The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1901-06-20

~ 80 =. Et x -
This is Q story ola dog that saved o
man and his wife from the poorhouse.
The dog paid the rent. bought medicine
for sick woman. kept the table going
for month, and even put shoes on
his masters feet.
Flash is the name of the dog, and he
Is fox terrier. How he performed
these remarkable things is best told
by his owner.
MY wife and l came to Chicago
about four months ago from st. Louis"
he said. 1--WE had been married only
a short time when I lost my position
as drug clerk. / tried for two weeks
to get work at any kind Of employment,
but was unable to find anything to
earn dollar at. So we decided to pick
up and come to Chicago. Upon our ar
rival here we got three rooms for 81 q
month and settled down to housekeep-
ing as soon as the furniture arrived.
1T was right after the holidays that
we landed here, and found the drug
business even slower In Chicago than
it was in st. Louis. There were a few
advertisements In the papers from day
to day for drug clerks, but It was al
ways my luck to be too late After
the second week l began to answer any
kind of an advertisement of help want
ed. Being stranger in the city l had
difficulty in looking up places, and !
was slow in getting to addresses be-
cause I did not want to spend any
money for car fare. When l arrived
here had less than $50. and the little
pile was growing smaller day by day.
and by the end Of March our money
was about gone.
Nov Ill tell you about the dog. He
Is one that my wife raised from a pup
ny. wanted to sell him to a friend
in st. Louis when we left, but the wife
wouldn't listen to it. She said she
wouldn't come to Chicago unless Flash
came with her. He Is a pedigreed fox
and Is worth $25 Of anybOdy's money.
TT was election day. the I'd of April
Il will never forget it-that my wife
tied blue ribbon round the dogs neck
and told me to take him out and sell
him. We were fiat broke and she
thought could get at least $40 for the
dog. She cried a.little when l left
home. and it seemed as IL the dog knew
what was going on. brought him
down to Madison, and Dearborn streets,
and wasn't there two hours before l
sold him. He is such prettily marked
little fellow that everybody who pass
ed stopped to look at him. l set a
price Of $40 on him, because knew
nobody would pay more than that.
More than fifty persons asked me the
price and when would tell them they
would walk away, saying. he's nice
dog. but / don't care to pay that much.
I finally came down to S., because the
wife was sick and In need of medicine,
and thought best to get 1t as soon as
possible. A woman with gold-bowed
spectacles bought him and. took him
home. I didn't ask her where she liv-
ed, and don't know to this day.
The second day after that the dog
returned home. Where he came from
or how he got back 1 don't know. My
wife was SO glad to see him that she
forgot her sickness for awhile. She
was fOndling the dog and talking baby
talk to him when the thought occur
red to me to take him out and sell him
ro;p mo Who bo,ll r,,v, n yves fro,x, b;c
next master and come back to us
again, I said to the wife, and we both
laughed heartily. took the dog down
town in the afternoon and had no trou-
BILE In selling him again for S.. The
next morning before we were up he
was back at the little fat on Center
avenue. He seemed to understand why
he was being sold, and he expressed
his approval Of the scheme by laugh
ing and talking. That may sound
strange to some people who do not IN
derstand dogs. but it is a fact that dogs
laugh and talk just the same as human
beings.
During the month Of April sold the
dog seven times. getting IS for him
each time. II it hadn't been for him
we certainly would have been COM
PEELED to apply to the county agent for
relief. The wife was in need OF medi-
cal attention. and 1t is probable she
would have had to go to the poorhouse.
The $35 got for the dog paid the rent
and all other expenses. besides buying
| a pair of shoes for me. Isgot a posi-
ton the first Of May, and i guess we
win have smooth sailing from now on.
An the money In the world would not
induce my wife or myself to part with
the dog. who really saved us from the
poorhouse" Chicago Inter Ocean.