Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1890-02-12
MY SHADOW.
The Sad End of a Most Faithful
Friend.


an old and well-known story was no
relative of mine, but there was time
when l lost my shadow, and it seemed
to me much more serious affair than
the mythical gentleman Of that ingeni-
Gus story suffered. Surely no sun-cast
shadow was ever more worthy to be
mourned than was the one I lost, for
mine was faithful flesh and blood.
1t was in the early autumn of 1884
that started alone on what was per-
haps the longest pedestrian trip everun-
dertaken for pure pleasure, without wa
ger or reward-a walk from Cincinnati,
O., to Los Angeles, Cal, by circuitous
route which made the entire length Of
the journey thirty-hve hundred and
seven miles; and it occupied more than
one hundred and forty days.
Really to learn country and its peo-
pie the traveller should be on foot and
unhurried, as ample experience with
bicycle, horseback and carriage tours
long ago convinced me. 1t was glori-
Gus trip, always trimming with inter-
est, frequently spiced with danger, and
full of hardship, and it has left me
some of the brightest and some of the
saddest memories of my life.
One crisp evening late in November I
came down from rabbit-hunt in the
hills to the lonely station-house of San
Carlos, dozen miles south of the rough
iron city of Pueblo, Col. The section
men were lifting the hand-car from the
track, and the welcome smell of supper
was in the air. AS came up tall,
clean-built young greyhound flew out at
me, and one of the men gave him a
savage curse and kick that sent him
away bowling.
''Whose dog is that?" I asked, sharply.
''Nobody's. Anybody 's'll take him
kin hev him.
"I'll take him." said I, but it was
more easily said than done. 1t cost me
two hours of coaxing after supper to get
the poor, starved pup even to snap a
morsel from my hand and fly again; but
house, shut the door and tied him, after
lively fight in which several of us
were slightly bitten.
he was a fine pup, nearly full-blooded,
black as coal, thirty inches tall, and
not over four months old. His owner,
a well-to-do but kinless contractor, had
recently died, leaving the dog to the
rough mercies of the section men, from
whom he had never had "a square
meal" nor a kind word
Next morning we had another half
hour fight when tried to lead him by a
stout cord; but at last he yielded to the
inevitable, and followed me under pro-
test, frequently jerking hard at the
wrist to which had tied his cord. That
very afternoon he lost me a fine ante
l.pe buck by leaping aside just as I
f: ed, and jerking my Winchester so
that the bullet struck hundred yards
frtm its aim.
three days later, as we toiled up the
rugged vertebrae of the Rocky mount
ai1s by a trail few miles south of the
celebrated Veta Pass, he was tagging
alog so contentedly at my heels, and
MYRTLE and blankets so fully claimed
myattention, that I gave him lis lib
erty He came crouching up to me, still
minful of the brutalities he had known
befoe We met, and licked my hand ap-
pealngly.
1t was the first time he had shown af-
fectip or seemed to enjoy caress, but
now he was Enthusiastically happy,
thoua he still ''rejoiced with trem-
bling:
WIN had patted him and rose to go
on, heel dutily into line at my heels
and trtted automatically there, never
swervig save now and then to poke hi 8
long, cd nose into my swinging hand,
as if ttsay: "Here 1 am. Don't for
get me
We pissed that night in the log cabin
. of quer old miner in Wagon Creek
Canyon md the dog voluntarily curled
up agai1t my chest, and slept with his
nose thlst under my chin. Thence
forth he yas really maane, and for over
fifteen hndred miles 1 bad as true a
friend asever followed, companion
who alwa> thought my way the best
way, whoshared with equal content
my joys al my hardships, never whined
at long m$hes and short rations, and
loved me IS only the great, honest
heart Of atntelligent dog can love his
master. .