The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-07-13

side. To my surprise, he stopped dead
short in his recitation and blushed-
Vest his weather beaten. grizzly old
face actually turned scarlet
Miss Woodhurst appeared to be SUD
timely unconscious of what was going
on her attention being entirely oceu-
pied by the dog, whom she seemed to
regard as a being of a higher sphere
Isn't he dear old thing?" she Wllls-
pered in an awe stricken voice
should like to buy him..
IF you buy the dog. you'll have to
take the old man. too" 1 remarked;
You can't have one without the other-
s'Ohl L don't want the old man,
she said, glancing. with little shrug
OF horror at old Billy.
I 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 a scarlet patch appeared
on 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-
s'What is the name of that dog! she
said presently, making a great effort 10
..They cali him Alcibiades." I said,
spea king lightly, to help her to regain
her eomposure He's ola IN SIN anu ~
.sAnd-and the old man?'' she said
Observation-Disclosures Billy-a very
good old boy, too, in spite of his faults
.-TIe happens to be my father" she
said.
This was rather a shock. but. of
course, / evinced no surprise, but re-
caived the news as if it We're quite nat
ural for a we'll dressed young lady, nv
ing in The Drive, to have a father VINO
ran a performing dog show on the Deach
II am rather upset about It. she
II think you ought to be very glad to
find him. 1 ventured-
I'm glad to hear you say that. she
4 T0T1
think the opposite. viii you help me.
What ought / to do2"
It appeared that her mother had died
when she was six years OF age, ana
from that time until she was eleven her
father neglected her so shamefully
that at last her mothers brother inter
fered and took her away. She could
vaguely recollect her father buying Al
cibiades as a pup. The old man was
then going downhi1 fast, and had prac-
tically lost all self-respect. She nad
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. Her uncle had
died and left her well provided for, AMI
she was anxious to do the right thing
for the old man-and, in fact more
than the right thing. She was living
with a maiden aunt. the only other rel
alive 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 1 could do almost
what I liked with him.
So without telling Miss Woodhurst
anything of my intention, I sought the
old vagabond out that night at his
lodgings, and arrived just in time To
prevent a drinking bout
After giving him a good shaking up,
morally and physically, a proceeding
which rather puzzled Alcibiades, who
hardly knew whether to applaud my eff
forts or lay hold of my leg, I proceed
ed to sound him on the subject of his
daughter.
Now, there was on redeeming feature
in old Billy's characterize was not ex-
actly 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 scorll.
mo, my boy he said bitterly, T
treated the girl badly, and I'm not go
ing to blackmail her, and be beastly
nuisance. Tomorrow morning the dog
and I viii 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 oId-and then I shall go to the
workhouse, and no one will be a penny
the worse"
Then I approached the matter in a
different spirit, and told him that the
girl wanted a father just as badly as
he want a home, and that he would
have to shake off his vagabOnd ways
and be man.
Finally, took him into the town, and
had him grOOmed down and decently
clothed, and the change was so remark
able that, when we three-Billy, the
dog, and walked along the Parade
next morning no one would have recog-
nized the old Snowman.
It was great occasion, for we met
a certain dignified self-possessed little
lady, who put her dignity and self-pos-
session on one side, and, greatly to the
amazement Of a 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
had never before seen in the eyes of
any woman during the five and thirty
years had been knocking about in the
world.
And I have only one more remark to
add about Alcibiades. the wily-since
that moment he has never performed
trick. No coaxing or persuading viii
induce that cunning old rascal to die
for his country, or even accept 2 cake
on trust. He seems to quite understand
that he has retired from the profession,
and like a wise dog he declines to ap-
pear as an amateur
NO Such Trapeze Performance.
IFrom the Chicago Record Herald
Say Josiah frs 2ool- 4or77r,