The Bossier banner., 1893-12-07
A WHITE RIVAL.
How a Bull Pup Came Near Spoil.
ing a Romance.

Copyright 1893, by the Authorl
What she could see in him could
never understand.
He was certainly big, and presuma-
bly, strong and muscular, but neither
in beauty nor in intelligence was he
anything out of the ordinary of ma
ture's handiwork.
| have heard her rave about his ewes;
they were the color of coffee berries,
and moderately large, but their ex-
preston, to my mind, was eminently
sheepish. He was disgracefully selfish,
too, and was under the impression that
his acquaintances could do nothing
better than attend to his meals and ac-
company him in his walks. He was also
abominably inquisitive and peculiarly
clumsy.
And in spite of all this, she loved him
the most beautiful girl in the world
loved him, and lavished caresses upon
him that any man with eyes in his
head would have given kingdom to
receive.
His accomplishments were few. He
pretended to catch rabbits, and was
reputed ''ratter' on the strength of
having once barked at a rat in a cage;
the servants had, with much difficulty,
taught him stupid trick of running
off with paper parcels in order to get
at the sweets or biscuits hidden inside;
and an infinite amount of shouting,
hallooing, and waving of arms would
occasionally induce him to jump over a
walking stick held two inches above
the ground.
In short, he was a most ordinary
white bull terrier pup, with pink
nose, surmounted by black spot like
blot of ink from pen.
Nevertheless, I owe him a debt of
gratitude for being the cause of my
first introduction to Ella Darlington.
1t was on an August bank holiday
the one blazing hot day of damp and
dismal English summer. All the morn
ing had sought to avoid my kind, and
at length, by four o'clock in the after
noon, l had discovered a delightful
oracken-covered dell by the dry bed of
brook in Richmond park, where, but
1or the distant shouts of the gay and
hless cyclist, nothing disturbed the
pastoral beauty of the scene.
Here stretched myself out, with nv
arms under my head and my hat tilted
over my eyes, and fell to dreaming
and to wondering when, if ever, l, a
oank clerk at two hundred a year,
snouid SO distinguish myself by the
literary efforts which wholly occupied
all my spare time as to be wholly indie
pendent OF the bank, except as place
VI SAFETY for my superfuous thousands.
II only could write brilliant novel
the novel OF the season! But Ameri-
can authors had declared that the
stories OF the world have all been told,
ana the serial papers preferred ro-
,nahces written by young ladies as
oelng more sentimental and soothing.
ana the libraries would have nothing
10 do with the work of an unknown
man, and
"A feminine shrek broke in upon nv
respondent musings, and the idea of a
loVeiy woman in distr ess brourht me
TO my feet.
ohe was lovely; of that there was no
possible doubt. Tall and slender, with
nsnt brown hair and big appealing,
oark blue eyes, eyelashes curling up
wards aud red mouth dropping down
wards dolefully
one was angry, flushed and fright
enea, as was a small, stumpy girl, evil
uently her maid, who accompanied her.
ehe elasped her gloved hands implor-
,ngiy, and looked at me with tears in
her eyes.
MY dog" she painted. "My dog,
nuli! Pray save him. Some 'Arries
are numbering him!'
then she ran through the bracken
ana ran after her to the spot where
,lve little east-end roughs and a vii
famous mongrel with one ear bitten
through were wreaking vengeance
upon white bull terrier.
MY SIX feet of authority, armed with
a stout stick, speedily dispersed the
eog S assailants. They retreated in con-
Iusion' employing language so bad as
70 De fortunately unintelligible to nv
uamsel In distress, who was by this
sllne kneeling beside her precious dog.
hugglng him effusively and trying to
lsg, - 49, tA'u'eu