The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1893-02-22
Love Me, Love My Dog"

creature, and il was such cold aud
clustering night that had not the
heart TO shut the door in his face, as
he stood wagging his tail in The stream
of light from the open hall aud look
ing upon me appealingly, with big,
innocent brown eyes, from under a
silky fringe of hair that appeared to
mnt of Skye descent, though rather
more than less remote.
Yes, he is certainly mongrel, this
Artful Dodgcr of mine; perhaps If he
had been of good honest Skye strain
this tale could never have been told of
him.
However, in lie came with me that
night and out he went with me the
next evening, for the first of our mys-
terious walks abroad.
1t was only round couple of COR
ners on an errand 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 grapple the better with
the difficulties of the latcll-key, folt
cold nose thrust into my hand-nay,
more than a cold nose--an apple,
which, so red and glossy as il was, ]
was quite sure my provident 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
Cor my poor kleptomaniac.
For day by day there was some.
thing of my ncighbors' goods laid al
my door. One morning it would be
a prime beefsteak fresh from the
butchers stall; another it would be II
dainty handkerchief thrust into my
hand as we walked together along
Chestnut street. l soon learned to
eschew 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
noighbors' doormats were piled up n
our vestibule, and my poor little fellow
crept ont 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 u 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 TO go to bad altogether, in
another neighborhood remote from
theirs. But then he never looked up
at them, with his big, innocent brown
eyes brimming with love and trust, as
he did at mo.
"'LOve me, love my dog" / said
10 Hugh one evening, as l stood with
him in the vesiibule, and the Arlful
Dodger whined so pi,eously 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 ! wero--well, it is hard to
say what we were; but this unlucky
speech of mine was certainly the first
word of love that had passed between
as.
was glad to go down on my knees
TO the little follow leaping about inc
to escape the eyes of the big fel.
low standing over me, for / fell
sure there was laugh in them.
"When your dog is as honest as you
arc, Kitty" said Hugh, 81 may per.
haps begin TO love him as"----
GAS doP' l answered, any dog
aud 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 Ar,ful Dodger maj
teach me ~ much az have failed 4
teaching him, poor boy!"
eat that rate, 10 as we'll am takili,