Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-09-05
THE ABBE'S DOG.

WHO'LL uoupbo lldu llOt JtU CItpt Ill W COT
rupt the simple faith Of the peasants.
The old priest lived happily among his
parishioners, kindly souls all of them,
and so obedient to the commandments
of God and u holy mother church
that their lives were a real benediction
for their spiritual father. The good man
had no need to touch them up every
now and then with a rousing sermon,
nor did he ask the aid of others more
eloquent than himself to convert his
flock. They were born, lived and died
in the fold, and their pastor discharged
his simple priestly duties and led in
anticipation the life of the blessed.
The able adored nature, and every
day you could have seen him strolline
among the fields, reading his breviary,
while from time to time he glanced al
the gambols Of Oremus, his little dog,
They were as inseparable as st. Roct
and his famous bowwow. Oremus en-.
joyed these strolls as much as his mas,
ter, but in a different fashion. The
priests pleasure was purely contempla'
tive, that Of the doggie active.
Oremus firmly believed that God gave
four legs to little dogs SO that they
could be twice as alert as their masters,
who, poor creatures, had but two. Sc
he raced over the fields, sometimes be.
hind, sometimes ahead of the cure,
jumping, making a corkscrew of his
tail, swapping at the birds and giving
himself up to all the pranks befittine
the well bred dog Of a priest.
Superfluous to add that Oremus un.
derstood absolutely all that his master
said to him and that he could do ev
erything but speak. AS for tricks, ou1
Oremus could have given points to thu
whole canine world. He danced on hi!
hind legs and shook hands like a Chris
tian, and his great feat was to refus,
the most delicious chop, the JUICES
morsel, if offered with the left hand.
You may we'll believe that this vic.
tory over the canine flesh was not gain
ed without effort. The able and his dos
had given much time and patience to
the perfecting Of this triumph, anG
evenings after the cure had dined alone
the little dog was put through his PAGES,
always ending the performance with the
famous "chop act" Then the able,
with tears in his eyes, would ask him
self if the good God could have the
heart to refuse a scrap of paradise tt
such a creature. Let us hasten to ado
that the worthy priest would have dice
before giving voice to such a sentiment
he, a son Of the church.
But nothing is perfect in this world,
and one day the sacred calm Of Abihc
was turned into confusion. Listen, ani
you will learn how. Ayoung conscript,
who had been absent seven years an(
who was supposed by the villagers t(
have been killed i'll the war, reappearet
one fine morning and Immediately tool
up his old life Of farming. So far sc
good. But what a scandal arose, my
friends, when it was known that Ii
Faiard absented himself from mass OIL
Sunday, swore like a pirate at every
word, and, more than all, ate meat Oh
Friday!
Able Sauteu almost died of mortifioa
ton. Night and day he racked his brazil
to find some means of bringing the apes
tate back to the faith Of his childhood
AS if by accident NJ. lie Cure Otter
strolled past the field where LIE Faiart
was working. Almost always he stop
ped to gossip with his black sheep, ant
very often the conversation turned OF
the all absorbing question. LIE Faiard
for his part, was only too ready to argu,
the point. He was a pigheaded fellow
who liked to hear himself talk, and fire.
quently it happened that our good abb
who was by no means a we'll of learn
ing-found himself floored by the argu
ments which his opponent had picked
up in his military life and which hi
reeled off with a parrotlike volubility.
One day when LIE Faiard had reduced
his adversary to silence, he asked, as {
finishing stroke:
Anyway, father, do you take me 70,
q saint?"
"Alas, far from it, my son."
1.-THE devil fly away with me, then
If you don't demand more of me than
saint or even an apostle is capable Of"
Heaven Forbid" calculated tn
priest, falling innocently into the snare
swell, then, father" said LIE Faiard
with a sly grin, ibid st. Thomas be
neve on the faith Of others? Didn't h,
require q miracle, and, trone-de- Dieu
what q miraclel Who can blame IN,
for following st. Thomas example,
only I ask less than his saintship. Show
me the least little miracle, I don't car,
how small, and I'll 90 to confession
with all my heart"
Then seeing that the priest was dunn
founded, he added: "Morbleu, father
won't you show me one9 That ough'
not to feaze a friend Of Gods"
Then he walked away, in high glee
at the effect produced by his words.
"Work . miracle, said the priest tt
himself. Impossible! And yet if Cox
would help me-
In truth God did help him, and ON
day in mid-Lent Father Sauteu left tn
house, escorted by his dog. All the way
to LIE Faiard's field he chuokled softly
to himself.
"A miracle, indeed. You must have
q miracle, must you, you rogue? Ore
mus, little villain, leave those bird
alone. You have other things to do. A
miraclei Yes, my fine fellow, you ar