The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1901-01-19
YOUTHS DEPARTMENT..
Dicks Ride on the Troliey-A Dove
In Church--The Bell of
the Angels.

My friend Dick Is a bulldog, and a
fine fellow he is too Some bulldogs
you and | know scare away all the
children. and the big people. too for
that matter, till nobody dares go near
the house where they live, but this
bulldog was brought up TO be n gentle
man, and he can behave In a parlOr
quite as WE'LL was going to say as
boy or girl; but, do you know, have
seen boys and girls in parlors who did
not behave half as well as Dick. Then,
as to soaring children. why, Dick just
loves them and could play with them
oil day long.
OF course, being only dog, Dick is
not quite perfect, and his great failing
is-let me whisper 1t very low-he will
sometimes fight, but he always chooses
the biggest and strongest dogs to fight
with, aud the little ones might snap
and snarl at his heels rs much as they
liked. Dick would never notice them,
and, as for chasing such weak, silly
things as chickens, Dick scorns such
| fooltshness.
was going to tell you, wasn't |, how
Dick took a trolley ride? You see,
Dick tried to tell me all about II, but
unfortunately l don't know much dog
language and could not understand all
he said. or course, l know a few
words, and when he frisked around
barking little sharp banks, ! knew he
was saying, "Oh, my, but had good
| time on that ride! What fun it is to
ride on trolley carr This Is the way
1t happened:
Dicks mistress took him to the vii
lage one day shopping, and, after going
In and out Of shops until he felt very
much bored indeed Master Dick decld
ed that at the next place he would sit
outside and look at the trolley cars go
by.
The next place, think, must have
been millinery store, for Dicks mis-
tress staid till Dick thought every troll
ley car In the United States had surely
| gone past, and still she did not come
out. Well, Dick did not know what to
do about it. He put his head on one
side and thought the matter over and
| decided that for some strange human
reason his mistress must have gone out
| Of the back door and walked home
without him and that being the case
/ the wisest plan seemed to be for him
TO get home as quickly as possible,
| and we all know there is nothing
quicker than a trolley car when you
are In a hurry.
Now. on this trolley track which Dick
was watching three different lines Of
cars ran to the postoffice, stopped and
waited for passengers to change, and
then off they went to as many different
parts of the country, and the printed
signs to tell people which was the car
they wanted were puzzling enough for
anybody TO make out, not to mention
dogs But here was where Dick show
ed his education. He walked down to
the postOfiice, examined the signs and
decided which was the car that ran
past his own street corner, and the con-
ductor and mOtorman were very much
surprised to see quiet, thoughtful
looking bulldog jump on their car and
march in. The motOrman says Dick got
up on the seat and calmly sat there,
| but Dick did not tell me so, so | can
not be sure about it. Anyway the con-
doctor did not feel as calm as Master
Dick. 1t was against the rules for dogs
TO ride on the trolley, and that was
what the conductor explained to Dick.
But, dear me, Dick did not pay the
least attention to him, and when both
the conductor and motorman came In
to see what could be done with him
Dick Just put up his head and stuck
out his underlip In very rude, imper-
tinent way, and the men hurried away
without another word.
They both knew very well where
Dicks home was, for they often saw
him as their car flew past, but whether
Dick would be willing to get of at his
own corner was something they did
not know. Dick knew, though.
He had a lovely ride, and when the
car stopped at his corner he came out,
jumped off and ran gayly home with
out, am sorry to say, ever thinking Of
paying his fare.