The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-12-30

HA<V arp
Ns the fudge continued his walk
down Main street. he wished
Z profoundly that the butterfly
(Which exhibited no annoyance)
had been Of greater bulk and more APP
proachable; and it was the evil for
tune of Joe's mongrel to encounter
him in the sinister humor OF such a
wish unfulfIled
Responsibility dwelt at Beaver Beach
under the care of Mr.. Sheehan until his
master should return; and Sheehan was
kind: but the small dog found the
world lonely and time long without
joe He had grown more and more
restless, and at last. this hot morning,
having mana ged to evade the eye of ali
concerned in his keeping, made of I'M
obstrusively, partly by swimming, and
reaching the road. cantered into town.
his ears erect with anxiety. Bent upon
reaching the familiar Office. he passed
the grocery from the doorway OF which
the pimply-c checked clerk had thrown
q bad potato at him a month before
The same clerk had just laid down the
Tocsin as Respectfully went by and
inspired to great deeds in behalf of
Justice and his native city. he rushed
to the door, lavishly seized, this time.
a perfectly good potato and hurled it
with result which ecstasized him, for
it took the mongrel fairly aside the
head, which it matched in size.
The luckless Responsibilities purpose
TO reach Joes stairway had been en-
tirely definite, but upon this violence
he forgot ii momentarily. IT is not
easy to keep things in mind when one
is violently smitten on mouth. nose.
cheek, eye and ear by missile large
enough 10 strike them simultaneously
Yelping and half blinded, he detected
to cross Main street. Judge Pike had
elected to cross in the opposite direc-
ton, and the two met In the middle of
the street.
The encounter was miracuiously fit-
ted to the Judges need: here was no
butterfly, but solid body light withal,
a wet, muddy and dusty yellow dog
eminentiy kiciSable. The man was
heavily built about the legs, and the
vigor of what he did may have been
additionally inspired by his recognition
OF the mongrel as Joe Louden's. The
impact OF his toe upon the little rum
ner's side was momentous, and
the latter rose in the air. The
Judge hoped. as one who. un-
shod in the night, discovers
an unexpected chair. Let us be
reconciled to his pain and not reproach
the gods with it--for two of his unin-
tending adversarys ribs were cracked
AHr dOSs mus again utIeCleu, re-
traced his tracks, shrieking distracted
ly, and. by one of those ircnical twists
which Karma reserves for the tails OF
the fated. dived for blind safety into
the store commanded by the ecstatic
and inimica1 clerk. There were shouts,
the sleepy square beginning to wake
up: the boy who had Knocked the plan
ing mill got to his feet, calling upon
his fellows: the bench loafers stroIied
TO the street: the aged men stirred and
rose from their chairs; faces appeared
in the open windows of offices; sales
ladies and gentlemen came to the door,
ways OF the trading places: so that
when Responsibility emerged from the
grocery he had notable audience for
the scene he enacted with brass din
ner-bell tied to HIS tail.
Another potato. flung by the pimpIed,
uproarious. prodigal clerk. added to the
impetus Of his flight. A shower of
pebbles from the hands of exhiiarated
boys denied the soft asphalt about
him; the hideous clamor OF the pursue
ing bell increased as he turned the next
corner, running distractedly. The dead
town had come to life, and It's inhab-
itants gladly risked the dangerous heat
In the interests OF sport, whereby it
was merry chase the little dog led
around the block. For thus some de-
structive instinct drove him; he could
not stop with the indispensable Terror
changing at his heels and the increas-
ing crowd yelling in pursuit; but he
turned TO the left at each corner, and
thus came back TO pass Joe's stairway
again, unable to pause there or any
where. unable to do anything except