Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1897-08-28
A YELLOW DOG,
By BRET HARTE.

tune as all thdt?' This irresistible witt.
cism would have been quite enough fol-
us-we did nothing but repeat it to each
other all the next day-but we we're
positively transported when we saw her
gather her dainty skirts in one hand and
trip off through the red dust toward
Bones, who, with his eyes over his yell
low shoulder, had halted in the road
and half turned i'll mingled disgust and
rage at the spectacle of the descending
trombone We held our breath. Would
Bones evade her as he did us at such
moments or would he save our reputa-
ton and consent to accept her for the
moment as pretty inebriate? She came
nearer; he saw her; he began to slowly
culver with excitement, his stump of a
tail vibrating with such rapidity that
the loss of the missing portion was
scarcely noticeable. Suddenly she stop
ped before him, took his yellow head
between her little hands, lifted it and
looked down into his handsome brown
eyes with her two lovely blue ones.
What passed between them in that mag
netic glance no one ever knew. She re-
turned with him. said to him casually,
"We're not afraid of brass bands, are
WEI" to which he apparently acquiesced,
at least sitting his disgust of them
while he was near her-which was
nearly all the time. During the speeches
we did nothing without speeches at
Rattlers-her gloved hand and his yell
low head were always seen together,
and at the coming ceremony-h public
checking of Greeba Bills ''way bill on
behalf Of the township with gold pen
Gil presented to her by the stage COM
pany-Bones' joy, far from knowing no
bounds, apparently knew nothing but
them, and he witnessed it apparently in
the air. No one dared to interfere. For
the first time a local pride in Bones
sprang up in our hearts, and we lied to
each other about him open and shame
! lessly. Then the time came for parting.
We were standing by the coach door,
hat in hand, as Miss Pinkey was about
| to step into it. Bones was standing by
her side, confidently looking into the
| interior, and had apparently selected his
| own seat on the lap of Judge Preston in
the corner, when Miss Pinkey held up the
sweetest Of admonitory fingers. Then,
taking his head between her two hands
again, she looked into his piercing eyes
and simply said, Good dog, /" with the
gentlest of emphasis ON the adjective,
and popped into the coach The six bay
horses started as one, the gorgeous green
and gold vehicle bounded forward, the
red dust rose behind, and the yellow dog
danced in and out Of it to the very out
skirts of the settlement. And then he
soberly returned.
A day or two later he was missed,
but the factwas afterward known that he
was at Spring Valley, the county town
where Miss Preston lived, and he was
forgiven. A week afterward he was
missed again, but for a longer period,
and then pathetic letter from sacra-
mento for the storekeeper's wife:
"Would you mind," wrote Miss Pnkey
Preston, asking some of your boys to
come over here to Sacramento and bring
back Bones? don't mind having the
dear dog walk out with me at Spring
Valley, where every one knows me, but
here he does make one SO noticeable on
account of his color. I've got scarcely a
frock that he agrees with. He don't go
with my pink muslin and that lovely
buff print. He makes them shades light
er. You know yellow is SO trying A
consultation was quickly held by the
whole settlement and a deputation sent
to Sacramento to relieve the dear girl.
We were all quite indignant with Bones;
but, oddly enough, think it was greatly
:, tempered with our new pride in him.
While he was with us alone his pecul-
iarities had been scarcely appreciated,
but the recurrent phrase, "that yaller
dog that they keep at Rattlers, gave us
a mysterious Importance along the coun-
J tryside as if we had secured geological
} curiosity at great expense
This was further indicated by thrill
: ing occurrence. A new church had been
built at the crossroads and an eminent
divine had come from San Francisco to
preach the opening sermon. After a
careful examination of the camps ward
robe and some felicitous exchange of
apparel few of us We're deputed to rep
resent Rattlers at the Sunday service.
In our white ducks, straw hats and fan
mel blouses we We're sufficiently pictur-
esque and distinctive as ''honest min
ers" to be shown off in one of the front
4 pews Seated near the prettiest girls,
7 who offered us their hymnbooks, in the
5 clearly odors of fresh pine shavings and
t ironed muslin, and blown over by the
$ fpires of our own woods through the
fpen windows, deep sense of the abid-
Ing peace of Christian communion set
tied upon us. At this supreme moment
some one murmured in an awe stricken
whisper, "Will you look at Bonesr'
We looked. Bones had entered the
church and gone up in the gallery
> through a pardonable ignorance and
, modesty, but, perceiving his mistake,
was now calmly walking along the gal
lery rail before the astounded worship
! ers Reaching the end, he paused for a
e moment and carelessly looked down. 1t
e was about 10 feet to the floor below
2 the simplest jump in the world for the
mountain bred Bones. Daintily. ginger
: ly, lazily and yet with conceited airi-
r ness of manner as if, humanity Speaking,
he had one leg in his pocket and were
doing ii ON three, he cleared the dis
lance, dropping Just before the chancel