Mexico Missouri message., 1901-01-17
NUMBER If

the grass.
All this time in the densest shadow
OF the park, q woman huddled herself
under a bush, holding her draperles
tightly lest a hutter should betray her
to these brawlers. Once she coughed
convulsively, and when she took her
hand away from her mouth 1t was
bloody.
Go home to breakfast! Go home
to break fast" Even she had heard
and was repeating It.
Yes, poor brute! We will go home
once more, once more, together!' and
she crept away by the same path,
treading now and then In the dogs
honest blood.
The human brute came before the
court next morning. Sobercd and re-
pentant, as was his wont, and was
discharged as usual, with reprimand.
What had really happened? The
watchmcn said the dog was mad;
they had shot and killed him. e..
Why go home? No one was there to
meet him All these five years the
dog yes, the dog had been faithful.
nv ''h'l = WY kb iplh'E ilhbANs
That wls all At the gate he rested
and s'' Il, by habit. Echoes OF the
whi Q came from an empty house.
whose door stood wide No fire on
the hearth, no breakfast Then no
remembered his own last words to his
only friend, whom he had kicked and
driven away to be shot He sat down
on the bench beside his door, with a
grOan. 4 white spotted thing, scarce
ly having the sCmblancc OF dog,
crPwled from under the bench and
laid Its shapcless nose on his knee. Ho
took the dumb brute in his arms and
went into the house and sat down.
The creature was sightless, his head
almost bruised to jelly. He had
three bullet wounds; one leg was
broken. But he had obeyed orders to
the last; he had come home to break
fast,
Good dogl Yeth he ith! My good.
good dog" The tears were raining
down the bloatcd cheeks. A new
power had come near to these two
friends. Death was with them, wait
ing, "A strange CXaltatiOn, new per-
CcptiOn Of heretofore vague truths, a
new dawninE of light had come to the
master, even new power to resolve
and to |. - firm when Death opens
the door into the unKnown, the HE
here suddenly takes on Il new mean
ing The big brute holding the lesser
so tcndcrly suddenly remembered how
his mother had died, holding him, her
last-hurn in her arms her lips on his
golden hair.
Then anotler picture iloated up. His
own life better II she had died. Five
| years ago she had left him, tired OF
/ poverty and beatings. Only the dog
| had been faithful to him through all,
/ the good dog now dying In his arms.
/ the dogs life 30 much wOrthier than
/ his own. sever had he seen himself
/ as he was, before, not in all his forty
. years.
Lower sank the head OF the man
to the head n the beast and only God
knows what soul-speech was had be
/ tween them; and while they 50 sat
/ together change ineffable came TO
/ both. The og died into we know not
/ what. brutally murdered, crucihed for
. loves sake though he was: while the
man died out OF hts old life and was
/ born anew to mans rightful dignity.
self control, energy Of will. The love
OF the brute had saved him: many a
human love has done less.
There was rustic behind him, un-
usual in that solitude the rustic OF
womaus gown.
pete, o Pete, don't strike me! Let
. me come back, let me come home
again, just as the dog came! Won't
You forgive me, won't you let me have
the dogs place, just for Il little while,
1t cant be long Look at me. | was
in the park last night; the men were
chasing me- ran. | did not know
YOU and he were under the tree. Tho
dog knew me. he barked and Jumped
on me- and was glad. ! saw It all.
followed ar picked him up and
brought han. home, part way in my
arms see the blood where he lay!
Let me stay Pete, o for Gods sake
don't send me into tho awful street
again DO try me, don't push me
away! Don't be crue!ler than the dog
was, he kissed me and was glad had
come home"
o the misery, the horror the shame
of IT, Only God could know which
Of these two was lowest In tho scale,
which OF thc three indeed! o the pity
ut II. ErOycling at his feet as the dog
had done only yestsrnlght, kissing the
hands which had boaten her. AS the
dog had Ou.y now don Was he a
man2 Then how could he forgive herr
Was he not worse than a brute, far
worse than the brute IN his arms, in
all true moral worthlncss? How then
could no drive her forth who was only
what he had mado horl
She coughed again. and again. the
blood was on her hand A sudden
tenderness swept over him. She too,
haI come into the magic circle which
had contained hlmself, Death, and his
brute friend Compared with lis un-
wurthincss, what was her fault, this
frail little wife whom he had driven
10 despair?
Kate" he said; Kate! Thank Got
you have como back to me-" He was
ON his knees at her side, wiping tho
fresh red drops from her lips. tina
meaning Of which both knew too well.
God help me- VIII try 10 be a mo
from this hour. think the b.
was, is dead! Take what ]
f,ru,fvn mn