The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-01-17
THAT DOG OF exRY,s.
Though He Was Disturbing Element, He
Was Cared For.

Though He Was Disturbing Element, He
Was Cared For.
Speaking of dogs said the man with
a glass eye, reminds me of an experience
had once with friend of mine named
Bixby-Samuel J. Bixby.''
''That's reflection on Mr.. Bixby,'' re-
marked a listener.
I'm telling this story" replied the
man. GAS / was going to say, Bixby was
a friend of mine that 1 would have done
anything in the world for. I think if Blk
by had asked me to steal horse would
have done it with pleasure. Well, Bixby
had dog he laid great store by because
it belonged to his wife, and when he took
a notion to go to California and travel for
big San Francisco grocery house he ask
ed me to take care of the dog for him, be-
cause it wasn't possible for him to take it
along with him. tell you Bixby thought
a lot of that dog, and when he told me
about how he hated to leave it the tears
actually came to his eyes, and 1 kind Of
shifted little myself The dog was at a
dog fancier's in an adjoining town, and
l was to send for it as soon as l cOnVen-
iently could do SO. 1t was a mastiff-at
least L thought he said so-about years
old, and Bixby said it would be mighty
useful about the place as a watchdog. I
needed a watchdog, but that wasn't what
please to Bixby. Well, he got away at last,
and as the train pulled out for the west he
waved his hand to me and called back not
to nelect the dog. And l didn't. The
very next day / sent one of my stable
boys over after it, and = he brought it
back in good shape. And what a dog it
Wasl AS big as Il calf and would eat four
times as much. And what savage brutei
We had to tie him up in the back yard
ia Tlio nd off I1at wal rpr1fb
in the stable mostly, for the hired girl was
scared TO death of him, and the boys used
to put his meals down in front of him and
run as if they had set fire to fuse of a
dynamite bomb
cat the end of the first week that dog
owned the place, and had to pay the boys
extra to look after him. AS for myself,
even my devotion to Bixby was not enough
to get me within a dozen rods of it. just
the same, though, I had promised Bixby
not to neglect the dog, and I kept that
promise faithfully. And not for a week or
a month or year, but for four long years
Think of that, will you'll And the man
heaved great sigh, partly of relief of a
duty done and partly of admiration for
himself. And in that time, gentlemen, -
he continued, 4 lost half my friends, my
wife threatened to move out of the house,
the neighbors shook us, servants refused
to live with me, 1 fought the police to
keep them off of him, the back yard and
the stable became a wilderness and scene
of desOlatiOn, and l was on the verge of
lunacy. Yet, through it all, 1 was loyal
10 Bixby and the dog.
well, the end of all things must come,
and the end of this trying occasion came
at last with Bixby He had returned with
money, and the first thing he wanted to
know about was the dog. l had never
failed to report to him at least once
month on the general health and happi-
ness of the dog, and he knew pretty well
how he was doing, though he never knew
what l suffered, for l loved Bixby too
much to worry him with my trials. He
had enough of his own, going into a new
country among strange people. When l
got home with Bixby, my wife refused to
see him, but l didn't tell him of that Ell
Their, and before there was any reason for
my lying about it Bixby was on his way
to see the beloved dog, after all of these
weary years of separation and waiting. l
cautioned him to be a little careful, for
the dog hadn't seen him for SO long that
he mightn't remember him. But Bixby
wouldn't hear to anything like that and
sailed right into the stable, l remaining
outside so as not to intrude upon the af
fecting scene of their meeting. In about
two minutes there was a ruction and
rumpus in that stable that was simply
terrorizing, and in about two minutes
more BiXby, or what was left of him,
came out of the door, with the dog hang
ing to him. How he ever got loose I
don t know, but he did, and the next thing
1 remember we were sitting on, the top of
the fence looking at each other. 1t took
Bixby about seven minutes to get his
breath so he could say anything, and L
hadn't anything to say. Then what he
did say gave me such a shock that 1 fell
off the fence into the alley
= Good Lord, old man., he groaned,
that ism t my dog and never was. Mine
was bull pup
And to think" concluded the friend
of Mr.. Bixby, signing profoundly, what
I suffered from the wrong dogH'-Detroit
Free Press.
No Toneer fraid