The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1894-08-10

bare, red arms dripping with soal
suds, her frowsy hair flying in thu
wind, Betsy O'Eiley rushed from hel
washtub
| "The babby! The darlint! tt
drowndid he is intoirely Howll
Mary! Run, We murtherin' divils
Save i'm! Hilp!"
It would not have created much o.
sensation in Rat Row society if (
half dozen little Gratis" had beer
swept away altogether by the river. A
few draggled women lounged to doors
or windows, two or three blear-eyec
men, among whom was Blinks, lurcheo
lazily toward the place where the
small, dirty figure had gone "nder the
muddy water, giving it plenty OF time
to drown in the most leisurely way
before their arrival. Only the screech-
ing mother and the dog were really
alive to the situation.
Jags was weak from long fasting,
but the instinct inherited from long
line of noble ancestors nerved him.
In flash, it seemed, his gaunt body
was in the water and out, and Betsy
had snatched her soaked skid, y
drained the water out of him and adj
ministered ringing slap.
''Ye spalpane? Will yez be kapin'
away from the wather-will yez?"
The child replied with vicious
squirm and an unchildlike curse.
Betsy went back to her washtub, while
Jags crept patiently to the side of his
master who, with another, had dropped
from sheer exhaustion on the yellow
earth. No one thought Of praising or
thanking Jags. Such small, sweet
courtesies were not customary in Rat
Row. Only Blinks's companion, who
seemed more alive than his surround
ings, looked approvingly at the dog.
"Fetch n carry?" he said laconi-
cally, nodding in Jags's direction.
'.Like ~" drawled his master,
with laziness strangely at variance
with the lurid comparison. "Hyar,
dawg! Git itr'
Jags looked up imploringly as a
stick flew far into the water. He was
willing enough, heaven knows! But
when one has had only one fly to eat
for twenty-four hours, and had just
dragged heavy spun ming body from
the water, he may be pardoned for
feeling trembiy and averse to unneces-
sary exertion.
"Git i'll" snarled his master. There
was kick IN the eye, Jags went
meekly out into the turbid water and
came trembling all over to lay the
stick beside the tyrant. Again it few
out, farther than before. This time
Jags was almost swept down the river.
''Let up!" said Blinks's companion;
"the dawg's nigh croaked."
''Lazy, cuss im!" drawled Jags's
energetic owner. Jags gave whine
of almost human entreaty when the
stick was thrown again, but tottered
away to almost certain death.
Amicable relations are easily dis
turbed in Rat Row. Big Andy caught |
Blinks by that part of his garment
where the collar should have been and
shook him into a stupid protest.
"Blame yer mizzable hide!" he
shouted furiously. "Call i'm back or
I'll fling ye in arter imp
Blinks fell Imply to the ground and
obeyed. But Jags had already turned
10 defend his master aud bounded
back with growl at his assailant.
"Cussed if the dawg wouldn't fight
'er we now, We sneakin' houndl" NUT
ered Big Andy with an admiring grin
It Jags. He went into his own nest in
he tenement house and flung Jags a
zone. "Hyar, dawgl Put that down
our neck!"
Jags snatched it with the fervor of
but his master was filed
With sullen spite against the inno-
ent cause of his shaking, and, look
ng to see that Big Andy was at safe
distance, he called:
''Hyar, ye imp"
The dog came, clinging desperately
o the precious food.
"Drop it !"
The poor animal obeyed, cycling it
Ilstfuily the while.
"Now, come git it !"
Jags bounded ioyfully forward to
meet kick that made him howl. Re-
eating this amusing performance I'M
il he was weary, the human brute
nally threw the bone into the river.
ags started weakly after it, but
beyed with something like tears in
is one pathetic eye when commanded
D lie down.
Well, he had been hungry before,
nd if his master willed this, he must [
now best. [
1t has been seen, long before this,
nat Jags was an ideal Christian.
Hours after this even Rat Row was
Il Il. l. 4 L 4