The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1905-11-18

feeling, somehow, Of always having lived
amongst his intellectual interiors. He
smacked of the Y NJ. c. A. and Chau-
tauqua evening classes. You know how
despise that kind of canned equivalent for
the real thing, yet with him was conscious
of feeling sort of pity. Mr.. Haggity
struck me as man Of fine mind, in
herently capable and broad and big, who,
in his poor, self-made career, had been
handed out more mental stones than mental
bread He hadn't quite reached the place
of being able to tell the difference, though
he was dumbly conscious of preferring in
tellectual planked shadr'
$50 you spread your little table and
gave him some.
"Well, you know, Freddy, l really rather
liked doing it. He was plainly worth a
little trouble so | just gave him a solid
hour, and then sent him out to play He
was very self effacing man, and never
came near me unless | encouraged him;
but he was always around somewhere near,
licking up the crumbs After while they
nick named him my Old Dog Tray, and
one night Mr.. Powell put paper dog
collar on him and paper chain, aDd led
him up to me before everybody He was
SO overcome, poor fellow, and blushed up
to the ears, but patted him on the head
he has such nice, wayy hair-and [
whispered | was quite proud of him. In
deed | was (except for his feet), for it
showed he was learning his lessons, and
had risen TO the heights of taking joke.
Three DAYS before it would have killed him
dead but now he wore it all evening, and
barked few embarrassed barks just to
prove how he had thrown himself into the
spirit of the thing
1T was on Friday | shot him. That
awful Friday Della Enfield and | were
practising at target with little twenty
two ctliber when he came trailing along,
smoking cigar, and pretending to be
quite surprised to see us. was just about
taking my shot when Della cried out to
him to stand where he was. He answered
90 ahead, or something like that, and
strolled nearer the target. | suppose he
meant it sort of compliment to me, you
know, meaning was such a good shot and
all that and, indeed, he had some right
to think himself safe, considering he was
about twenty feet this side of 1.-THE tar
get | mean. So | raised my rife, pulled
the trigger, and hit him in the leg.
"'When l opened my eyes, he was seated
on the grass cutting the trousers off his
knee with penknife. 1t was wonderful
how cool and nice and matter of-fact he was
about it,
80 1 guess you We fetched Old Tray,
he said, trying to smile, and in so quiet
a voice | hadn hint of what was the
matter.
You We shot him, cried Della, the
tears streaming down her face. Can you
imagine my ahject shame and misery? |
ran up to him and tried to help, but he
made out it was ouly scratch, and went
on smoking his cigar Call some of the
men aud get a bottle of whisky, he said
after moment, giving me regular Old
Dog Tray look, it was 50 generous and
kind Della flew off, while staid by him
in perfect agony, for he was getting paler
and paler, and finally wobbled over and lay
his whole length on the ground. But even
then he kept telling me not TO mind, and
made a forlorn little compliment about
having been shot first by my eyes and then
with my gun Said, too, I'd probably al
ways remember him now, which was more
than he could ever have hoped before In
fact he acted beautifully, and almost made
it oat favor | had shot him. And then
they carried him back to the house in
long chair and sent for the doctor.
He was on his back for an intermin-
able time, with two trained nurses sent up
to take care of him | begged Mrs. Mel
ton Powell to let me stay on, too, and
naturally made it my business to be as good
to him as possibly could. He liked being
read to, for one thing, and then he had
tremendous correspondence that | took
charge Of, and wrote to his dictation. Con-
ceivS what an insight it gives you to write
all a man letters for him Letters to his
mother, his brother at college, his partner,
his clients, political constituents and friends.
Beautiful, tender letters, many Of them
so much better expressed then he ever
talked and they pieced together for me
the portrait of a man of singular nobility,
a half-mute Milton, who needed but few
ripening years to take high aud conspie
uous place,
Your knee is bad place to be shot in,
and in his case complication set up, and
for few days il was touch and go whether
they wouldn't have to amputate, They
tried to keep this from me, of course, but
knew what was meant when they had
consultation with several great doctors from
New York. | stood outside the door,
trembling, while they were examining him
and making up their minds. If their YER
diet had been against him, guess [ d have
gone out and thrown myself into the lake!
But they all went off in special train,
with three large checks, and said he might
keep his old leg | went in to see him
shortly afterwards, and if there were ever
two happy people in the world it was he
and l. was almost too happy to speak
even, and when | took his hand that he
held out to me and tried to, the words
simply wouldn't come. He said some
thing about Old Tray being out of the
woods now, and then broke down, too,
while | just fell on my knees beside the
bed and cried and cried and cried 4 * r
and when got up y = 4 we were en-
gagged.
Son the whole, | think | was pretty
lucky to shoot Old Tray =
Confesses To Land Frauds.