Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-26
OUR SHORT STORIES.
A CANINE BANK.

THE grandfather of Mr.. Owen, of the Chi
cago bar, who resided in the Old Domin-
ion, was the owner of a dog whose sagacity
would seem to entltle him to place in canine
history. Bruno had been trained to do the
family marketing. Each day he carried to the
village butchers basket containing his mas
ter's order and penny with which TO purchase
meat for himself. To show of Bruno's talent
his kind master often gave him pennies at
other times than the marketing hour, which
the dog made haste to deposit upon the block
of his friend, the butcher. Owing to the fire.
quency of these gifts, and the liberal serving
OF the knight of the cleaver, Bruno often had
surplus of provisions which, like all provi-
dent dogs, he buried in the garden. There
were many ours in the neighborhood, which,
though lacking our hero's sagacity, were pos
sessed of equally sharp noses and good
stomachs These were not long in locating
Bruno's cache and in appropriating Its con-
tents, in consequence of which he often went
supperless to his kennel.
One day the old gentleman had been boasting
to friend of the rare gifts possessed by his
dog, and gave him penny to furnish ocular
proof of the same. At the door of the meat
market the animal paused, bent his head as if
engaged in veritabe brown study. and then.
to the utter discontinue of his watching
master and the secret delight of his doubling
friend trotted home with the penny in his
mouth. The two spies fastened after the dog,
and entering the garden, discovered him in the
act of burying the coin in the ground. All that
afternoon the old gentleman and his friend
watched with eagerness of children the canine
bank of deposit. Toward evening their patience
was rewarded by The appearance of the animal
who dug up the penny and hastened to ey-
change it for meat, wherein to make his sup
per-
Mind had triumphed, and ever afterward
Bruno banked his surplus coin, and bought
meat as his appetite demanded.
REMARKABLE COINCIDENCE.
CHARLES E. PRoTHER, a messenger Of the
United States Express Company, was acci-
dentaly killed one dark night while he was
crossing the tracks of the Kansas City, Fort
Scott and Memphis Railroad Company at
Kansas City. Prother had companion with
him that night he was killed, and at the point
where they crossed the railroad track there
was no light and a section of freight train
was backed down on them in the darkness.
Prother was struck first, and he was simply
spread all over the rails, ties and sand for a
distance of go feet His head was ground to an
unacceptable pulp, and his intestines were
wound up with the wheel of the car, The un.
fortunate mans companion was also struck,
but he was thrown to one side and was not in
jured. The express messengers clothes were
tore to shreds, and the contents of the pockets
were scattered far and wide. When the Cor
oner arrived on the scene and proceeded to
collect the scattered remains, he found two
letters inclosed in one envelope addressed to
the dead man. One of these letters had been
written by Prother to the superintendent of
the United States Express Company's messen
gers in Kansas City. and was to the effect that
the writer was ready to report for duty, after q
short vacation. The other letter was written
by the superintendent, and it ordered Prother
to 60 to Hetherington Kan, and there take
run. To this letter. however, was added the
following postscript:
''DEAR CHARLIE-You will also fnj enclosed,
passes to Il. You will go to Il some day,
old boy, and never return. GEORGE
This letter had been written the day before
Prother was killed, and is remarkable coinci-
dence. The superintendent probably wrote the
"H-" without thinking, and was then
struck with its popularity, and added the final
sentence as joke Little did he think what
ghastly joke it would prove, however, and how
true his prediction that his friend would "go to
heaven some day and never return" would be.