The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-09-09
PATSY DOODLE.
BY HARRIET BATCHELoR BRAD
 NEn.

BY HARRIET BATCHEL0R BRAD NER. Hadiey's horse was stepping slowly down the country road. with an oc- casional toss of his high bred head whenever q familiar fly alighted on his glossy coat The reins lay inertly in the young doctors hands, for his mind was far afeld. After a long silence he turned to the girl beside him and asked in voice that he could not keep quite steady
 "Your answer is final, then? You won't marry mel And you--you don't love mep' he added with a helpless movement of his head. why. Eliza beth. I can't realize it, I really can not" and the blue eyes he turned on her were full of tears.
 'T-Edward," she began, Edward, I can't bear to hurt you, but" and her voice lost itself in q quick sob.
 The young man put uuivering hand over the ones she had locked in her lap.
 Don't cry, little Bess." he said hus- kily. ''it hurts me terribly to sec you. If you can't love me, you can't, I sup pose, and I'll have to bear it like many another man. But I--well, loved you so much that it didn't seem possible that you could help liking me-just a little"
 That this humble. suffering man could be the same, cold, unmoved per son who had. only short time since, with such reluctance and i'll concealed impatienee. left her for the bedside of dying old woman, seemed incredi- ble to Elizabeth. But she chung to her decision to give him up, a course of action made imperative by the dic- tates of her reason, so she answered hesitatingly:
 Tin so sorry, Edward-but I can't
 They rode along in silence. the thor oughbred moving with nearly noiseless steps, and sas they were turing an abrupt bend in the road half a mile farther down, thin groan struck up from the tall wayside weeds. Hadley brought his horse to a standstill by violent jerk.
 What's thatr he asked sharply. '.Iistenp
 Again the sound was repeated--a faint piteous note of pain.
 "It's a baby" declared Elizabeth, trembling, and it's hurt"
 Hadley was already poised between the wheels of the runabout and in an instant was striding through the long grass which he suddenly stopped to part. After an appreciable space, he strengthened up and held out hand to Elizabeth, who had followed him, and the girls fingers closed tightly over 1t as she leaned forward to peer into the grass.
 'oh, Ned, a puppyr she exclaimed. relief and fresh pity blending in her voice, for at their feet lay poor lit- tie morsel of dog. His little black nose was dry and bleached with pain and the soft, curly white of his hair, through which the skin showed faintly pink, was soiled by blood and dirt, and saddest of all. one tiny hind leg lay k.N
 some brute has run over him and chucked him In the gutter to die," Hadley' said between his teeth. T on- ly wish l knew who 1t was"
 In a moment he stopped and slip ping his hands under the little crea- ture. raised him with gentleness of movement that was revelation to Elizabeth and which filled her eyes with sudden tears.
 "I'lI have to ask you to drive" said the doctor as he got in the runabout after her; Tit would hurt cruelty to put him down." And then as he saw the anxious questioning of her eyes, he answered: T think l can fix him up all right. The leg Is badly broken, but he's so young l think 1t will mend quickly" He fell to watching the quivering heart beat against the tiny ribs. The tip of a pale little tongue just showed in the dry mouth and great brown ear fringed with black dropped listlessly against the white pulsing throat.
 Isn't he beautiful?' sighed the girl. How like a little hurt child he looksI What does make people so careless and so cruel?" As she turned her head sor- rowfully away her glance fell upon small boy standing by the roadside.
 Little boy" she called. stopping the horse, do you know whose dog this ls?"
 A pair of stolid eyes were obsdiently focused upon the puppy.
 Yep" he announced after mo- ment's survey. that's Sammy Cases Patsy Doodle No. you can't find Sammy; him an his maw moved to Plattsyille day for yeste'day-she's a widow woman. Course they didn't take him--dorgs is too easy got-an' they had 'nough to cart along 'ithout Patsy Doodle. Why, they had three" but her interest in the Casey's move ments having been satisfied, Elizabeth suddenly touched the horse with the whip, and in a moment they had left the discoursive urchin far behind.
 Once in Hadley's office the little dog was deposited upon the table and his broken leg bound up with deft and