Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1902-01-08
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!; Amusing Adventures Of
] Cupid, a Colonel and
] Some Pug Days -. !
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1eS, papa.
''rhat Internal dog Of your
"Oh, papa"
Yes that Internal dog of yours has
been at my carnations againr'
Colonel Reynolds glared sternly across
the table at Miss Sylvia Reynolds, and
Miss Sylvia Reynolds looked in a depre-
catory manner back at Colonel Reynolds.
while the dog in question: foppish pug
happening to meet the colonel's eye in
transit crawled unostentatiously under
the sideboard and began to wrestle with
bad conscience.
"0h. naughty Tommyr' said Miss
Reynolds mildly, in the direction of the
sideboard.
"Yes, my dear" assented the colonel,
"and II you could convey to him the in
formation that IL he does it once more
yes. just once more-I shall shoot him on
the spot. you would be doing him kind
ness" And the colonel bit a large eres-
cent out OF his toast with all the energy
and conviction OF man who has thor
oughly made up his mind. AT G o'clock
this morning." continued he In a voice of
gentle melancholy. 81 happened to look
out of my bedroom window aasb saw him.
He had then destroyed two fVmy best
plants and was commencing on a third,
with every appearance of self satisfac-
ton. | threw two large brushes and a
boot at him"
"Oh, papa! They didn't hit him?"
mo, my dear. they did not. The
brushes missed him by several yards. and
the boot smashed fourth carnation.
However was so fortunate as to attract
his attention, and he left off"
81 can't think what makes him do 1t.
| suppose it's bones. He's got bones
buried all over the garden"
WELL II he does 1t again you'll find
that there will be a few more bones
buried in the garden" said the colonel
grimly, and he subsidized into his paper.
Sylvia loved the dog partly for it's own
sake. but principally for that of the giver.
one Reginald Dallas. whom it had struck
at an early period of their acquaintance
that he and Miss Sylvia Reynolds were
made for one another. In communicating
this discovery to Sylvia herself he had
found that her views upon the subject
were identical with his own, and all
would have gone well had it not been for
a melancholy accident.
One day while out shooting with the
colonel. with whom he was doing his best
to ingratiate himself with view to OBJ
tanning his consent to the match, he had
allowed his sporting instincts to carry
him away to such degree that, in sport
ing parlance. he wiped his eye badly.
Dallas being in especially good form, it
was found when the bag came to be
counted, that while he had shot seventy
brace the colonel had managed to secure
only five and a half!
The colonel's bad craftsmanship de-
stroyed the last remnant of his temper.
He swore for half an hour in Hindoo-
stance and for another half hour in Eng
lish After that he felt better. And
when at the end of dinner Sylvia came
TO him with the absurd request that she
might marry Mr.. Reginald Dallas he did
not have fit. but merely signifed in
fairly moderate terms his entire and abb
solute refusal to think OF such thing.
This had happened a month before,
and the pug, which had changed hands in
the earlier days of the friendship. still re-
manned, at the imminent risk of his life,
to soothe Sylvia and madden her father.
The day after the conversation above
recorded had taken place a terrible trag-
edy had occurred.
The colonel. returning from poor
days shooting, observed through the
mist that was beginning to rise a small
form busily engaged in excavating in the
precious ca>nation bed Slipping in
cartridge, he fired, and the skill which
had deserted him during the day came
back to him. There was a yelp, then
silence, and Sylvia. rushing out from
the house. found the luckless Thomas
breathing his last on a heap of uprooted
carnations.
The news was not long in spreading.
The cook told the postman, and the post
man thoughtfully handed it on the serv-
ants at the rest of the houses on his
round. By noon it was public property,
and in the afternoon. at various times
from 2 to .. nineteen young men were
struck. quite independently of one an
other. with brilliant idea.
The result of this idea was apparent
on the following day.
as this all?" asked the colonel of the
servant as she brought in couple Of
letters at breakfast time.
There's . hamper for Miss Sylvia,
sir"
a hamper. is there? Well, bring it
in"
III you please. sir, there's several of
them"
what? Several? How many are
there?'
"Nineteen, sir" said Mary, restraining
with some difficulty an inclination to
giggle.
"Eh? What? Nineteen? Nonsense!
Where are theyT
"We've put them in the coachhouse
for the present. sir. And, il you please.
sir. cook says she thinks there's some
thing alive in them"
Something alive"
ayes, sir. And John says he thinks
it's dogs, sir"
The colonel uttered a sound that was
almost a bark and, followed by Sylvia,
rushed TO the coachhouse. There, sure
enough, as far as the eye could reach.
were the hampers, and. as they looked.
a sound proceeded from one of them that
was Enthusiastically the plaintive note of
a dog that has been shut up and is get
ting tired of il.
Instantly the other eighteen hampers