Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1904-05-26
can't boost you up to reach the jelly

I can't boost you up to reach the jelly
Jar"
So it is easy to see how the fall OF
Tatters came to our household like q
bolt out of a clear sky.
It was this way. Cousin Bernice had
canary. "Mr. Fitz;" that had the
prettiest songs and the most engaging
manners in the world. He was often
let out Of his cage, but Tatters had
been made to understand that it was
safer even to chase the neighbors'
chickens than to so much as bark at
Mr.. Fitz.
Late one autumn afternoon, while
Shazzar was playing with Bernice in
her yard, they heard an outcry such as
Tatters was wont to make when he
chased swallows OF settled accounts
with some other dog.
"That's Tatters," said Shazzar. Sure
enough, as he spoke the dog came bold
ly round the barn into the yard.
ooh, he's dot somefn' in his moufw
cried Bernice. "He's caught swal-
low, dess. Why, Tatters" But Tat
ters marched soberly up to her and
laid his lifeless prize down gently at
her feet. It was not swallow, it was
Mr.. Fih. For second poor Bernice
was too dazed to cry. Then she lifted
up her voice till Norah ran out to see
who was hurting that child.
It was then that something rose up
inside Daniel Belteshazzar. He
grabbed big stick and dealt Tatters
such blow that it knocked the dog
ten feet away, and as he picked him.
self up Shazzar rushed upon him again
and beat him out of the yard
."And if you ever come back here
| again. he shouted, 'I'll kill you,
| deadv'
TatterS fingered moment to see it
| it could really be true, but when Shaz-
| Ear threw the stick after him and
turned into the house. he sat down in
| the street, lifted up his nose and
howled.
Shazzar took no notice of him, so
with one last protesting yelp he limped
away toward the city.
That night Shazzar ate no supper.
He guessed he had q. sore throat. The
next day they buried Mr.. Fitz. When
the procession reached the burying-
ground, behind the barn, the bearers
suddenly rushed on ahead There in
the trampled grass lay scrubby little
dirty white dog, stone dead, with some
Of Mr.. Fitz's golden feathers still
clinging to his jaws. Daniel Belteshaz
Zar sat down on a rock and thought il
over bit. Then he clapped on his na1
and started for the house, forgetting
all about the funeral Of Mr.. FitZ. He
begged his father to go out with hin
and hunt for Tatters, and he was still
pleading when they finally tucked hin
into bed.
"'Cause, daddy, it wasn't latter!
that did it at all, it was that mis- s'abl,
white dog, and Tatters killed him 70,
it and brought Mr.. Fitz back to us jus
as carefully, and then-I-I-I-" ant
so he sobbed himself to sleep.
About a month later Shazzar's mann
ma. heard such a racket at the bacl
door that she ran to see what wa
going on. Out in the yard there was
gray mixture Of boy and dog, waltzin
together, while a whirlwind of littl
l girl circled round them. When they a
last separated themselves and set o1
on foraging expedition to the kitcI
en-, waving joyously to her as they di
so, she noticed that the dog was lea
+ and hollow and ragged. But his hea
l was up, and the same old tail wa
raised bravely to the breeze. He wa
/ himself again, was Tatters.-Youth'
I Companion.
s Obeyed Orders.