The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1898-08-27

to alleviate your distress.
He stood still and l stopped down and
caught hold of Pincher and whispered :
''Drop it, sir, drop it.
So then Pincher dropped it, and Lord
Tottenham fastened his collar again-he
never does change it if there's anyone
looking-and he said:
'I' III much obliged, I'm sure. Nasty,
vicious brute Here 5 something to drink
my health
But Oswald explained that we are tee
totalers and do not drink people healths.
So Lord Tottenham said well, I'm
much obliged anyway. And now | come
to think of it, of course you re not young
rufians, but gentlemen 5 sons, Ell? Still,
you won be above taking zip from an
old BOY wasn't when was your age, y
and he pulled out half sovereign.
1t was very silly, but now we had done
it | felt it would be beastly mean to take
the old boys chink after putting him in
such funk He didn' say anything
about bringing us up as his own sons, SO
didn' know what to do. | let Pincher
90, and was just going to say he was very
welcome and we'd rather not have the
money, which seemed the best way out of
it, when that beastly dog spoilt the whole
show. Directly | let go he began to jump
up at us and bark for JOY and try to lick
our faces. He was so proud of what he d
| done.
Lord Tottenham opened his eyes, and
he just said
1.-The dog seems to know you.
And then Oswald saw it was all up and
he said, good morning, and tried to get
away.
But Lord Tottenham said "Not 50
fast and he caught Noel by the collar.
Noel gave howl, and Alice ran out from
the bushes. Noel is her favorite. I'm
sure | don know why Lord Tottenham
looked at her, and he said $50 there
are more Of You. And then II. o. came
out.
''Do you complete the party? Lord
Tottenham asked him, and II o. said
there weren' any more of US.
Lord Tottenham turned sharp off and
began to walk away, holding Noel by the
collar. We caught up with him and asked
him where he was going, and he said
''To the police station.
So then I said ''Well, don take
Noel--he's not strong and he easily gets
upset. Besides it WASH his doing. If
you want to take anyone, ia Ike met was
my idea entirely
Dicky behaved very well. He said
eff you take Oswald, I'll go too-but
don t take Noel; he s such delicate little
chap
Lord Tottenham stopped, and he said
''You should have thought Of that be-
fore.
Noel was bowling all the time and his
face was very white, and Alice said
ssOh, do let Noel go, dear, good, kind
Lord Tottenham, he Il faint if you don t
| know he will; he does sometimes. Oh,
| wish we never done it Dora said it
was wrong
''Dora displayed considerable common
sense, said Lord Tottenham; and he let
Noel go, and Alice put her arms around
Neel and tried to cheer him up.
Then Lord Tottenham said : evil
you give me your word of honor not to try
to escape?'
So we said we would.
'SThen follow me, he said, and led the
way to bench. We all followed, and
Pincher, too, with his tail between his legs.
He knew something was wrong. Then
Lord Tottenham sat down, and he made
Oswald and Dickie and H. o. stand in
front of him, but he let Alice and Noel sit
down. And he said "You set your
dog on me, and you tried to make ME be-
lieve you were saving me from it. And
you would have taken nay half-soyereign.
Such conduct is most-no you shall tell
me what it is sir, and speak the truth.
SO | had to say it was most ungentle
manly; but I said hadn been going to
take the half-sovereign.
''Then what did you do it for?' he
asked. 1.-The truth mind >
SO | said II see now it was very
silly, and Dora said it was wrong; but it
didn't seem so till we did it. We wanted
to restore the fallen fortunes Of our house,
and in the books if you rescue an old gen
tleman from deadly peril he makes your
fortune; and there WASH any deadly peril,
so we made Pincher into one-and So
was so ashamed | couldn' go on, for it
did seem an awfully mean thing. Lord
Tottenham said
GA very nice way to make your for
tone-by deceit and trickery | have a
horror Of dogs If I'd been a weak man
the shock might have killed me. What
do you think Of yourselves, eh p
We were all crying except Oswald and
the others say he was, and Lord Totem
ham went on:
sWell, | see you re sorry. Let this
be lesson to you; and we Il say no more
about it. I'm an old man now, but | was
young once.
Then Alice slid along the bench close to
him and said II think you re very good
to forgive us, and we are really very, very
sorry. But we wanted to be like the chill
dren in books, only we never have the
chances they have. But we are sorry
very sorry And 1 know Oswald WASH
going to take the half sovereign. Directly
you said that about tip l began to feel
bad inside, and 1 whispered to H. o. that
I wished we hadn t"
Then Lord Tottenham stood up, and he
looked like the death of Nelson, . for
he is clean shaven and it is a good face,
and he said
always remember, never to do a dis