Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-03-16

absurdly mounted on it's thin supports
began to swell out
Eugenia grew very grave. Sh.
would sit for hours over her book
glancing furtively from time to I'M
at Dimple, doing by her side-for b.
| had grown much too large for her lal
as if they had never been introduced
| One day she forgot to go to her lectur.
at the proper hour, so busy was sh,
| trying to induce Dimple to crowd him
| self into the sumptuous basket which
| had been purchased for his babyhood
| So careWorn did she become indeed
that we never alluded to the dogs
| growth. He was fed-and how he die
eat; he was watered to the extent Of
| several gallons day; he was housed
at night, in a kennel, alas! for he
scorned the larger basket that had
been quietly provided, but no one
spoke of his SIZE
AS the months rolled on the singu-
lar happiness of Dimple's name be-
came positively embarrassing, for
though aunty and I could have
laughed over it, and made it a perfect
godsend in the way of a spur to Ian
gushing conversation, Eugenia, feel
ing that she had been duped, regarded
it as SO keen a modification that we
avoided the subject with terror.
What has become of your pretty
little puppy, Miss Eugenie?" asked
one unwary swain, and as if in answer,
the door was pulled open, and in
stalked a great, lean, long-legged, big
bodied, solemn dog, wagging his tail
slowly. He walked up to Eugenia,
laid his head on her knee, then turned
and winked at the questioner. Oh,
yes, he did; he winked deliberately.
then raised one huge paw and put it
down on Eugenia's shoulder with an
air of patronizing proprietorship that
was positively maddening. 1t was too
much for my cousin. She fed pre-
cipitately, not in time to avoid the
astonished exclamation:
"You don't mean to say that
MONSTERS Dimple?''
That moment settled Eugenia's fate.
The masculine nature had asserted it.
self, and Dimple-that absurd name
had practically said mildly, but firmly:
Come, Eugenia, have had enough of
this nonsense. You bought me, you
took me for better, for worse If you
meant to have a plaything and have
found master, so much the better
or-Worse-for you. One thing you
may understand do not intend to be
ignored any longer" And he wasn't.
From that public claiming of her in
tention dated her subjunction.
Eugenia would shut herself up in
her room to study. Dimple would
come to her door and knock with his
tail. Eugenia would take no notice of
him. Then Dimple would scratch,
but deep, determined gouging of
aunty's pretty woodwork. Then Dim
pie would howl, such a howl-long
and loud and oft repeated, and Eu-
genia would fly to let him in, a tragic
expression in her pretty, despairing
face.
After a week of these proceedings,
on one of the daily walks on which
her keeper conducted her, she bought
a whip, which she smuggied home, hid
among her laces and pr ICED next
when her door was being
torn to pieces. From my room l saw
her plunge desperately out, seize the
dogs collar and lift the whip, but II
never descended. Dimple lifted his
head, caught the weapon in his power
full jaws, closed them upon it, dropped
the pieces on the ground, smiled in
diligently UP into Eugenia's face, took
her dress in his teeth, and led ner
down stairs to make ready for a walk
which they took.
When Dan came home from Europe,
aunty and | met him at the steamer,
and on the way home we told him Of
Eugenia's fall. How she had been
obliged to give up her college work
to the great Improvement of her
health and temper-how she had
grown brown and rosy from long,
aimless walks with her guide, philoso-
pher and friend. How he had sold
him, sent him off to board, given him
he had returned so promptly and I'M
failingly that Eugenia had accepted
the inevitable and begged us not to
interfere again between them Dan
laughed till there were tears in his
eyes, ard exclaimed, Poor little girl!'
more than once; but he readily prom
ised that he would not tease Eugenia
about her Old Man of the Sea, as he at
once dubbed the dog.
Dan and Dimple were friends at
once. When the dog first appeared
Eugenia paled and flushed and paled
again, glancing rather apprehensively
at my brother. But he seemed quite
oblivious, spoke cheerily to the big
fellow, patted his head, looked deep
into the intelligent brown eyes, and
man and beast understood each other
perfectly. Such good times as we had
that summer, aunty, Eugenia, Dimple,
Dan and l! In previous years we had
been obliged to count my cousin out
of everything, for the resting time of
summer had for her been full of work,
and now she lounged and played and
joined in all sports, as she never had
before in all her sweet, self-willed
young life; was among us and of US,
for tie first time.
There had been three days of steady
rain, and, tired of seclusion, on the
afternoon Of the third day 1 wrapped
myself in my macintosh and went
out for a walk, leaving Eugenia,
housed with slight cold, to look after