The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-08-12
The Life
a Day
BY DORA ROWE.


For The Trbune
ER name? No matter; what's
I'll in a name? She walked up the
~ gangmay of the Little Silver
IL onto the Battery Park land
A ing in New York city. For a
moment she stood watching the de-
parting steamer. It was one of those
days when the thermometer registered
% degrees in the shade. and till rising.
The intense heat seemed to hae tied up
even the noise of the great metropolis.
Many were gathered in the shade of
the buildings. and they moved slowly
with the sun.
A man shuflcd past with a large
burlap sack swinging from his hand.
Some one remarked: THAT dog has
had his day" At the same instant a
beseeching whine came from the bag,
suddenly the meaning of the remark
dawned upon her. The sack contain
ed dogs. which the man intended to
drown In an instant she was beside
the man, saying firmly:
How much will you take for those
dogs"
His eye lighted greedily.
We'll. miss. there's three ez fine
Puppies as ever was in this world,
anu IL S'l NdilA 'li S'u van i''N' 'i'N
hui of them for one dollar"
Want them? Certainly. she did moi
want them. but how else were they
To be saved? She also knew how far
dollar should be made to last. but pity
came uppermost. Without word she
handed the man silver dollar; ne
laid the bag at her feet and, with
great rapidity, disappeared.
nraGnpteH it,
self What was to be done with the
rescued puppies? Her load seemed to
increase in weight; she soon learned
! that the bag also contained a large
stone. With difficu ty she reached the
corner of the street and stopped for
| breath
Suddenly a crowd dashed around the
corner. They We're pursuing dog
that ran before all; its head down,
| Jaws swapping and bleeding from the
stones hurled at it by the crowd. The
dog swerved into the 'path and came
directly toward the dogs and their
rcscucr.
Some one started forward and with
the cry of Mad dog" pushed her vio-
lIently aside. The crowd passed on;
| the cries of the tortured mad dog were
heard above the din. Another turn
and she could again see the dog plain
Inv. His pursuers we're fast gaining;
one leg hung limp. it's mouth was white
with foam. and the body was covered
with many wounds. "A pistol shot
rang out on the sultry air, With a
prolonged howl of pain the dog sank
| 70 the ground and | was over,
4 low whine a. her feet frightened
her back 10 her senses. She had no.
moved from the place where her res.
cuer had pushed her. The bag was
still clutched tightly in her fingers.
and it was from this that the whine
came. Slowly she started on-then
stopped. Somehow her mind and eyes
seemed to turn TO the crowd still in
| the street Again she started with
the same result, only that her eyes
would travel from the crowd back
to the bag in her hand, Why should
she connect them with each other?
The dogs she held were not mad. Once
more her eyes turned to the bag and
remained there. Pity was written ir
every feature. Perhaps it was com.
passion
Truly some conflict was taking place
in her mind Her lip quivered, her
eyes filled; hut the bright light in
them did not fade. Quickly she raised
her head and said aloud to herself:
IF that's the life of a dog, then death
is more humane"
She looked for the man from whom
she had made her purchase, but OBJ
lvion had long claimed him. With
a firm step she walked quickly to the
end of the pier Grasping the bag in
her hands, and holding it out at arms
length, she closed her eyes and the
bag fell with a thud-on the boards
at her feet.
Seizine a pen knife from her purse
she cut the cord around the mouth of
the sack, Nothing but deep Joy sleam-
ed in her eyes as she went her way.