Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-02-12
THE OLD, OLD STORY.
A City Hall Tragedy of Which
the World Will Never Know.
A Life OF Disappointment, Privatlon and
Hardship Ended UnceremonousIy-
A Sad Tale.

An uneducated southerner would have
called him an "onery pup" He had that
half-expect-to-ge -get-kicked air, that in it.
self told a strange story of hardship
and privation; hasty skips through
back yards to dodge tin cans; sly
lodges on public streets to evade VIC
ious kicks; sprightly scampers to get.
out of the way of stones. and missiles
from the hands of tormenting boys;
long days without food; bad nights
without shelter. There was look of
pitiful pleading in the bloodshot eyes
that were once as brown. soft and luS
trous as those of a woman. but they
now looked out with fear and trembling,
ever shifting, ever on the alert for
some attack, ever suspicious of any dis
play of kindness. The coat Of white
and brown that was once soft, silken
and glossy, was dirty, unkempt and
coarse through neglect and exposure.
The once full, vigorous form, with full
chest, broad head and trim legs, that
spoke of royal blood, was emaciated
and shrunken from poor food and lack
of it.
He told the old, old story which is
found the world over among the poor
and unfortunate, of banished hopes,
disappointment, hardship, privation and
abuse, in way that touched the heart.
And the great, busy world, as usual,
paid less and less attention as he sank
lower and lower Instead of gaining
sympathy, he became more and more
Stunned, not only by man, but the dogs
that had formerly been comrades. Grad.
ually the remembrance of happy times
in handsomely furnished house; long
evenings on the fur rug before the fire.
place in the smoking room; days of
thrilling sport with hunters in the field,
became only memories and at last be-
came so vague that the poor setter at
times almost believed they were only
dreams that haunted him. He Won
dered why he had been born, and de-
termined to end it all, but he dared not
venture into the unknown darkness be-
yond, as terrible as was the present.
So he struggled on, going through the
same hard search each day for food,
having the same narrow escapes and
suffering the old indignities, until they
became second nature. Gradually the
faint light of something better in the
future which had burned less brightly
as the days wore on, f1uttered and went
out. The once strong constitution,
weakened, began to fail and it became
more and more painful to dodge stones
and kicks, more and more of an effort
to make the long runs for food. Then
came the desire to lie in the sun and
let fate take its course, but the world
was unkind. When nicely ensconsed
on side streets, a cruel servant armed
with broom would come cut and make
an attack; when in the public parks
heartless boys would creep silently up
with tin cans and strings hidden behind
them, and when on the public streets
the 81 eat, burly, blue-coated policemen
were ever on the lookout. Search as he
might, no place of peaceful rest
could be found in which to pass the last
few hours of life
Early last week our poor unfortunate
dog found his way into the city hall
corridor, and sought rest on the jute rug
that lies before the staircase leading to
the council chambers. He was too
tlred to be as vigilant as of old, so that
atter time he noticed that
though many people were coming and
going, they paid little attention to him.
Gradually he began to think that a
haven had at last been found and he
slept peacefully. There was no thought
OF food. BE was only waiting and hop
ing for the ending Of it ALL The days
wore on. Visitors paid little attention
to the poor fellow, as he lay on the rug.
only TO wonder to whom he belonged,
The young ladies Of the Offices threw
kindly glances at him as they passed,
and sometimes brought a crust of
bread. Often they were moved to
caress the tired head, but were prevent
ed on account of its filth. Even the
Janitor was kind. He thought the dog
was waiting for some one in the offices,
and let him lie. A sweet contentment
settled over a tired dog soul he began
to dream of happier times, and to bark
in his sleep joyfully; he began to realize
with great joy that the end was near
Then the dream was rudely broken.
One afternoon, early this week, he was
reused from his reverie by a rude kick,
and moment later found himself
thrust out into the street. He looked
back with a pitiful pleading, but i'm the
eyes of the janitor he saw that look
which had followed him the world over.
He turned sadly and moved across the
street and sank to the sidewalk by the
store Of D. H. Eames. A moment later
a bue-coat attacked him, and he skunk
back across the street. No one was in
sight, and, after moments delibera-
ton, he crept slyly In and sank down
on the rug. In fear he waited, but the
dreaded man did not come, and from
sheer exhaustion he fell asleep, only to
find himself a short time later in the
street again. and this time angry words
followed him. He crept around the side
of the building, and q few minutes later
came in at the door again..
In spite of the frequent attacks the
poor setter had come to the conclusion
that the city hall mat was the only place
left for him, the pleasantest place he
had ever found. He clung to the con-