Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-06-01

an behind it stitching and stitching her
heart out. Cannot you make an excnse,
DR.. Hugh7 Mistake the house or some
thing, and let us knock and see il my
faded lily won't come out"
But just then the door opened; the
dressmaker was letting out customer.
Who or what that was never needed,
for from where we stood over the way
my dog had dashed across, up the low
steps and was fawning on the little
woman in transport of joy.
She did not stoop to meet tb 'se eager
caresses; those sharp little canine cries
of delighted recognition had no response.
Only as we came in she made hurried,
cropping movement for the handle of the
door as if she would have shut it in our
faces. Hugh was too quick for her. He
stepped in across the threshold, where
she stood leaning pale and quivering
against the wall.
1--WE owe il to ourselves" he said, ''to
make some explanation. Of course the
dog is yours"
She made hasty motion Of disclaimer,
but Hugh went on:
"Of course the dog is yours; we have
had him so long in our keeping because
he was found one night last winter, and
this lady kindly let him come indoors
with her out of the bitter weather. But
we have no idea of keeping the little
fellow from you-unless, indeed, you
would care to part with him.
This last tentatively, for it had not es-
capped Hugh any more than it had me
that as between dog and mistress the
affection was certainly all on one side.
The little woman-girl she was rather
had retreated, sinking down on the steep
box stairs that almost filed up the tiny
entry. The dog did not feel himself re-
pulsed as we did, but fell, dog fashion,
to kissing the worn hands with which
she covered her face. It was in that
same instant that we heard a child's cry.
She let her hands fall together, the we'd
ding ring flashing out on the worn finger,
and then, for the first time noticing me,
with swift sign she led the way into
the back room.
The baby was just waking in his era
die. She turned her white face round on
US in the doorway as she dropped down
on her knees beside him. The dog went
shifting about the cradle, round and
round, as if he could not understand,
then stood irresolute, his brown eyes
flashing inquiry from the woman to me
"For the child's sake" she said. ''For
the child's sake"-
She caught her breath in a frightened,
gasping way that brought the doctor in
Hugh to the fore.
STEADY" he said gently. 1--WE are not
here to hurt you, but to see what can be
done for you"
She pointed to the dog. "Only take
Dash away. Leave us two alone"
At the sound Of his name the dog
glanced round at her, but at her vehe-
ment repellant gesture he crept nearer
to me, his tail between his legs.
"Poor Dash! My poor, poor Artful
Dodgerr' whispered, STOPPING to pat
him. But Hugh was looking at the
woman attentively. II beg your par
don, but think have seen you before, u
| he said.
She threw up her hands with a sharp
cry: ~ knew it! knew that dog would
ruin me!'
"Then you tried to lose him-to get
rid of him?'
She made Hugh no answer, only looked
at him half fearfully, half defiantly.
| "Come, Kittie," he said to me, ''since
the dogs owner is willing to part with
him we will take him home with us.
He laid couple of bills ON the sewing
machine as he spoke, disregarding hel
gesture of refusal "Otherwise we shall
not feel that we have a right to keep the
dog" he said. "And we will keep him
he shall never annoy you again, believe
me-" He bowed to her respectfully as
we three went out, closing the door be.
hind us, for she never moved from hel
knees beside the cradle.
Of course I asked Hugh what it al
meant the moment we were out of ear
shot, and l am afraid was not in {
very amiable mood during the wall
home, because he would not answer
The next day, however, he told me, fol
the next day he went back to the flower
pot of house and found the little dress
maker had lost herself to Dash again.
"And had been hoping you would b.
here making your gowns, Kitty" hi
said ruefully. @'That was the reason
thought l had better not tell you he,
story until you had got interested IL
the poor, young thing. But she has van
ished without clew, and Do yol
remember Cousin Katharine's writing t.
me here to look out for her house las
summer, while you were all out of town?
81 remember mammals being worried
at hearing of. SO many burglaries in tow
of empty houses"
Precisely. There was asgang, it wa
believed. At any rate one of the bur
glars was traced to his home by means o
his dog. Ee was not taken without oh
stinate resistance. He had got bat
wound, and l was called in as the near
est doctor to stop the flow of blood be
fore he could be removed. He had 1
pretty little house; pretty little wifi
of his own, who, with her baby of few
weeks in her arms, shrank stricken witt
shame and horror in the farthest corne
of the room.
"It seems she had never so much a
dreamed of her husbands business
which took him so often away from he
at night. She appeared to shrink ava,
from him as if he were an absolut
stranger to her, as if he could not be tn
man she had known. What she nigh
have done further I don't know, for th
fellow died Of his wound. He tore tn
bandage off on the first opportunity ant
just bled his life,away. People werein in
terested in the poor young woman, ant