Free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1888-1908, 1903-02-28
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The Work of the Puppy
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Mr.. John Preston was in a discon-
tented and uncertain frame of mind.
He told himself a dozen times over
that he had been very badly treated;
that life was blank.
Mr.. John Preston had been (and
still was, for the matter OF that hon
estly in love with little Lucy Minton.
But there had come time when
John wanted his way. and Lucy knew
that she meant to have hers. John
Preston had gone on in a rage-and
had cooled five minutes afterward,
when it was too late.
Il never want to see you again-it
has all been a mistake" Miss Minton
had declared. 81 sincerely hope, for
your own sake, that you viii find
some one who will understand you"
There are quite a number of people
in this world ready to be sympathetic
on an emergency; when the emer-
gency comes you wonder why you
haven't thought of them, and begin to
see virtues in them they never before
possessed.
There was Miss Clara Harcourt, for
instance. True, she was reported to
have a temper but Clara HarcOurt
thought we'll of him; there was much
in that.
During three days Mr.. John Pres
ton thrust out of his mind the image
of Lucy Minton and resolutely held
before him that of Clara Harcourt. On
that third evening he came out of his
office into the raw air, and thought
for a moment what hideous place
the city was.
He came to a long, narrow street,
with various articles hanging outside
the shops for sale, and with other
streets opening from it. Wandering
aimIessly and stopping now and then
to look at the shops, he came to one
the window of which was fitted with
small cages holding birds. From in
side came a noise of barking and yelp-
ing, mingled with the twitter of many
birds.
And that was where he saw the
puppy. The puppy was not associated
in any way with ordinary puppies, or
even ordinary dogs; he had cage to
himself. And as John Preston stop
ped to look at the shop his eyes were
on q level with those OF the puppy.
He was a nondescript sort OF fellow.
that puppy. In a word, he may be said
to have been all head, like a species
of hairy tadpole. and to have had no
legs to speak Of.
Nice dawg for a lady, SIR" sug
gested man in his shirt sleeves, who
lounged out through the doorway at
that moment. "'E's a 'andsome dawg.
that"
ssI Sb0,,Id ScorcoIxy bayo BALLAD H.,
handsome" said John Preston, with a
smile.
You take i'm in your lands, sir"
urged the man, opening the cage, and
hauling out the puppy unceremonious-
ly. Feel rs teeth, SIR
Not desiring to appear an amateur,
Mr.. John Preston felt his teeth; and,
incidentally. the puppy. not to be out
done in courtesy, felt" Mr.. Preston's
finger.
On the man urging again that this
was really very good dog Mr.. Pres
ton remembered that Miss Clara Har-
court had once said that she loved
dogs; this should be propitiatory gift
An excuse for calling that night
So the puppy was bundled uncere-
monious1y into a basket, and fastened
down with skewer, as though he had
been so much meat; the price was
paid and Mr.. John Preston walked
away with him, wondering a little.
before he had gone a hundred yards,
why he had bought him at ALL
He wondered still more, during the
next half hour. because the puppy
kicked. More than that, he wriggled
a blunt little nose out of one corner
OF the basket and yelped.
Finally, in desperation, Mr.. John
Preston boarded a car and there the
real trouble began.
The car had just started, when the
puppy announced who he was. and
where he was, by series of yelps that