The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-11-18
Ole
KILLING of Storm.
Not Tragedy After All, and No One Can
Explain Why.

What stormy night that was!--
with wind in gusts and the rain in
splashes! We had heard mournful
cry in deserted causeway, and at the
door found a woOlly puppy, rolled up
like a hedgehog, very wet and shiv-
cry. But at last the long black curls
dried out, the big overgrown feet
spread sleepily over the hearth rug,
and the blue eyes closed in a puppy $
glad dream.
The children fed him by hand on
minced bread and milk, and soon his
puppyhood waved into doghood, In
the daytime they coaxed him into the
garden. One excursion up and down
stairs tired him so that he was glad
to sleep for hours, and so was out of
mischief. The cat, who was taller,
towering over the new conner by a
head, abused him shamefully, and the
children had to look sharp to keep her
claws out of his eyes. For all OF this
the dog repaid her with interest, later
on, when the tables Of size were turn
ed. When he came his neck could be
spanned by a gold bracelet 1t six
months he had attained the dignity of
a collar and tag, for he was now
large enough to be attractive to the
dog-catchers.
They called him Storm, because he
came in one; and when he bit holes
in the stockings and playfully tore the
clothes from the line, or dug up the
roses in his hours of ease looking
for last weeks bone at the root, and
capped the climax of his mischief by
chewing up the shawl guest had
ung before the fire to dry, his mis-
ess thought him well named
He was certainly bouncing fellow.
yhen the children were st school, he
ode like monarch on the seat of
coal wagon, barking ferociously at all
! dogs afoot. But however far he was
from home, he never failed to meet
the children at the gate at 3 o'clock.
He had regular engagement, and
marvellous sense of time.
AS years went by Storm reached the
limit of his infrmities. He was so
crippled that he could scarcely walk.
In his sleep he groaned dismally One
I day family council was called, and
II was decided that it was cruel to let
poor old Storm live longer. All the
dog powders and remedies had been
tried There had been all sorts of dog
cakes, and finally the family doctor
had been called in.
The mistress declared that Storms
groans made her heart ache, but she
1astened to add that she could not
act as executioner. The boys made
excuses to leave the room, and came
back coughing ostentatiously The
neighbors were appealed to, and at
last one with a sufficiently hard heart
was found. This was the grown son
of a farmer who lived too far away
to have known Storm at all well.
He came down one morning armed
with his fathers double-barreled duck
ing gun. He marched. up boldly
enough TO where Storm was lying,
but. stranger as ne was to the dog, he
could not withstand the pathetic look
of appeal that come from the soft eyes
of the faithful old animal. He lowered
his gun and valiantly faced those few
of his friends who had followed him
to the yard because they knew his
nerve would fail him in the end.
II was finally decided that poor old
Storm should die of prussic acid. This
was chosen because it was quick and
certain. and the girl messenger cried
all the way to the drug store and
back. The druggist said that singie