The Van Buren press., 1896-03-14
LOVE MY DOG.
BY ewENDoLEs ovERToS.

n
Duffy was the property Of Caldwell.
| - the Tenth. and was looked upon In
.he light of an inheritance, having come
ioWn to him from ifentwortif-of the
4ame-when the latter had been ordered
tWay.
| Caldwell went into WentwoTth's quar-
| .ers at once, and found Duffy rubbing
up q pair Of his ex-master's discarded
| lygots, with a view to using them him
seIf. He liked the mans looks and he
liked the condition Of the vacated quar-
fers. with their slategray painted
woodwork, SO he took the quarters and
agreed to take Duffy at strikers usual
rate of remuneration.
Duffy entered promptly upon his
1nties, and was entirely satisfactory.
| He had no membranes in the way OF
| family or sweethearts, and he was faith
| full to a degree that was occasionally ex-
4sperating. For six months he served
| Caldwell in singleness of purpose, haY-
| ing in that time been incapaeiated only
| for six days: that is. for IS hours after
zach of the paymaster's visits; ana
| Caldwell, knowing he ways of strikers,
made no objection. Duffy slept uproar-
| iousIy in his room, and Caldwell made
ais own fires, and brushed his own
clothes, and went with unblacked boots.
| In the interim, no hour was too early
| for rising, none too late to sit up and
keep logs on the andirons that the
rooms might be warm and cheerful for
the "leftinant," no duty imposed too
arduous, provided it served CaldwelIs
ends.
Blackstone, seeing the excellence of
Duffy, departed from the strict code OF
honesty in the matter of servants which
governs the army, and made oyertures
TO the model striker. Blackstone had
no business to do it. and Duffy knew 1t,
and a fine and inscrutable grin came
upon his Hibernian mouth.
Blackstone had said, with an assump-
ton of off-handedness: duffy, what
DO you get?s
| Having due regard for his employers
credit in the world, he answered, calm
ly: ''Twinty dollars, sor."
"Get out" said Blackstone.
"Yes, sor," replied Duffy.
II want to know the truth, not lies
like that"
"Ye'd best ask the leftinant, sor. /
lisremember."
"He works YOU deuced hard"
"Does he, then?"
my man is no good. Suppose you
| come to me. You won't have TO sit up
to all hours for me-
Duffy only smiled, but the smile was
not pleasing.
"What do you think of 1t, Dutfy?"
81 niver think sor. The leftinant
says I'm TO do as I'm told and not
think"
Upon this Blackstone went away, and
Duffy saluted him respectfully. In
Justice to the officers common sense,
it must be said that it was only partial
mtoxication which could have led him
to place himself in such a position to-
yard soldier.
Duffy did not repeat the conversation
to Caldwell, because he knew ii would
make trouble between the two men, and
Caldwell-whose disposition was not OF
the mildest-had several quarrels On
his hands as it was.
The lieutenant fell into the habit of
keeping the striker up very late, night
after night. so Duffy inspected his poek-
IT'S several times in succession while
Caldwell was sleeping as soundly as ii
Justice had been the soporifc, and not,
as was the case, suffers whisky; and
he judged, from the fact that sometimes
tRere was much loose change and again
almost nothing, that his master was
playing too much at cards. There was
nothing to be done. Duffy did not con-
slider his duties as striker included the
moral guidance of his superior He re.
Hected that it would be a good thing
# Caldwell should get married; only
then he, Duffy, would very likely lose
his place. So he sat up night after
night, and 1t grew monotonous.
just at this period there came into
Duity's life a yellow and white dog
Exactly why it should have wandered
to the door upon one wet and freezing
night when Duffy was in particularly
weary frame of mind, and where il
came from, he never knew. 1t was well
after midnight, and Duffy was sprawled
IN leather chair of the troop saddler's
manufacture, doing with both eors
oPeh' when there came scratching
at the door. Duffy thought it was tbe
lieutenant trying to find the knob If
had never been so bad as that vet
nevertheless the striker went aud
opened the door, to be rewarded hv +b.
slght OF an extremely small and miser-
aoie dog, with piteous eyes.
NOW Duffy was only soldier and
soldier loves nothing on earth or IN
heaven as he does a cur: so Duffy cslIo1
'he uog IN, and warmed il and f.d 4,
ana watched II with satisfaction b.o,,,
ing all over his face. II was sno,...,t
ana dirty and wounded and woefpily
thlh' out Duffy took it TO his beari
he spent three nights before ,b,. a..
no longer lonely, contentedlv tryino, 80
lihu name for that dog Al ls.t he
determined to call it BESSIE aftsr
the much admired daughter of the com.
sialioing lig officer and with a complet.
nisregnrd for the entire inappronria ~.
ness Of the name.
After he had settled this IN b;....t
Lac'lon, he tried to discover accomplish.
ments in the creature ..I...- =, i'ii''i-