The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1902-09-18

IN N AY cats scratch her and fleas
I'M bite her!" said Doc, sudden
ly raising his nose from his
paws and looking at me with
his great brown eyes. Doc, be it OBJ
served, is dog.
"Why, what has she done to you?" L
asked.
"She rubs my hair the wrong
way" shifted Doc, shortly, sinking his
muzzle between his paws again, and
furtively watching an audience fly
buzzing near.
Literally or fguratively ?" queried,
lazily watching the quiver of his wrin-
killed. eyebrow.
"Both," he snarled, at the same time
his jaws came together with a hollow
sound, with the fly somewhere between
them.
perhaps the destruction of the fly
had something to do with restoring
Docs equanimity, for when he spoke
again it was with embarrassment rath-
or than ill-humor that he said: cit
isn't a very gallant thing for fellow
to say, and it sounds deuced egotistic,
but that woman is harder to get rid of
than burr in settlers tail. Pm sure
I've given her no encouragement, for
she has acted in her foolish fashion
from the first day I saw her. l was
lying on the rug in the parlor, and
was tagged out, having accepted Mr..
Arthur's invitation in the morning to
go out with him on his wheel. Con-
found the man! he nearly ran my legs
off. Well, as was saying, 1 was real
ay as tired as the pug generally appears
to be, and 1 paid no attention to
Estelle's visitors, knowing that I was
not expected to entertain them. But
the moment she enters the room, what
does this young woman do-her name
is Mary Ellen, by the way, Mary Ellen
Mortimer, and I think she's sort of
a dachshund, for her hair is red and
she has about as much shape-what
does she do but fall into ecstacies, for
'sooth, over me. Really, it was dread
fully embarrassing. 'What a pretty
fellowt What nice old boy she
yelped. 1 pretended to be asleep, but
she seemed to have no more sense than
a poodle. Come, old fellow, nice old
fellowl Isn't he just to sweet? What's
his name, Estelle? Well, him is ze
sweetest, bootifulest old boy they is, so
him is
"Now you know Pm right in my
prime, and have not gray hair on me,
excepting my feet, the tip of my tail,
and a star on my breast. And if
were old, what would be the sense of
talking puppy-talk to me? Of course,
I'm used to being admired by the ladies
Il can't tell why; suppose it's my
high-bred bearing-but, hang it!
why can't they see that a fellow must
have some time to himself?
81 pretended not to notice that she
was making herself ridiculous, when
over she came and commenced to pat
me. What do you think of that?"
"Oh, maybe she did not mean any
thing by it." said, soothingly.
"Didn't mean anythingw growled
Doc. "What would you have thought
if she had done it to your What would
Mr.. Arthur say if she had pranced up,
without so much as an introduction,
and slapped him in the ribs? It's non
sense to suppose she didn't mean any
thingp'
"What did you do2" asked, anx-
ious to turn his indignation away from
me.
"Do? What could do? I thumped
the floor with my tail few times, just
for politeness' sake; but anyone could
see there was no fervency in it. She
uttered few more imbecilities, and
then she commenced to stroke my hair.
and to stroke it backwards"
"WellP" remarked, for Doc seemed
to have reached q period.
"Welll'' he retorted, "what would you
have dona?"