Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1897-07-22
UNTO DEATH.
by MARIE LOUISE 0


A rough, brown dog sat at the very
Noe of the tumble-down breakwater.
Ee was looking steadily seward. He
WAS evidently old, and he was SCARED
~ many fights; but his sunken mouth,
from which be had lost many teeth,
showed that he would not fight again
ictoriously.
He was gaunt from a lifetime OF in
sufficient food, but yet he had the air
ola dog who is loved.
Sometimes he turned from his gaze
Il the sea and glanced behind him at
ne child who was sitting in a wheel
barrow a few feet away. Every time he
danced thus he slightly wagged his
tump of a tail, and the child smiled or
Ge said in a soft voice;
Good Boss!"
And then Boss wagged harder; but
h could not give much attention to his
wmpanion, for his whole heart was
with that bent old woman who was up
10 her waist in the water by the outer
most ledge. 1t was there that the Irish
moss grew, and at low tide the woman
could gather it. She thrust her arm
down to the shoulder each time for her
handful Of moss. She was wet, sodden
vt save for a small place across her
hA.
She had a mans straw hat fastened
htsmall rope tightly under her chin.
Er hce looked a hundred years old, II
w8in truth 7O-old, scanned, and leath-
e7 and it was a face you loved to look
at
Every few moments she raised her
had and put her dripping hand up over
kreyes as she turned toward the land;
che was at first dazzled by the glare OF
he water. When she looked up thus
The little girl in the w~heelbarrow al
vays waved her hat; then a dim, beau
ttul smile would come in the faded eyes
ITS Jest a doin' of her lots of good
she would say aloud. I'm awful glad
| wheeled her down. 1 wish now I'd
brought her down oftener this sum-
ner."
Twice as she looked shoreward she
called out shrilly:
Boss, you take care OF her; wont
you, Boss?"
Then Boss pricked up his ears and
shook his tail, and the girl laughed n
aid she guessed she'n' Boss could glt
dong irst-rate.
We're use't to it; amt we, Boss"
When she said this the dog got up
ame to her side, gave her a swirl mex
bcoss the face, then hurried back and
sat down on the edge of the planks
gain.
Once the woman out in the water
) clipped and fell ~splashing, and BOSS
Jumped up, whining in a piteous qulver'
I'D would not be comforted even wheh
ts child said, soothingly:
Never mind, old fellow!"
But when the woman Boundered 70
Ter feet again and cried: "Al right!
be dog sat down. Still he frequently
gave a little whine under his breath. He
was thinking that this was the nrsU
sumner when he had not gone out moss
ing with his dearest friend, and he eoulu
lot understand why he was so stiff and
clumsy that he was unable to run oVer
The slippery rocks and keep close to Der,
nosing the moss she picked up, poklng
over Holsters and crabs, and seeing that
nothing happened to her. Something
was the matter with his legs, and with
The whole of him, somehow, and ne
could o get over the rocks. Was 1t
The same thing that kept him
gnawing bones? And he liked them
lust as well as ever. He noticed tina
The young dog who lived down the ROAD
nuld crack bones without any trouble
II was all very mysterious.
When helay in the sun near where the
moss was drying. doing and swapping
1.-THE flies. he often looked as if he were
thinking Of all these things.
And what did the girls grandmother
mean only yesterday when she troke
MS head and said:
Poor old Boss, You're gittin' old,
les s be. Twon't be no kind Of a place
round this house 'thout Boss" he had
nuzzled his head under her hand when
We had spoken thus, but he didn't un-
serstand.
How pleasant this bright day a
Elthitssunny gentle east wind-a WIND
nat brought sweet, salt smells from the
ocean.
The child shifted the embracing odor
end stretched out her hands, smilng
happily.
To be sure, she could not walk, out
granny often wheeled her to the break
water, where she could see the moss
gathered