
of birth, are but giddy and insure
Finding that his choice of conditions
lay between remaining quiet and
alive or yclping disapproval of his
environment and getting drowned
forit, Casey curled on a coat, wagged
his tail, shivered, and-held his peace
a Casey, it has been said, was young
and considered the conditions entire
" outside of the ethical relations !;
his untaught mind accepted comfort
able existence, even at the sacrifice of
principle, as possessing advantages
n over non-exiStencc under any circum-
stances-if there be circumstances
relating to non-cXIStence-
n The task of concealing their plumber
among the sea-wall rocks, to which
the thieves boat was fastened, pro-
ceeded without interruption until
one of the thieveS-a pleasant-faced
Iad-nOticed Casey shivcring, SO that
III he seemed to be about to Shiver him
self out of the world. The boy
grabbed up Casey, clambered along
the rocks until he came to one side of
a pier running out from the wharf,
looked about cautiously, saw no
Il officer, and then carefully tossed the
dog on to Il bale of bags lying in the
sun on the pier.
Let der purp dry in der sun; he
amt done no HARM" remarked the
youth.
His kind action may have been
prompted by the pleasing reflection
that in saving Casey's life he was
preventing what some one had CON
sidered the performance of a duty.
The work beneath the wharf again
proceeded in silence, and Casey slept
in comfort until he was dry, and
warm and hungry. His hunger
woke him; but his first impulse to
proclaim the fact loudly was repress-
ed by recollections of recent expert
ence Suddenly, however, he did be
II gin yelping dismally, persistently ;
so persistcntly that his young friend
glanced cautiously up over the edge
of the pier. What he saw made him
snatch Casey and disappear under
the wharf with a warning whistle
The some one who had made Casey
yelp and his friends scurry away
with their boat under the darkness
of the wharf came down the pier,
looked about, shook his head and
said: TIL young divils! Eff tn
pup hadn't barked Old been up to
EN-"
1t was policeman, and because of
his long blue coat and brass buttons
Casey mistook him for the cOachman