Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1899-09-14
More Faithful Than His Master.

About the year 1850, personal
friend of the narrator, residing in
remote New England town, left his
young wife and happy home to seek
his fortune in Cali .ornia.
On a summer afternoon, nearly
eighteen months afterward, as she was
sitting on the lawn before the cottage
of which she was the sole occupant,
and which was situated on retired
road nearly two miles from small
village, she was agreeably surprised
by the appearance of an expressman
who had brought her $1,000 in gold
and welcome letter from her long.
absent usband. the gold being the
result of his first years labor at the
mines.
After the excitement of her surprise
had somewhat subsided, she began to
think that it would be unsafe for hel
to remain alone in the house with SC
much money. 1t was the hard earn,
ings of her selfsacrificing husband,
and shoull be safely kept.
While she was pondering in her
mind what to do with the money, and
also whom she could get to keep hel
company that night, she saw he,
butcher, a resident of the village,
riding along the road in his wagon to.
ward his home, and having conf lence
in him as trustworthy friend and
adviser, she called to him to stop that
she might relate to him her good for
tune.
The butcher listened attentively to
her story of fortune, and said he would
leave his faithful dog "Bose," large
masti6, who, he said, perfectly under.
stood his business when any property
was intrustel to his care for safe keep.
ing. '>,-'s-e4.7''a ;,
The butcher said to his dog, ''Bose,
do you lie down ON that door rug, and
don't let any person come into this
house tonight saying which the
butcher rode away.
The lady feeling perfectly safe,
thought she would make friends with
the do, and offered him something te
eat; but Bose" would not eat, neither
would he take any notice of her, ex-
cept to occasionally follow her with
his eyes whenever she moved about
the room. Failing to make com
ranion of the dog, she began to be
afraid, and her personal fear of the
dog was now greater than the fear OF
losing her money.
The lady reti! ed to her bed, leaving
the door OF her bedroom a;ar, so that
she could see the dog as he lay on the
rug at the sitting room door, and who
seemed to keep constant watch upon
her, SO much SO that she dared not &c
to sleep, and almost wished the dog
was not in the house.
At last she fell into drowsy slum.
Der, from which she was suddenly
aroused by Bose as he sprang from
his place on the rug toward the win
dow. She heard him growl and
struggle, then al was quiet. She was
SO much frightened that she dared not
move, yet she could not now see the
dog from where she lay, neither did
she know what had happened.
She lay in terrible suspense until
morning, when she ventured cautious,
ly to leave her bed Going into the
sitting room she found the window
open. and the body of the bntche,
lying across the window sill, his head
in II g room, his feet on the outside o.
the no Use; he was dead. He had at
tempted to rob his confiding friend,i in
doing which his own dog had seized
him by the throat, and caused him to
choke or bleed to death. Bose had
strictly oHeyed his orders and s'let nc
person into the house that night. y
Weekly Witness.