Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1899-05-17

"Ben's little shaver-only three.
What do you mean, sir?' looking at
me. Haven't I told you you couldn't
have dog?'
He followed me, SIR said I.
I" Followed you! Not without an in
vitation, I'll wager. You whistled him
along, of course?'
81 was kind of whistling, but not to
him in Particular
Hes splendid fellow said Virgie.
of the noble race of Newfoundland
royal beggar.'
'She was helping father off with his
wet coat.
We've no use for him. Why, an an
imal like that will eat as 1Duch as an
OK
"'Oh, father, I'll support him myself
out of my own spending money. Only
let him stay said I.
"'Let Neddy's dog stay said little
Ben, his lip a-quivering.
''Virgie had got father into his arm
chair in the dining-room and brought
him his warm slippers. And pretty
soon she came out, and, don't you think,
she said I might make the dog bed of
straw in the woodshed, and we would
give him square meal at dinner time.
Sand Ann she kept growing about
giving notice; but Virgie didn't care.
"And Virgie said he looked like de-
throned monarch wandering at the
mercy of the storm.
''Virgie reads in Shakespeare, and she
said that we would name him Lear.
He's the one who says: BLOW, wind,
and crack your cheeks
"And that's the way Lear came to be
my dog.
I'VE went down to the river, as was
saying, that twentieth of December,
when L was ten years old. The skating
wasn't prime, and there wasn't another
fellosv out; but tried to enjoy it pretty
well.
"And Lear he ran up and down and
around on the bank, seeing what he
could find interesting.
''There were two men on the other
side, cutting and loading ice. thought
| would skate over toward them.
Il hadn't got half way over when
there was great cracking, and I was
never so scared.
in an instant I plunged into cold
water, and went under. I tried to grab
the ice, but it broke up, and wouldn't
hold; and remembered every bad
thing I ever did, and, oh, dear! l
thought of mother, and didn't care for
no birthday party.
Somebody seemed to be rubbing and
humping me awful, and then, after an
age, it seemed like, opened my eyes,
and saw mothers own face close to
mine, and she kissed me quite consid-
cradle. l was on the old settee in the
kitchen. There were fannels and hot
water bottles all around me. They fed
me some Cruel with a spoon, and I felt
nice and warm and happy; and heard
them say that the ice men had brought
me home, but it wasn't the ice men that
got me out. They couldn't get to me, all
they could do.
1T was Lear, my Lear, that got me
out-drew me upon dry land.
THE current was swift there said
one of the men, 'and he must have been
goner if that there dog hadn't jumped
after him like flash, and tugged him
out in no time
Then mother, all of a sudden, she
run to Lear, and she Rugged him
around the neck and cried.
''Virgie she followed suit.
The blessed baste!' said Ann.
"Then little Ben ran up, and kissed
Lear on the forehead.
"'Good dog!' said he. Got Neddy
out of river
"And Lear he just Tapped the cruel
Virgie gave him, and stretched out be-
fore the fire, and shut his eyes, as if he
hadn't done anything worth speaking
of.
''By and by, when they had stopped
making such fuss, he got up, Lear did,
and came and put his paws on the edge
of the settee, and looked me right in
the face. I tried to lift my hand to pat
his nose, but couldn't, was so weak, so
L just said: It's all right, old fellow
all right and settled back.
AASA AAOCACA AuSSCu AAAA az Gill; duu
Virgie cried, and Ann she said: The
blessid baste!' again, and wiped her
eye with her apron; and Lear and little
Ben kissed each other, like David and
Jonathan.
II am all right again. I notice they
don't call him Ned's dog so much. They
say our dog now, and father has
bought him collar with Lear on it,
and the date of my last birthday; and
Virgie says that whoever keeps boy
must keep dog, too, to get him out of
scrapes.
"And that's how happen to be out of
the river, and so can say: You will see
me in my seat next Monday and I'm
going to be an awful good boy now.
'But didn't get we'll paid for the
loan of a dried-up sandwich?
yours truly. NED."-Golden Days.
The Tables Turned.
Birds, we know, are sometimes
trained to fire off pistols, as we'll as to
perform other unusual feats, but it is
not often that a wild bird in the woods
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