Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1893-02-17
Love Me, Love My Dog

The little bow-wow took an i'm
mense interest III me at first sight. lie 4
was such poor and fricndCss 4
creature, and it was such a cold and
clustering night that had not thc
heart TO shut the door in his face, as
he stood wagging his tail in the stream
of light from the open hall and look.
ing upon me appealingly, with big,
innocent brown eyes, from under a.
silky fringe of hair that appeared to
hint OF Skye descent, though rather
more than loss remote.
Yes, lie is certainly momgrel, this
Artful Dodgor of mine; perhaps if he
had been of good honest Skye strain
this tale could never have been told of
him.
However, in he came with me that
night and out lie went with me the
next evening, for the first of our mys-
FERROUS walks abroad.
1t was only round a couple of COR
ners on an GRAND TO the green gro.
GERS about the morrow's list which
had not properly been made up; but
When | pulled my glove off at the
home door to grapplc the better with
the difficulties of the latcll-kcy, felt
a cold nose thrust into my hand-nay,
more than q cold nose-an apple,
which, so red aud glossy as it was,
was quite sure my providcnt friend
had selected from the very basket OF
apples l had just ordered home from
under the green grocer's counter.
That was excusable enough, per-
haps. But what followed day by day
exhausted all my stock of apologies
for my poor klcptomaniac.
For day by day there was some.
thing of my neighbors' goods laid at
my door. One morning it would be
prime beefsteak fresh from the
butchers stall; another it would be a
dainty handkerchief thrust into my
hand as we walked together along
Chestnut street. | soon learned to
eschcw the shopping quarter, how
ever, when we two went out together.
But my Artful Dodger was too much
for me. One snowy day all the
ncighbors' doormats were piled up in
our vestibule, and my poor little fellow
erept out from among them, wagging
his tail with a delighted conscious
ness of merit, as / name up the
steps.
Some Fagin had trained him; there
was not doubt of that. 1t was the
part of Christian moralist to reclaim
him, not to turn him adrift in his
evil ways, argued. seemed, how
ever, to be the only Christian in the
house; or indeed, in the whole block.
fancy they would have left my poor
little fellow 10 60 to bad altogether, in
another neighbo:hood remote from
theirs. But then he never looked ur
at them, with his big, innocent brown
eyes trimming with love and trust, as
he did at me.
Love me, love my dog" / said
10 Hugh one evening, as l stood with
him in the vestibGle, and the ArtfuI
Dodger whinod so piteously on the
other side of the closed door that
was obliged to let him out TO walk
with us. Then | could feel myself
blush furiously, for though Cousin
Hugh and | werewolf, it is hard tc
say what we were; but this unlucky
speech of mino was certainly the first
word of love that had passed between
us.
| was glad to go down OIL my knees
to the little fellow leaping about M
to escape the eyes of the big fcl,
low standing over me, for l fcl
sure there was a laugh in them.
"When your dog is as honest as yor
are, Kitty" said Hugh, 81 may per
haps begin TO love him as"---
GAS | doP7 / answered, my dos
and | springing down the steps to
gether gayly. 81 wouldn't advis,
you to; evil communications corrup
good manners. to quote still another
proverb; and my Artful Dodger ma,
teach me as much as l have failed il
teaching him, poor boy!"
cat that rate, is as we'll / am takin:
you both to poor quarter of tn
city," said Hugh. And indeed l fel
that the dog might help to cheer III
little crippled lad hc was taking m
10 see.
1t was not the first time DIR. Hug
had carried me of 10 see some patien
of his. Elizabeth had maliclou
way of limiting that he la