The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1896-09-25
A DOG NAMED DIMPLE

If ever there was a case in which the In
tentions of nature were quiteset at naught,
it was when my cousin Eugenia began to
bring herself up after her own pattern
without the slightest regard to the cutting
of the cloth Nature had meant her for a
kitten girl or a dove girl, anything that
was made up of curves and softness, while
she preferred to be composition of angles
Therefore, in place Of dancing, flirting
and enjoying life after the manner of
girl with big blue, coniding eyes, whose
limples and freckles seemed made for kiss
ing, she propped up book to read as she
swallowed her hasty meals, apart from the
family If possible, studied from morning
till night, frightened the men by her cru
dition, despised pets, played tennis simply
for exercise, rode bicycle SO as to get
quickly from one place to another and
made all girlkind feel themselves mere
puppets and dolls
But now had the mighty fallen. Eu-
genia had purchased dog and given 1t
the name of-Dimple. No wonder that,
not daring to jeer, we were silent.
However, when the dog arrived, we were
Obliged to admit that he justified his
name OF oil the dear, rolly poly little dog
babies that ever saw Dimple was the
most fascinating, and the very first wag OF
his tail excused Eugenia's backsliding
Not that she realized her lapse from the
intellectual. She held and petted and ca
ressed the small object as If 1t had been
her daily occupation ever since the day OF
her leaving school-that time at which
girls are apt to develop their Weaknesses
and was sublimely unconscious Of our
smiles and gibes. Eugenia, flushed and
intent, her pretty, yellow hair twisting it.
self into thousands of tiny rings her brows
knitted, one hand smoothing the fur of the
four footed baby, the other busily engaged
in writing out her paper on medieval po-
litical economy, was sight for the gods.
When Dimple grows up, aunty had
foolishly said one day, apropos OF nothing,
and Eugenia had turned upon her with
lofty scorn and informed her that the en-
gaging morsel, at that moment busy in
the demolition of one of my newest and
longest evening gloves, would never grow
any more" the man from whom she
bought him having assured her that he had
quite completed that part of his education.
Which doubling, we were nevertheless ST.
lent
Two or three days after this mistake Of
Gunty's, Dan came out to dinner and deep
ly annoyed Eugenia by picking up the soft
mass of fur by his neck and remarking:
"Whcn this fellow gets over being a
puppy, it'll be quite dog, Eugenia. "
HE is not "a puppy, Dan, he Is full
grown" our cousin responded Jelly, and
then added with some asperity, II have
no sort Of tolerance for puppies-of any
kind. "
My brother threw back his handsome
head nDl nuhed low bnt heartily
May L inquire the age of your full
grown dog, my cousinS"
He was six months old when 1 bought
him two months ago."
Eight months old! You dear little
goose, if he is one-half that l shall be as
tonished. He was probably just weaned
when you got him, and these mastiffs''-
He isn't mastiff.'
Indeed! And what is hes''
"a Sicilian poodle"
"O-o-hr'
Tho peal of laughter which greeted this
digniled response was quite too much for
Eugcnia She picked up her dog and de-
parted red with indignation, leaving Dan,
the only person in the world who ever
dared to tease her, to apologize to aunty,
be by her forgiven, and, 1 fear, encouraged
TO repeat his offense
rom that Time we nOUlCeQ EuR6Dl1
was more or less uneasy. Once 1 caught
her holding aunty's yard measure suspi
ciously near Dimple, but she dropped it at
once upon my approach. After a few
weeks there was no use Disgusting the
fact. That full grown dog was rapidly in
creaSing in siZe-indeed, he seemed to en-
large during his slumbers and wake up
full size bigger than when he went to
sleep.
1t began with his legs, which SO extend
cd themselves that, had you seen him in q
collection of freaks, you would have sus-
pected him of being on stills; then the lit
tie round body, so absurdly mounted ON its
thin supports, began to swell out.
Eugenia grew very grave. She would
sit for hours over her books, glancing fur
lively from time to time ut Dimple, DOING
by her side-for he had grown much too
large for her lap-as if they had never been
introduced One day she forgot to go to
her lecture at the proper hour so busy was
she trying to induce Dimple to crowd him
self into the sumptuous basket which had
been purchased for his babyhood. So care
worn did she become, indeed, that we new
or alluded to the dog S growth. He was fed
and how he did eat; he was watered to
the extent Of several gallons day; he was
housed at night, in kennel, alas! for he
scorned the larger basket that had been
quietly provided, but no one ever spoke of
his size
As the months rolled on the singular
happiness Of Dimple's name became posi-
lively embarrassing for though aunty and
l could have laughed over it and made 1t O
perfect godsend in the way of spur to
languishing conversation, Eugenia, feeling
that she had been duped, regarded 1t as 50
keen modification that we avoided the
subject with terror.
what has become of your pretty little
puppy, Miss Eugenia?" asked one unwary
swain, and, rs if in answer, the door was
pushed open and in stalked great, lean,
long legged, big bodied, solemn dog, wag-
ging his tail slowly. He walked up to
Eugenia, laid his head on her knee, then
turned and winked at the questioner Oh,
yes, he did; he winked deliberately, then
raised one huge paw and put 1t down on
Eugenia' s shoulder with an air of patron
tzing proprietorship that was positively
maddening. 1t was too much for my oous-
in. She fed precipitately. but not in time
to avoid the astonished exclamation:
You don't mean to say that-monster
lis Dimple?'
That moment settled Eugenia's fate.
1u6 naUure ndu asserted 1GSe1,
and Dimple-that absurd name-had prac-
tically said mildly, but firmly: "Come,
Eugenia, l have had enough Of this nom
sense. You bought me, you took me for |
better, for worse If you meant to have q |
plaything and have found master, SO |
much the better-or-worse-for you. One |
thing you may underestimate do not mean |
to be ignored any longer" And he wasn't.
From that public claiming of her inten-
ton dated her subjugation.
Eugenia would shut herself up in her
room to study. Dimple would come to
her door and knock with his tail. Eugenia
would take no notice of him. Then Dim
pie would scratch, not q gentle, pleading
little scratch, but deep, determined goug-
ing of aunty's pretty woodwork. Then
:, Dimple would howl, such howl-long
and loud and oft repeated, and Eugenia
would fly to let him in, u tragic expression
in her pretty, despairing face.
After a week of these proceedings, on
one of the daily walks on which her keeper
conducted her, she bought n whip, which
she Struggled home, hid among her laces
and produced next morning when her door
was being torn to pieces. From my room
saw her plunge desperately out, seize the
dogs collar and lift the whip, but it never
descended. Dimple lifted his head, caught
The weapon in his powerful jaws, closed
them upon it, dropped the pieces on the
ground, smiled indulgently up into Eu-
Eenia's face, took her dress in his teeth
and led hpr down stairS to mn 10 raod1y for