The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-03-13
Greyfriars' Bobby.

j
Greyfriars' BOBBY was just little
dog, but loving, humble, faithful little
dog, whose name and act of love have
been remembered for years. and whose
story viii be told even to future genera
lions for the sake of its touching ex-
ample of loving faithfulness to the dead.
When Bobby's master died and was bu-
ried in Greyfriars' chuTcnyard, Edln-
burgh, Bobby, with the other mourners.
followed the remains TO the grave Al
ter the ceremonies were concluded the
mourners returned to their several homes
and duties, all but Bobby was It that
ne had no longer a home. and no longer
any duties? Nobody knows; but there
Bobby remained-there in the church
yard with his dead. No stone was raised
to marke the resting-place OF Booby's
master, but close beside 1t another grave
is covered with fat stone which Is just
high enough above the ground Tor
small dog to lie under it. There he could
lie and watch the place where all he
cared for in the world was laid.
If you could see the damp, cold, mar
row, little spot where Bobby made his
house and home for all the rest o fhis
loving little life, your heart would ache
to think that the life Of even a dumb
beast could be so dreary. Through hte
long, cold days and the colder nights he
| for one who never came, ana whose
| voice he was never more TO hear.
From the back windows of the houses
| in Candlemaker row, which are quite
near to the grave, the people could see
| the homeless and friendless little dog
| keeping his lonely watch, and many
| bit of bread and meat was thrown to
| him to eat. But people do not always
| think of hungry dogs outside, and Bobby
icy,t q
| had not had other friends. On High
| street, not far from Greyfriars' church
| yard, was a restaurant, kept by kind
| hearted woman Bobby formed a habit
| of going to her every day, and he was
never refused a meal. She may have
| been a friend of his dead master. or she
may have known Bobby himself before
his masters death, otherwise he would
| not have been likely to go so far How
| ever that may be, Bobby's visits were
! quite regular and punctual.
They have custom in Edinburgh Of
| gring a gun at one O'Clock from the Cas-
| tie, which is quite near the cemetery.
| That was Bobby's dinner signal, and ev
| cry day, at the one o'clock gun-fire, he
| deliberately got up and set out for his
! daily meal. No doubt he had discovered
| that the worknen in the neighborhood
were about finishing theid midday dinner
when the gun fired, and that may have
been the origin of his practice, for the
| kindly workmen always made him well
| come, and 1t was not only the leavings
| of their dinners that fell to Bobby. Many
a dainty bit was shared with him by his
| Woodworking friends, and many bone
| was tucked into the dinner pail for the
| poor little dog whom everybody loved
| and pitied and admired.
| Indeed, he seems to have been a gen
/ hut in
duce him to stay long away from his
masters grave. There he lay, day in
| and day out, sometimes in sunshine, but
| oftener in gloom, for where does it rain
! as often as in Scotland? Sleeping through
the long. cold wonter on the cold, wet
ground, with a cold stone above ,him for
| his only shelter there Bobby was always
to be found. For fourteen years the pa
tient creature watched and waited and
at last-may we not hope?-he found his
| master.
One morning Bobby was seen lying
dead on the Iong-loved masters grave
| When i'll and suffering, he did not go TO
the kind friend in High street, who had
never refused him food; he turned to
| one whose last caress he had received
fourteen long years ago, stretched out his
| weary little limbs ON the spot he loved
| above all others, and so slept his last
| S1t6p- W IidL d ii1c. w hit IL dSdlI. w dS
| it less than human or more than hui
| man?
As you enter the double iron gates lead
| ing from Candlemaker row into the
churchyard you see just in front of you
the east end of the large Greyfriars'
Church. and, between you and the
church is a large oval bed of flowers
| In the middle of that bed they buried
Bobby. If I had had the doing of it
I should have put him at his master 5
feet; but he is not far away, and the
| spot is bright with flowers, and very love-
ly. Even now there is a tender spot in
the hearts of the Edinburgh people for
Bobby. They are well pleased that he
has been permitted to rest with his bet
tiers, and they seem almost as proud of
his pretty grave as they are of their
grand martyrs monument.
A few years ago Baroness Burdett
Coutts, whe on q visit to Edinburgh
heard the touching story of Greyfriars'
Bobby, and thought ii a pity that so re-
markable an instance of animal fidelity
should be forgotten. SO, to perpetuate
his memory, she erected a drinking foun-
: tain. 1t stands on the street at 1.-THE end
| of Candlemaker row. almost opposite the
iron gates through which one passes to
enter the graveyard. On the top is the
figure Of a little dog, and below is the
following inscription: "Greyfriars' Bobby,
from the life