The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1893-03-23
{ TICKET"

nephews to live with me and make the
place bright and sunshiny.
have to make friends with all the
village, and that's the way l came to
know Ticket. To be sure, Ticket isn't
child, he's only a dog; but he knows as
much as some children-grown folks,
too, for that matter.
Right across the street from my house
live Tessie, Jessie and 10 Hamilton
their real names are Theresa, Jessica
and Joseph, and I'm old-fashioned
enough to wish their mamma would call
them by those names; but she doesn't,
and can't expect to manage everybody
If am "aunt" to the whole village.
To go back to my story l remember
the day Mr.. Hamilton brought Ticket
home. He was small Gordon setter
pup, and even then seemed very know
ing. 10 brought him over ''to see his
Aunt Deborah" as he said, that same
day. His dogship did not wish to go
anywhere, and set his feet-even sat
down-to show that he objected; but the
collar was stout and the chain strong, so
10 brought him i'll way that made the
poor dog look as if he was being choked
to death. Mr.. Hamilton named him
''Ticket" because he wanted him to
have name unlike other dogs; then he
told the children a ticket was useless if
it was punched" and so then Ticket
would be good for nothing if punched,
pounded or kicked. They must treat
him kindly always.
Well, they did treat him kindly; and
if were to write a book could scarcely
tell all the wonderful things Ticket
learned to do. He would go to the office
for the mail with his mail-basket, and
take letters to the Office in the same
way. Mrs. Hamilton would often send
him over with a note to me, tying it on
his collar, saying, Take it to Aunt De-
borah." He would then come over the
fences, if the gates were shut, to my sit
ting>room window, which opened ON the
veranda; and he was always glad to
wait for an answer" for he liked the
cakes that l kept on hand for him and
the children.
Jessie sent me a note one day by Tick
| ct, and this is what it said:
DEAR Ante KUN to With TikeT
an Me-
went to "te." Tessie had her little
table out under the tree; and she, Tick
| ct, the dolls, Jessie, 10 and had fine
time. Ticket sat in a chair with a bib
on, and was as well-behaved as the dolls,
which is saying good deal for live
dog. Tessie told me afterward she spent
the whole morning making up that in
yitation-"' Cause it's poetry, you
know!"
One morning, CHANGING down the road,
l saw an Irishman trudging toward the
! house with q bundle swung over his
shoulder. l smiled and turned toward
Tickets place on the porch to speak to
my faithful friend, but he wasn't there,
Just then | saw Tessie, Jessie and 10
rushing in the gate, hair flying and eyes
swollen red.
80 auntie!n they exclaimed in breath
Tickets gone!"
"Ticket's gone Where?"
| ooh! we don't know!" and the girls
cried, while 10 fairly howled, Papa says
| he's stoled.'
And SO it was Ticket had been stolen.
\ The whole village was excited over it.
Notices were posted up and rewards
offered, but no tidings were heard of our
lost friend. Mr.. Hamilton said, "It's no
use These professional dog thieves
| steal dog in one place and send it to
another part Of the country to be sold.
| We shall never see Ticket again.
| Days weeks lnonths, year;
and we who had hoped and believed he
would be found, were in dispair. would
be almost ashamed to tell how much 1
missed that dog; l, who used to say dogs
were such a nuisance!
Finally, two years after Ticket was
stolen and we had given up all hope of
ever seeing him again, Mr.. Hamilton
went on business to a neighboring city.
The evening he came home the children
came over fairly bristling with excite
ment, and said a friend of mine was at
! their house and wanted to see me. [
couldn't imagine who it could be, and
thought it some joke Of the children;
| but they dragged me over and pushed
me in the parlor, and there was Ticket!
He knew me, too, and such ia jolly time
as we had that evening; while Ticket,
because he couldn't laugh or talk, just
| rolled over and over and barked to show
how glad he was to be back.
| Mr.. Hamilton had found him going
along one of the streets of the city, and
had brought him home. But in few
days the man who had had the dog, IL
Mr.. Grom, found out where he was and
came to take him away. Then Mr. Ham
ilton had to go to law about it, and we
all went to court, testifying that this
dog belonged to Mr.. Hamilton; but Mr..
Grom brought the man of whom he
bought the dog, and he said, and
brought other witnesses to prove, that
he raised the dog from a puppy.
The judge and jury didn't know what
to think, and we could see that Mr.
Grom was about as likely to get Ticket
back as we were to keep him. Just then
Mr.. Hamilton asked if the dog might lie
allowed to testify. 1t isn't often that a
dog is put on the witness stand in court,
but nobody objected. So Mr.. Hamilton
said: Ticket, shut the door, Tick t
trotted to the door of the courtroom.
which was little ajar, pushed it sht..,
and came back to his master. W.tu
the command was given to sit, he ola
hat was put on his head, and Mr.
Hamilton said, How do you salute !.
gentleman" Ticket touched the hat
gently with his paw; but when asked
how to salute a lady, knocked it eff his
head.
All were satisfied then as to who real J,
owned the dog, and the jury soos.
brought in verdict for Mr.. Hamltoa
And 10 declared Ticket knew more thaa
anybody else in the courtroom, not .A-
cepting the judge'--Selected.