The Lehi banner. [volume] (Lehi, Utah) 1891-1917, 1898-04-12
FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH.
III MARIE LOUISE POOL.


was evidently old, and he was scared
by many iish.s; but his sunken moutA,
from which he had lost many tee.h,
showed that he would not fight again
VIGOROUSLY.
lie was gaunt from lifetime OF in
sufficient food, but yet he had the air
of a dog who is loved.
Sometimes he turned from his gazo
at the sea and glanced behind him at
the child who was sitting in wheel
barrow a few feet away. Every time he
glanced thus he slightly wngged his
stump of u tail, and the child si.liled or
she said in a soft voice:
Good Boss."
And then Boss waggcd harder; but
he could not give much attention to his
companion. for his whole heart was
with that bent old woman who was up
to 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
wet, save for small place across her
back.
She had a mans straw hat fastened
10y small rope tightly under her chin.
Her face looked hundred years old, it
was in truth 70--old, scanned, and leath-
cry; and it was face you loved to look
at
Every few moments she raised her
head and put her dripping hand up over
her eyes a she turned toward the land;
she was at frat dazzled by the glare Of
the water. When she looked up thus
the little girl in the wheclbarrow al
ways waved her hat; then dim, beau
tiful smile would come in the faded eyes.
ITS jest dom of her lots of good"
she would say aloud. I'm awful glad
4 wheeled her down. i wish now I'd
brought her down ofteucr this sum
mcr." -
Twice as she looked shoreward she
called out shrilly:
BOSS, you take care of her; won't
You, Boss?"
Then Boss pricked up his ears and
shook his tail, and the girl laughed and
said she guessed she'n' Boss could git
along tirst-rate.
'We're usc't 10 it: amt we. Boss?"
When she said this the dog got up,
came to her side, gave her swift lick
across the face. then hurried back and
sat down on the edge OF the planks
again.
Once the woman out in the water
slipped and fell splashing. and Boss
jumped up, whining in pitcous CULVER.
and would not be comforted even when
tha chill enid onpt u -
''Never mird. old fellow!"
But when the woman foundercd to
her feet again and cried: "All right"
the dog sat down. Still he frequently
gave a little whine under his hceath. lie
was thinking that this wy the first
summer when he had not gone out moss
ing with his dearest friend, and he could
not understand why he was so stiff and
clumsy that he was unable to run over
the slippery rocks and keep close to her,
nosing the moss she picked up. poking
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 he
could not get over the rocks. Was IL
the same thing that kept him from
gnawing bcnes? And he liked them
just M we'll IA ever. He noticed that
the young dog who lived down the road
could crack boges without any trouble.
1t was all very mysterious.
When he lay in the sun near where the
moss was drying. DOING and swapping
Mt the flies. he often looked as IL he were
thinking of all these things.
Aud what did the girls grandmother
mean only yesterday when she stroked
his head and said:
4Poor old Ross! You're gittin' old,
jes' 3 be. 'Twon't be no kind of place
round this house 'thout Doss." He had
nuzzled his head under her hand when
she had spoken thus, but he didn't un-
derstand
How pleasant this bright day was,
with itssunny, gentle east wind-a wind
that brought sweet, salt smells from the
ocean.
The child shifted the embracing odor
and stretched out her hands, smiling
hnppily.
r,o l,a cure Sba couId not walk Int