, 1896-03-13

' i-'H tN' ~ '- fHAfN
us your paw? Well, then. lie down.
Charge, charge, charge. Down, lie
down, down. Can't you charge? Won,
then, speak, speak, Bessie, speak,
speak now Wow! Speak" But Bessie
could only follow him with his bright,
curious eyes and come when called. SO
the solace Of many moro hours Of pa
tient waiting lay i'll teaching Bessie
these and many other tricks until he
was the most accomplished dog i'll all
the garrison and greatly beloved at the
barracks. Duffy was IA little annoyed
about the comment the inappropriate
name called forth, hut he insisted that
it was as good as another, aud the III
congruity WIS soOn lost i'll Bessio's pop
ularity.
Caldwell saw the dog only on rare &C.
and slept on his bed and waxed fat i'll
retirement. He had spoken to it several
times, nut otherwise took no notice of
its existence, which secretly riled Duffy.
Bat Caldwell was preoccupicd and not
quite himself. He came home Il good
deal the worse for wine one night, and
Bessie, being in his way, got a kick that
sent him cruuChing to his masters side.
Caldwell might far better have kicked
Duffy. However, the striker understood
and ~sympathized with the l~ieutenant's
condition. He himself could never have
kicked IL dog, even after pay day, but
all men are not alike. so Duffy pettcd
Bessie and shut him up i'll his own room
and returned to look after the bodily
comfort of his master.
This, considering the wine, was par
donable, but the next Offense could not
be cOndoned. 1t occurred i'll broad day
light, and Caldwell was sober. He had
been having an explanation with the
commanding officer, and that gentleman
had made reflection upon some of the
~lieutenant's fast growing habits that had
eXasperated the already overwurried
Junior almost beyond endurance. He
strobe into his quarters and found Duffy,
who was not expecting him, dividing
his attention between Bessie's charms
and the buckle of his masters belt. Now
Bessie's disposition inclined him to for
give. He ran to Caldwell, looked up to
his face with soft, affectionate eyes and
put his little paws, Il yellow and Il
white, upon his knee. Caldwell did not
dare to kick the communicate, but he
kicked Bessio-and broke the yoll1w
paw. 1t was the one always held out to
Duffy to greet him.
Duffy bandaged the paw, and i'll time
it grew we'll. But Duffy hated Caldwell
with the most dangerous Of hatreds-a
silent and a waiting one.
Caldwell's habits did not improve.
His fondness for whisky, whether good
or bad, continued. He had good whisky
in his room, and Duffy knew it, for he
belonged to the old school of strikers,
who do not look upon cigars or liquor as
private property.
One day, after Bessie's foot was well,
Duffy Went to get Il drink, because his
spirits were low. There was very little
whisky in the docanter, barely half IL
glassful. and an idea suddenly flashed
into the strikers mind. Caldwell was
officer of the day. He never started to
make the rounds without taking enough
liquor TO keep him warm, and Duffy
hnt" II IN saw lis ich'iSc lait bilt.
The striker took Bessie for Il walk
over to the hospital to show the steward
the meEded paw.
Say said Duffy, "I'vo got the
%toothache. I didn't sleep none last
night. Hev you got some-what's that
you give me once: Laudanum, was it?
Kin you let me hev Il bit:'
"Why. yes. l guess So the steward
answered and went into tho dispensary
to get it.
"Shall l take all that?" inquired the
striker, with sweet simplicity.
Lord! No, man. Put some on cot
ton and stick it i'll the tooth
"Oh, and what vud it do to me if l
wuz to swallow it? Wud it kill me?"
"No, there amt enough for that. 1t
would put you pretty fast asleep,
though"
"Oh!" said Duffy again.
Then Bessie went through his tricks
for the steward and trotted back home
at his masters heels
That night Caldwell finished the
whisky in the decanter and grumbled
that the sutler vas selling him vile
tasting stuff, then started off Il little
while atterward to make his rounds.
The next day he was under arrestvfor
drunkenness on duty.
And Duffy. who had, with well
played reluctance, given some of the
most damaging testimony i'll regard to
Caldwuil's. habits at the court martial,
which dismissed the latter, said goodby
to the disgraccd man with a sparkle
which was not OF tears-in his eyes, and
he told Bessie TO give the "leftinant the
right paw which was the yellow one.
-Gwendoien Overton in San Francisco