Evening journal., 1902-07-05
BiIIParSOn'S 'SCOIamn
Published Now and Then.
A Dogs Autobiography

| don't remember much about my
early days; in fact, don't care to re-
member them, but as l am TO write al
brief account of my life l suppose II
must tell something of my advent and
early surroundings.
The first thing l remember was an
alley, very dark and with many bad
smells. There wasn't much to eat, but
at night we used to hunt for the gar
bage cans, and sometimes we found a
crust in the street that some child
threw away. ] recall how | used to
watch the boys going to school with
their lunch baskets, and the smell from
them used to make my eyes water.
But ] stayed pretty close in that alley,
for when | got out my master would
find me and then l got kicked in the
stomach, and that hurts. Sometimes he
would stagger awfully, and then he was
worse than usual. But / loved him
and would have died for him. but l
could never explain it, but l guess its
the way dogs have
/ wasn't more than three months old
when occurred the greatest tragedy Of
my life. My mother came home one
morning early with a great hole in her
side. Some man had shot her, she said,
when she tried to get bone in his back
yard. She said she tried to- be careful,
but in getting over the fence, made a
noise. and the first thing she knew
she heard a shot and she knew She was
done for.
She died that day. and they took her
off in a cart along with a lot of rub
I. 10 I
of her But that wasn't the end of my
trouble; that afternoon my master
came out in the alley and there was a
man with a sack with him. He put all
my brothers and sisters in the sack,
and was just goingto catchme when my
master said: "Oh. leave the runt; he'll
do to keep the cats out of the yard -
And l never saw my brothers and sis
ters again. didn't know then that
they had been drowned. ( was 50
simple then.
Q @ @
Well that night l got hungry and
Lonesome, and about 10 O'Clock | start
ed cut for walk and to see if l could
find something to eat. | went up town
to a nice street, and after awhile / saw
an alley gate open, and l walked in. l
found a chunk of bread and was eat
ling it, when the wind slammed the
gate to and l was caught. | was never
so frightened in my life. but l thought
lTd wait till the milkman came in the
morning and I'd rush out. So / slept
on the door mat, but / didn't get much
lrest for l was uneasy. | knew that
people always kick strange dogs, unless
they shoot 'em.
Well as luck would have it, the
lmilkman left his bottles at the front
door, and so I couldn't get out. But
after awhile l saw a nice looking lady
open the door, and she looked and saw
me. and then I heard her say: "Joh1
come here; there's a strange dog in oul
yard" Well, John wasn't very cOmpli.
mentary, and wanted to give me to the
ldog catcher. but just then a nice little
girl came down and said poor doggie,
and she patted my head, and then hat
some breakfast, but they kept the gat'
closed.
DO you know I tried for a week t.
lget out and go back to my old master
D don't know why, but / did us dos
mature. I guess. But after awhile
lgave it up and fell in love with m.
new home. The girls name was Dor
othy. but they called her Dot" AM
she had a little brother who used t
pull my ears, but I didn't mind for h
Twas only in fun. l began to grow an
get strong, and someway l decided tha
life was worth living.
o Q @
But l must tell you what happene
! Ito me one day after | was two year