The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1892-11-30
DIR. Guthrie's Dog /" BOb."

Though but a dumb companion and
friend, l must devote few lines to the
memory and affection and sense of my
dog Bob," who, lying often at the
head of the pulpit stairs, occupied a
place on Sundays nearly as conspicuous
as myself. He was a magnificent Scotch
dog of great size; brave as, or rather
Drawer than, a lion He expressed his
respect for decent and well. conditioned
visitors by rushing to the gate as if he
were bent on devouring them, and gave
them welcome both with tail and
tongue. Beggars and all ORA char
acters " he wasted no wind on but,
maintaining an ominous silence, stuck
close to their heels. showing a beautiful
set of teeth, and occasionally using
them; only, however, to warn the
gangrels" TO be on their good be-
havior
He had but one bad habit when l
had him-to see cat was to fly at it.
This ended in his worrying to death a
favorite grimalkin belonging to neigh
Dor, and that catastrophe raised for
midable commotion. | saw that | must
part with Bob or impair my usefulness !;
so, with many regrets, l sent him to
Brechin, fifteen miles off.
There. early on the following Sun
day morning, Bob was observed, with
head and tail erect and resolute puI-
pose in every look and movement, TAX
ing his way from my brothers. house.
My brothers. wife, struck with his air,
said to one of her daughters, who
laughed at the idea, There is Bob,
and III wager he is off to Arbirlot."
Whether he had kept the road, or gone
by some mysterious path across the
country straight as the crow flies,
know not; but when was leaving the
church, about one O'Clock, was met
by the beadle, with his old face lighted
up with an unusual expression of glee,
and exclaiming - for my dog and
Johnny had been always fast friends
"You mauna put him AVA, minister,
though he should worry a. the cats in
the parish"
On going to the mause l found Bob
outside the gate, as fiat, PROSTATE, and
motionless as if he had been stone dead.
1t was plain he knew as well as | did
that he had been banished, and had re-
turned without leave, and was liable to
punished at my will went up to him,
and stood over him awhile in ominous
silence. No wagging of his tail or
movement in any limb; but there he
lay as if he had been killed and flattened
by heavy roller, only that, with his
large, beautiful eyes half-shut, he kept
winking and looking up in my face,
with a most pitiful and penitent and
pleading expression in his own.
Though ! might not go the length o t
old Johnny Bowman in making him
fire of all the cats in the parish, there
was no resisting the dumb but eloquent
appeal. / gave way, and exclaimed in
cheerful tones, Is this you, Bob?" In
an instant, knowing that he was forgiven
and restored, he rose at one mighty
bound into the air, circling round and
round me, and ever and anon, in the
power and fullness of his joy, nearly
leaping over my head
What his ideas of right and wrong
were, dare not say; but he certainly
also of guilt. Once, for example, and
the only occasion on which we ever
knew him to steal, Mrs Guthrie came
unexpectedly on Bob sneaking out of
the kitchen with sleeps head between
his teeth. His jail-like and timorous
look displayed conscious guilt, and still
more, before che had time to speak a
word, what he did. The moment he
saw her, as if struck with paralysis, he
drops the sleeps head on the floor,
and, with his tail between his legs,
makes off with all haste; not to escape
beating, for she never ventured on
that, but to hide his shame. -Autobi0g-
rdphy of Thomas Guthrie, DID,.