The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1900-08-02
: TATTERS J
s. By Helen Frances Huntington. !
From the Home Journal, New York. Reprinted b
' Special Permission.)

..HzE.
A N INEXPLICABLE instinct had
~ guided Jimmy through forbidden
grounds direct to Ted's library door,
where he stood, cap in hand, a decently-
clean, solemn-faced boy of IL, with a
little grizzly mop of a dog wriggling
apologetically at his heels.
"His names Tatters, an he kin sit
up an dance an sing" said Jimmy.
Whereupon Tatters sat up" and
peered anxiously through the ragged
d~un-colored fringe that yelled his
bright black eyes. For the rest he wa
the most detected, forlorn little crea-
ture that ever begged his way through
a hard and thankless world.
what are you two doing here?"
Ted demanded, coldly.
"Please, sir, won't you take i'm in?"
Jimmy e%ntreated. 1.-THE Homes sendin'
m to Kansas an the man what's hired
me won't take Tatters. You kin have
i'm fer a dollar"
But I don't want him." Ted an
swered, heartlessly; at which Tatters
dropped his smudgy paws Imply and
turned to Jimmy, with a look of hope
less appeal which said, as plain as HUI
man speech could do: "Why is the
hand Of every man turned against me?''
HE eats SO little you'd never miss
it," Jimmy explained, persuasively.
"Tatters promised, mutely, to eat still
less if Ted would take him, and Ted's
heart wasn't proof against that last
appeal. He patted the little towsled
head good-naturedly and assured him
hat he should have abundant food and
a roof to shelter him as long as he
behaved in a fit and proper anne ]
have never owned a dog in my life, he
explained, deprecatingly, "but I'll take
Tatters and do the best I can for him.
The leave-taking consumed half a
minute. 1t was plain that the dog suf-
fered most acutely; but he had been
made to understand that it was all
part of the inexplicable fate that had
branded him as a vagrant. When the
door closed behind Jimmy he ran about
from window to window, till he found
the one overlooking the avenue where
he sat very still, watching the lessen.
ing figure of his late master until his
breath blurred the pane hopelessly;
then he whined softly until Ted be-
thought himself of his promise and
carried him out to be bountifully fed
and groomed after the manner beft-
ting his adoption.
Shorn of his long disguise-the Crime
and SCOT of plebeian association-he
was a handsome dog with a silver-gray
coat, a little black dust-brush of a tail,
a curly, shapely head, and the kindest
eyes ever set in a canine face, deep.
midnight black. shot with coppery
lights that gave him a look of human
intelligence. The longer Ted looked at
that winning little face, the longer he
wanted to look; it vas so wise, so ten
der, SO impressibly grave.
"Tatters," said Ted, putting his hand
under the silky uplifted chin, "Tm go
ing to be very good to you always, and
in return want you to be very good to
some one else. Come, let us go and see
her, and you'll know why"
She sat on a couch beside a sunny
window, her hands folded idly over an
open book, her eyes fixed unseemingly
on luminous space. Ted affected not
to notice the deathlike transparency
of the aower-like face; he proceeded
cheerfully to introduce Tatters to his
new mistress, and Tatters "sat up
very prettily until he was lured by the
look in Madness eyes to move a step
closer and put his paws on her knees.
"What a dear little fellow she said
languidly, taking his face between her
thin hands and looking down into his
dark, beautiful eyes. 81 never thought
I should like a dog; but this one looks
almost human. Is he really mine? Oh,
thank you, Ted" For the first time in
many weeks she smiled genuinely, and
was interested.
Tatters puzzled his brain sorely
about Madness inactivity, and after
patient endeavor to rouse her, he went
to Ted for an explanation. And it
seemed SO human Il tell this faithful
little friend what was wearing out his
own heart.
"The doctor gave her trouble a long,
hard name, Tatters," said he, sand he
thinks there's one chance in a hun
dred that she may be cured; but /
know better. She's very young, barely
%, but sorrow has aged her more in a
single hour than a whole lifetime of
joy could have done. No, she doesn't
rightly belong to us, but she came to
us long ago when she was a little girl,
and there never was a time when I
didn't love her more than anyone else
in the wide world. She was always
very good and sweet to me and such a
happy, bright little girl, until she met
Dion. He was a fine fellow, too, but
not quite good enough for Nadine. He
was very fond of her, and she was hap
pier still until the other woman came.
Such a woman, Tatters! as beautiful
as an angei-you couldn't blame him
il you could see her. Nadine didn't
blame him, either, but it brok. her
heart. They say people sometimes OUT
live even that trouble, but it isn't true,
not with a nature like hers If you
could only help her to forget, just for.
. little while, Tatters, I'd love you as
Long as l live"