Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1894-10-11

ptiei W nave tIllS llttlc bctSt. Wucii i
spoke kindly to him, stand up, brace
his front legs, jingle his gold bells and
show his front teeth at me. | trust
about Ferdinand, .but he was one of the
most prominent of our boarders, and
he helped to increase the fund for ouI
L.. Still, though lover of dogs, | was
not pleased when, on the third morning
after her arrival, Miss Billings entered
the kitchen, where my sister was beat
ing eggs and | was rolling out the pie
crust. She had on an almost divine
tea gown her hair was tluffed down
to her eyebrows, and | was more UNI
certain than ever about her age. She
held pen in one hand, as if she had
been what we call composing" She
had let drop the fact at her first break
fast with us, that she sometimes did
compose verses. She said they relieved
the pent-up volcano within her. She
did not look in the least as if she were
carrying about a pent-up volcano. But
one can never tell about those things.
She said she thought she would men
ton that it was the morning for Ferdi-
nand's bath. Catharine had stopped
beating eggs to hear what our boardeI
had to say. She now replied that Miss
Billings might have foot-bath tub fol
Ferdinand's use, if she wished.
Miss Billings looked at her in cool
surprise, as she heard this response
She did not speak for several moments,
and my sister resumed her work. The
lady put the glittering end of her pen
holder to her lips, and appeared to be
shocked AT last she said that she
never washed Ferdinand herself.
n II. 4 L
rolled out pie-crust.
"Where | boarded last year and the
year before,n went on Miss Billings
''the washing of Ferdinand was thrown
in"
Catharine again said, "Indeed ~ and
| nipped an edge to my crust. | men,
tally decided to let Catharine deal with
this person.
ut is his day for a BATH" repeated
Miss Billings. 81 don't know what
would happen if he should miss his
bath on the proper day."
"Perhaps he would have more fieas, )
suggested Catharine, with great suavity
The face of the mistress of Ferdi
nand flushed deeply as she heard these
words. She announced with asperity
that dearest Ferdy never had had fles
in his life.
"I'm sure I congratulate him." re
piled my sister.
Miss Billings was again silent. If {
woman so stylish and SO sensitive-sht
said she was full of sensibility-coulC
be said to chang round,' that is wha
she did in our kitchen for the mex
quarter of an hour, and it was very no
in that kitchen.
"Do you feel disposed to throw il
Ferdy's bath ?" she asked finally.
When she found out that she did no
feel so disposed she burst into tears, anC
/ felt like hard-hearted wretch. If tn,
pug had not had such a way of snap
ping | think | should have said the1
and there that | would be his maid
But my sister was firm. She said, will
decision, that if Ferdinand were washed
while in that house, the washing would
probably be done by Ferdinand's mis-
tress.
, When Catharine had made this state
ment Miss Billings dried her eyes an(
left the room, taking the pug in he
! arms, after she had put her pen behint
her ear. The dog looked over he
shoulder at us, and his eyes were very
watery, as if with grief.
~ suppose we shall lose that board
en-" said | despondently. "Catharine
couldn't you have made up your mine
to wash Ferdy?''
"Couldn't you ?' she asked.
But l did not reply. | was absorbed
in pie-crust..
"I'm afraid we shan't have the L,
remarked my sister after while. Sh
, added emphatically that she did no
believe that anybody ever threw in tn
pug's bath.
| The rest of the day passed calmly
| front door and snapped at flies and a
| passing ankles. If you have neve
been obliged to go frequently very nea
dog that snaps at your ankles, yo
. can have no idea into what nervou
state you will fall.
) My duties called me often into tina
| hall and near the door-in fact, the hal
was SO small that you could not go int
} it at all without going near the amiabl
brute who was stationed there. | use
/ to wait in the kitchen or upstairs, eacl
, time until | had screwed up my coul
: age and then | would make a dasl
; through the place but [ always hear
/ the teeth snap together as l brushe
: by. At last / would almost cry whe
/ found that l must 60 there; it SCENE
f mean to ask Catharine to take m
place.
Nothing but the thought of the
t sustained me during those days. |
), was not soothing, either, to see tn
edge of Miss Billings's frizzes outside
!, and to know that she was sitting ther
: and enjoying herself, while l was S
) unhappy.
4 Mr.. Heaton had seen me on thes
/ skirmishes many times. He was
middle-aged man, who was quite stou
), He had a large face adorned by a sma
) grizzled mustache. He had answere
a our advertisement because he wanted
: great deal of fresh milk. He dram
| two or three quarts daily, and said g
s breakfast each morning that the mil
$ did him vast amount of good, but q
e that confounded pug boarded in tn
: same house with him that fact neutra
Y lied all the benefit, SO he really was nc
4 any better off than when he left tn
e city.
o When he would say this Miss Bill
0 ings would remark that dearest Ferd
S was her one comfort in this world, an
she could not see why people were nc
e willing he should live. Mr.. HeatO