Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-04-02
g MIJI-BR-R-R-ICK.'

Miji-br-r-r-ick! Miji-br-r-r-ick! You fat
rascal! What right have you to lay be-
fore the fire on that Persian rug, doing
and purring as happy and cosy as cat
can be, while your master is out in the
storm? oh, you needn't come rubbing
against my leg and singing any songs
of peace to me! I'm tired Of such laZi-
ness and contentment. There you are,
sleek, dignified, fat and lazy, while I'm
almost the exact opposite. Burr-r-rr,
what cold night it is. There, now,
wait until take off my coat and shake
the snow off it. Then 1 will hang it up
so, take off my shoes-put on my
slippers and jacket-draw my chair up
to the fire, and light my pipe. Now,
now, didn't say anything about pet
ting you, did 1? Well, il you must be
petted, suppose 1 will have to do IT..
There is no one else, Is there? Mill
br-r-r-ick-old fellow-I am as happy
as lord tonight don't know just ex-
actly how happy lord can be, If he
tries, but he couldn't be any happier
than 1 am. You ought to have seen
her tonight. But you don't know her,
do you, old fellow? Never mind, you
shall know her, for she is coming to-
morrow to sit for me, and / shall paint
such a picture 1t will surely make my
fortune, My fortune? Nay, our for
tune-hers, yours and mine.
"Mmmmmmm, mmmm, mmm."
Now, what are you saying? How did
meet her? Well, you see poor artist
like me doesn't often have such rare
fortune, but it seemed as though an an
gel dropped from heaven a moment to
pluck from danger wee doggie. There!
there! don't arch your back merely be-
cause l mentioned your bitterest foe.
1t was n wee doggie and you abused it.
Oh! Oh! You villain! You recognize me
now, do you? You haven't forgotten
the other day when let you out in the
hall for run about, hoping you might
catch a fat mouse and save me the
price of steak for you, and how you
had fight with n mite of terrier one
third your size? I'm, hum. I see you
remember it very well. Where are you
going? Don't run away from me as if
1 were Gliding you. / am not, though
you richly deserve it, For it was
through your fight with the little pup
that made an acquaintance with her
Who is she? Now you won't know I'M
til she comes here to live.
You remember, Miji-br-r-r-ick, how
you proudly walked through the hall
like Gagged tiger that day; how you
H..
.yaded by the tiniest dog you ever saw.
1t was then that your sleek fur stood on
end; that your gentle eyes shone fire,
and you spit as though you were trying
to get the taste of bad word out of
your mouth. But the little rascal was
not afraid of you. He came bravely to
the attack and you had to fight, and
fight hard, at that. Mrmrmrm. You
came off victor. Why, Of course you did.
You great, big bully. He wasn't half
your size. You made him run? Yes,
and he ran right under the skirts Of the
prettiest lady you ever saw, just as she
was coming by the door. / heard the
racket, the whole house did, for that
matter, and looked to see what 1t was,
when in you bounded. The little dog
gle, seeing your flight, took up the pur-
suit and darted between my legs. In an
instant saw that you had been in the
wrong and took off my cap to apologize
for you. What did this vision say, but
that 1t was all the fault Of Gyp. Gyp
indeed AS If I didn't know better.
How could anything belonging to her,
living about her, do anything wrong?
But any way, we made an acquain-
lance with each other, she with Gyp in
her arms, and with you safe behind
me. / learned that she sometimes
came here to give music lessons to a
friend Of hers. an artist on the floor
above. / didn't know until then that
there were any floors above. !
thought when came up this far that
I was surely directly beneath the
vault Of heaven, and when the por.
tress asked me, "Did wish to look
furtherT' / gasped out, "No, indeed
My clothes are not fitr' for / thought
she wanted to introduce me to st. Pc
ter.
You don't know II, for have kept II
hidden from you, but have been see
Ing her every day since. j suppose her
friend must be making great progress
In music, for she gets lesson every
day. And have seen her every day
For just as she would be coming in
would be going out, and 1 would meet
her on the way to the ground. Or she
would have finished her lesson and be
starting home when 1 would be jusi
coming up the stairs. How did / know
the time so exactly when to be there
In the morning look out the window
and you will see the corner Of the
street. Well, she passes that corner
every day she comes. Npwb do you sex
why / moved my easel, even though
the light IL not so good where 1t 10? And
some days would walk a few blocks
with her. Her father didn't like thu