The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1893-06-30

the little woman in a transport OF joy
She did not stoop to meet those Gag,
er caresses those sharp little canine
cries Of delighted recognition had no
response. Only as we came in she
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 it to ourselves" he said,
Ito make some explanation. Ofcourse
the dog is YOURS"
She made hasty motion of dis
claimer, 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 bit
ter weather. But we have no idea of
keeping the little fellow from you
unless, indeed, you would care to part
/ with himn-
This last tentatively, for it had not
| escaped 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
filled up the tiny entry. The dog did
not feel himself repulsed as we did,
but fell, dog fashion, to kissing the
worn hands with which she covered
| her face. 1t was in that same instant
that we heard child's cry She let
| her hands fall together, the wedding
| 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
cradle. She turned her white face
| dropped down on her knees beside
him. The dog went smiling about the
| cradle, round and round, as if he
could not understand, then stood ire
solute, his brown ewes flashing inquiry
from the woman to me.
For the child's sake" she said.
For the child's sake'-
She caught her breath in fright
ened, 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
Dodger - l whispered, STOPPING to
pat him. But Hugh was looking at
the woman attentively. 81 beg your
pardon. but think l have seen you
before he said.
She threw up her hands with a
sharp cry: 81 knew it ! knew that
dog would ruin mer'
"Then you tried to lose him-to get
rid of him %
She made Hugh no answer, only
looked at him half fearfully, half de-
family.
"Come Kittie," he said to me, ''since
the dogs owner is willing to part with
him we will take him home with u.s."
He laid a couple of bills on the sewing
| machine as he spoke, disregarding her
gesture of refusal. Otherwise we
shall not feel that we have right to
keep him he shall never annoy you
again, believe me-" He bowed to her
respectfully as we three went out,
/ ClOSlIlR Iu6 uOOT IOT SIG
never moved from her knees beside
| the cradle.
OF course l asked Hugh what it all
meant the moment we were out of ear
shot, and / am afraid l was not in a
very amiable mood during the walk
home, because he would not answer
| The next day, however, he told me,
for the next day he went back to the
| flower pot of a house and found the
little dress maker had lost herself to
Dash again.
"And l had been hoping you would
be here making your gowns, Kitty"
he said ruefully. THAT was the rea-
son l thought had better not tell you
her story until you had got interested
in the poor, young thing. But she
had vanished without clew, and
Do you remember Cousin Katharine's
writing to me here to look out for her
house last summer, while you were all
| out of town ~
Il remember mammals being wor-
ried at hearing of so many burglaries
in town of empty houses"
Precisely. There was gang, it
| was believed. At any rate one of the
burglars was traced to his home by
means of his dog. He was not taken
without obstinate resistance. He had
got bad wound, and was called in
as the nearest doctor to stop the flow
of blood before he could be removed.
He had pretty little house /; a pretty
little wife of his own, who, with her
baby of few weeks in her arms.
shrank stricken with shame and hor-
ror in the farthest corner of the room.
1T seems she had never so much as
Il ran,naI IF har br1chan1,S shucinocS :
! which took him SO often away from
her at night. She appeared to shrink
away from him as If he were an abso-
lutte stranger to her, as if he could not
be the man she had known. What she
might have done further don t know,
| for the fellow died of the wound. He
| tore the bandage off on the first oppor-
| tunity and just bled his life away.
| People were interested in the poor
| young woman, and she would not have
lacked kindness, but then, as now,
| she disappeared.
| "There was rumor that she was a
| shoplifter, so many incongruous things
! were found stored away in the little
house. But believe myself the Art
full Dodger was responsible. He must
have been trained unbeknown to her
by that Fagin of n husband of hers.
Now what are we to do about your
| kleptomaniac, Kitty ?"
l put my hand under the Artful
| Dodgers chin and turned up his face.
with its brown, innocent eyes.
"'Love me, love my dog" / said
again.
This time / had the right to say it,
The right had been mine since yester-
day.
/
THEY DID NOT GO TO SLEEP
1.-THE itinerary of a Methodist min-