The Globe-republican., 1895-06-14
BILL HENDERSON.
KeeEe Center.
AdirOndackS.

lamp and, ascending. were lOSt IN the
shadows.
The puppy, left alone on the porch,
heard the laughter and the voices OF
the men inside, and began to whine.
When realizing that this only added to
his loneliness, he cooked his head and
looked up at the stars and the great
range sleeping clear out against them.
He could hear the roar of the river as
it swung through the valley, and far
down the road the baying of the hound.
Then came the sound of a wagon clat-
tering along and the next instant Bill
Henderson refined in his team and called
out:
DOG here for aour folks?"
The door was opened by the post
master.
Some of my womern's relatives
daown in Fort IT." Henderson con-
tinued, writ that they had one of
them St. Demands and wanted we
should take it. told my wife, seq I,
we got enough haounds to feed with
out goin' into no fancy breeds"
Ten minutes later the puppy was
lifted out of the crate and tumbled into
the wagon, and Henderson drove off.
As they ratified down the road the cool
air seemed to revive the puppy. It felt
good to get out of the close crate, and
though at first he covered against the
dashboard he began gradually to feel
more like himself. Now and then he
would put up his foolish shaggy head
and try to make friends with Hender-
son. But Henderson was surly. He
regarded the puppy as more of an en-.
cumbrance than anything else. Such
friendly beginnings on the part of the
puppy were greeted with kick that
sent him shivering under the seat
again. Henderson hadn't much heart
even toward his neighbors, and when
it came to animals he had less
When Henderson reached his cabin
Mandy, his ''wOmern," came out with
a candle to see the new dog, and the
puppy was brought into the kitchen,
where.he walked a bout awkwardly and
was mauled by the children After a
scanty supper he was turned out among
the hounds in the wood-shed. where he
lay shivering with cold and fear until
eldest boy came for him in
the morning and hitched him to a cart.
If he was not harnessed to the cart
by the eldest boy and dashed up and
down the road in the broiling sun, he
was dragged into the cabin on wet
days and lnauled by the rest of the
children. One morning he growled.
''womern" said ':she
knowed that the dog was ugly soon as
she sot her two eyes on him, and that
1T was nothin' short of Providence he
hadn't bit some of the young uns."
Henderson said he'd take him where
he wouldn't get back in a hurry, and
the next day the puppy was hitched
under peddler's wagon and departed
amid the gibes of the Henderson chill
dren and the snarling of the Hender-
son hounds. The peddler drove along
In the binding heat and dust, and be-
lore he had gone two miles the puppy
had hard work to keep his chain slack,
his feet began to bleed and he whined
piteously
We
'ix miles distant, and stopped in front
IT the post Office, the puppy lay un-
against the hind wheel, his
yes were closed and blood oozed from
his nostrils. Some one unhitched the
;hain and dragged him few feet away
IN the grass under tree.
Two men passing stopped.
ssCSnosS hos IoaI ,. ,o;I 900 s.v-
ike he'd been ugly. anyhow" said the
'ther. and they passed on.
The shadows heightened until only
he great slides far up on Great
were high enough to catch |
he rays Of the red sun. A few lamps
'eamed at the windows down the single |
treet, and a gentle breeze rustled the
caves overhead
When the dew fell the puppy opened,
lis eyes.
1t seemed to him that he was back
nee more in the crate at the store. He |
ould see the stars glitter and hear the
oar of the river.
As the wind freshened and blew |
own the valley he staggered on his
eet and tOttered up the road, whin-
ng. For a moment he stopped in
rOnt of the store and stood in the
lare of the lamps. Some village ours
narled at him. Limping mp the wooden
teps, he waited until a man opened
be store door. then he skunk in. bObbed
is head and wagged his bedraggled
sil.
''I'll bet ye the cigars that dogs
,ad," said rough lumberman in .
louch hat.
II COLL. Bill. you're right" replied
is partner, nodding approvingly.
This dog your'n, Edo" he shouted,
axoaRfico sfv IN a hiD folyc,., - q l,lv,> |