The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1901-07-18

abandoned the sacred task of collecting
and ran back to old Billy, with his stump
of a tail quivering with emotion.
The old man gave me a grin of wei
come, and glanced at the girl by my
side. To my surprise he stopped dead
short in his recitation and blushed. Yes,
his weather beaten, grizzly old face
actually turned scarlet.
Miss Woodhurst appeared to be sub
timely unconscious of what was going
on, her attention being entirely occu-
pied by the dog, whom she seemed to
regard as being of a higher sphere.
sIsn't he a dear old thing?" she whis-
pered in an awe-stricken voice. Il
should like to buy him.
IF you buy the dog you'll have to
take the old man, too l remarked.
"You can't have one without the
other
"Ob! l don't want the old man." she
said, glancing, with a little shrug of
horror, at old Billy.
| think it must have been the first
time she had looked at him, for a flash
of half-puzzled recognition came into
her eyes, and scarlet patch appeared
Oh each cheek as she glanced from the
old man to the dog and then back again:
Then she turned away quickly, and
walked toward home, and, of course, |
followed submisSively.
What is the name Of that dOg?' she
said presently, making great effort to
speak naturally.
''They call him Alcibiades,' l said,
speaking lightly, to help her to regain
her composure. "He's old IN sin and IN
years." -
"And-and the old MANI" she said.
"Ecclestone-familiarly, Billy-a very
good old boy, too, in spite OF his faults y
He happens to be my father she
said.
This was rather shock, but of course
l evinced no surprise, but received the
news as if it were quite natural for a
well-dressed young lady, living in The
Drive to have a father who ran a per-
forming dog show on the beach.
IL am rather upset about it, she
faltered.
Il think you ought to be very glad to
find him. l ventured
"Im glad to hear you say that" she
whispered. 81 was afraid you would
think the opposite. Will you help me?
What ought to do?'
1t appeared that her mother died when
she was six years of age, and from that
time until she was eleven her father
neglected her so shamefully that at last
her mothers brother interferred and
took her away. She could vaguely recOl-
lect her father buying Alcibiades as a
pup. The old man was then going down.
hill fast, and had practically lost all
self-respect. She had never seen him
again after her uncle took her away,
and old Billy had made no effort to seek
her out.
But she was now free. He uncle had
died and left her well provided for, and
she was anxious to do the right thing for
the old man, and, in fact, more than the
right thing. She was livil G W tn a
i maiden aunt, the only other relative
she had in the world, but she would like
to be a real daughter to the old man, If
| could suggest any way of bringing it
about.
Now, it struck me that this was not
quite so impossible as one might sup
pose. Like most weak people, old Billy
was amenable to influence. and | had
long since found that | could do almost
! what | liked with him.
So without telling Miss Woodhurst
anything of my intention, | sought the
! old vagabond out that night at his lOdg-
ings, and arrived just in time to prevent
a drinking bout.
After giving him good shaking up,
/ morally and physically, a proceeding
/ which rather puzzled Alcibiades, who
, hardly knew whether to applaud my
! efforts or lay hold of my leg, l proceed
ed to sound him on the subject of his
i daughter.
! Now, there was one redeeming feature
in old Billy's characterize was not
exactly a cadger-and when in order to
| see how he would take it | suggested
! that he should ask his daughter for help,
+ he rejected the notion with scorn.
| mo. my boy" he said bitterly, 81
i treated the girl badly, and l m not going
to blackmail her and be beastly NUS
ance. Tomorrow morning the dog and
[ will be up and off and get out of her
way And so it will go on until the old
dog dies-it won't be long now, for he's
very oldRnd then [ shall go to the
workhouse, and no one will be a penny
the worse"
Then l approached the matter in a
different spirit, and told him that the
girl wanted father just as badly as he
wanted home, and that he would have
to shake off his vagabond ways and be
man.
Finally, l took him into the town and
had him groomed down and decently
clothed, and the change was SO remark
BILE that, when we three-Billy, the dog
and walked along the Parade next
morning no one would have recognized
the old Snowman.
1t was a great occasion, for we met a
certain dignifed, self-possessed little
lady, who put her dignity and self-pos-
session on one side, and greatly to the
amazement of large and fashionable
crowd, put her arms round the old sin
ner's neck and kissed him.
Then she welcomed Alcibiades, who,
with his usual sagacity, had remember
ed her from his puppyhood.
Finally, she turned to me, and-well,
no, she didn't say anything, but there
was a certain look in her eyes which l
had never seen in the eyes of any woman
during the five and thirty years | had
been knocking about in the world.
And have only one more remark to
add about Alcibiades, the wily-since
| that moment he has never performed a
trick. No coaxing or persuading will
induce that cunning old rascal to die fol
his country, or even accept cake on
trust. He seems to quite understand
that he has retired from the profession,
and like wise dog he declines to ap-