The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-02-02
LOVE OF A DOG

little animal fo- the master OF MolLal :
son.
Grips was an Irish terrier pup, not a
thoroughbred, though behind him was
theb reeding of the great Mary Queen
strain. He stood for a moment after that
great kick on his little :ait-foTmed side,
and, puppy-like he thought TO himself:
Maybe I'm not full bred, yet the master
of Moffat is master here and the mas
tiers son is breed o. the bread and / have
not whimpered ana maybe
But he got no further. for the voice
came again: Get in your little cur, Fox
hey, and keep the little Brute inside your
stable" This to the head stableman.
VERY good, SIR came the answer, and
Cripps lay down to ponder further on the
stupidity Of pups
Grips snub-nosed, yellow haired,
Grips, snub nosed, yellow haired,
bright-eyed, understood from that time,
human-like, everything you said to him.
Ee loved Foxley he loved the master
of Moffat, but over and above all he
loved the masters son. Why, nobody
knew.
Jack Lindsay, the masters son, was not
a favorite He had naturally Unborn,
cruel nature; he had been tease as a
boy; he had grown to be a bully. Hand
some, tail, outstanding as all of his race,
dark-eyed black-haired, 1.-THE OF limb, at
q he was the catch Of the county. but ne
wasn't liked, saved Y his father, who
sdored him, and the men who spent his
money freely.
Mothers of many daughters kept their
eyes on him. and girls too young to know
an Unborn, vicious nature thought per-
haps too much of Jack Other women
there We're who saw more, yet cared less.
Grips grew apace. Strong-limbed big
NAV, with a solid, muscular body, strong
clean legs, he came to be a perfect type
OF dog. He took his exercise manlike.
He bathed. he ran, he kept himself in
Perfect condition. When it was neces-
sary to fight. he fought; if he could keep
from it, like gentleman, he did so, 9th
erwise he killed.
Almost against himself, the masters
son got to like him. 1t was. hard to bat
tie with such affection. No matter how
many the kicks no matter how many
the blows, the dog, partly grown, would
side away and come back smiling.
One fear he had. The master gave a
dinner in rooms at oxford one night. The
Bottle straveleu freely, and after the
liable had been cleared Lleyellyn. boon
companion and an amateur boxer of some
note, suggested d bout. Lindsay took
him up himself no slouch and soon the
men had the room cleared and the two
went at it.
a al feyIaf hex-
shifting of a big red body in Jack Lind
sey's corner, the gradually spreading
muscles of the great forelegs, the bris-
Ting of crisp hair the glistening Of eyes
quickly becoming bIoodshot
An uppercut took Lindsey fair and
square under the right side of the jaw
There was a cry, Look out for
Grips ana the big dog was in midair
with a howl Of fury
Quick as a flash Lindsay had recovered
and caught the dog midway with heavy
right. 1t caught him fair on the nozzle
and threw him half way across the room
He lay there stunned. The men stood
still for a minute. The room took on a
great silence
Then Lindsey went quickly 10 him.
In his lap, saying. Poor old man, God
knows ! didn't mean that to be so hard
Grips looked up through blood and
foam. smiled and licked a blood mark on
Lindsey's hand. Never again but once did
he face a fist glove or bare.
There was ont a dry eye that night as
they made the young hero comfortable
lie sighed with satisfaction. sorely hurt
as he was, that he had saved the mas
ter's' son.
From that time Grips never left Jack
He grew with him and became Of him ii
part. As he gathered years he took ON
knowledge and loved the blue sky. the
green fields. the water, the universe it
self. with all its heaith-giving properties
One fear only he had and that we knew
about.
And Jack. Jack loved him in his way.
a careless way; loved him enough 30 have
him always witn him But Grips loved
as a woman loves. He loved jealousy,
fercely, sometimes savagely. but always
molly. The dog never let Jack remember
the sIur Of his babyhood or the knockout
blow of his youth. He loved and all he
asked was love in return.
He didn't mind blows if there was a
cares to follow. He took his lickings
cheerfully because kind word would
come his way later. lie never VIII mpered. .
His creed was sacred to him.
When he was alone he did his dearest I
He pondered on his past and
figured on his future. but most of all he
thought of his love of the masters son .
and how he could best keep that love in /
tact.
Those were the days of his youth
dreams when he was growing to his .
and Jack began TO think of
marrying.
But on the great lawns at the grange 1
the boar frost slistened and there com /
pact and massive stood CTipps. gazing .
out into the west-what, a nothing. "a gap F.
ing void. Something had happened weeks f.
before. and today was the marriage day +
and his strong. great love had gone for (
nothing somehow. Some one had como .
a sweet. pretty. clear-eyed girl. 4
whom Jack loved best loved him. bat .
whom Jack loved best when he wasn't .
around.
This, was their wedding day; all he .
knew was that something strange had /
been going on. There had been the laugh /
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