The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-12-23
A VERY INTELLIGENT DOG
ELCHO, 4 RED IRISH SETTER, DIS-
 PLAYS REMARKABLE S1GACITY.
Across the Mississippi, When the Span of the Great Bridge at Davenport, Rock Island and Moline Was Down.


 Elcho, reddest of red Irish settlers, is a dog of high degree. His very name indicates his noble birth. His pedigree is in print and tells of his percentage and earlier descent. Born at the Bel mont kennels, his parents were of the famous Lord Elcho strain known and noted beyond the sea. Among his fel- lows he walks a king, His master-the bishop-finds respect in certain quar- ters of the see-city, among sportsmen and dog fanciers at least, because of his proprietorship of this prince of Irish settlers whom all the children love for his gentleness and whom adults admire for his beauty and grace. Elcho-the noble and the great-who knows all this and will not abate to any one aught of due recognition of his dignity and self-respect, quite patronizes the bish- op, and accepts his devotion and that of the family as tribute well deserved. <Alltl uIl dDSeIlCG Oll NlSlldllOly E4lCllO welcome has been joyous bark, and then with leap into the bishops arms, he has put his velvety front paws on the bishops shoulders, covering his face | with kisses and looking into his eyes with a strong, unfailing love.
 DREADs THE FAMILY's GOING.
 Elcho does not believe with Shakes peare that parting is such sweet sor- row." and this welcome is in marked contrast with the breaking up of the household at vacation time when Elcho knows that he is to be left behind. FL cho's spirits are sorely tried when the | robe-case and wraps in the Vestibule, or | the luggage scattered about the upper hall, indicate the departure of the bish- op or the family for a longer or a short CT absence Then Elcho's paws have to | be held by the hour. His eyes are | filled with tears. He talks-dog- wise, of courSe-with evident disapprobation of the temporary breaking up of the | household. But when he finds that his | remonstrances are in vain, he accepts | the inevitable with merry bark he speeds the departing ones, and directly re-establishes his connections with his many friends in and around the Cathe- l dral close-dropping in at one favorite 1 home for the first breakfast, then call 1 ing on the pretty little niece of the 1 family cook who is always ready to ! hold his paw and has always a lunch in store to tempt his appetite. So the | days go on. He is never at a loss for a l rpn rr a E'yyn nyn hoc a kind word for Elcho, and the bishops red setter is the pet of three cities connected by ferries rail, bridges, and now and then by the smooth, firm ice bridge reaching between Davenport, Rock Island and Moline.
 HOW WINTERS COLD SPURRED
 HIM
 The fall of a span of the great bridge across the Mississippi during it's en- | largement last winter seriously inter- rupted communication between Rock Island and Moline on the one side, and | Davenport on the other. Foot passage was stopped, as well as crossing by carriage or rail, although the trains, af- ter the first few days crept slowly across the temporary false work" local train running at intervals of an hour to accommodate the residents of the three cities. The steam ferry piled between the Iowa and Illinois banks till the formation of the ice bridge, over which men walked or drove at will.
 One of the bishops household had found attractions across the river and on his frequent visits to the twin city | uro oap u ,oiaH NY E'1abn who with lordly dignity had from time to time made the acquaintance of oth- CT dogs whom he had met across the river. As the young man passed through the streets on the wintry day whose history we propose to recite, FL cho fingered behind. He was evidently feeling the cold keenly-it was bitter day-and, although he had come over the Mississippi well sheltered by the straw on the floor of one of the hacks running between the banks of the river on the ice bridge formed the night be- fore, he had evidently in mind the de- lights of the open fire in the bishops study and the comforts he had left be- hind. To these he now proposed to re- turn, and he dropped behind at the first street corner. He was not missed at first by his companion, whose mind was on other thoughts intent; but when it was time to return Elcho had disap- peared. The bishops dog was known to the police, as well as to people gene rally in the three cities, and his loss was at once reported to the chief, who proposed a general call,' as soon as the dogs loss was fully assured.
 ALLUREMENTS OF HOME CON-
 FORTS.
 The rest of this story can be best told after the manner of Wilkie Collins by the narratives of two unprejudiced and veracious observers. The first, Da- venporter, testified as follows: T have often seen and admired the bishops dog, and on the biting afternoon in question, had been crossing to Daven- port in place of attending to some inn portant business in Rock Island I should have taken Elcho over the river, as the dog evidently desired me to do when we met on the bank. The dog looked so wistfully at me that I stopped to watch him as he scanned the faces of the passers-by. Then, as if con- scious of his failure to secure an invita- tion to ride, and having no money to | hi fora ba oNi6aOt1v raoa1I,c1