The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-10-16

Upon one of our principal streets
last week there was weeping and
wailing of children and grown folks
because of sudden and untimely
death of one as true and gentle and
brave as could be found In all the city.
He fell by the hand Of an assassin.
Some miserable coward bushwhacked
him. and If the people on DeMers
avenue and on 5th street or the Man
About Town ever find the killer, he
will experience serious trouble.
Who was killed? Only dog named
Guess. a somewhat hOmely Scotch ter
rier But he had the blood of gentle
man dog in him. and was the superior
of his two legged slayer. Only dog!
But how many times do we find dog
who is better than many men? This
little dog was never out ut night, he
never got drunk, never gambled, and
never pilfered about the premises.
He was brave to defend his little
friends, gentle as gentle could be, and
moved with an intelligence almost hui
man. and had the Man About Town
to reach the funeral of many men, he
could say SO much more of Guess than
of them that one would wonder which
was the real dog and which the self
made one.
Only dog! How often do We hear
1t! But, while only dog. yet the
sleepless watcher while we slumber,
the friend who never changes amid
heat or cold, wealth or poverty, Knauf
or Fisk, but who is as true with only
bone to gnaw as with plentiful
plate. You may forget him, but he
never forgets you, and following over
burning sand or water waste he will
seek You and minister to you should
You need. He knows no service for
simple wage. no fawning because of
any hope of advantage over you; no
deserving when you are in adversely,
and even on your grave he will lie
down and in perfect loyalty keep his
sad and lonely vigil. bowling out his
lonely anguish while human beings
sleep or discuss the estate you have
left.
Only dog. Yes. little Guess was
only dog, but better so than being
only partly a man and partly a brute,
as are so many inhuman shape, who,
groveling inthe filth of the social garb-
age barrel, are unclean; who turn
from friend to enemy at almost any
time. and who will gain your con-
fidence only to rob you when they can.
Only dog, but good dog is so
much better than bad man; better
as companion, better to trust and
better to guard those whom he loves.
Even as in reflection the man stood
and looked at the grave of the little
dog he thought: "They tell me you
Will never come forth again, but the
man who murdered you will. They
tell me that the love you gave, the
loyalty you displayed and the gentle
ness of your nature have died with
you. while the hate. the untrueness
and the violence of the man who slew
you for his fun will all go on, the
valuable lost and the worthless saved.
This may be so, but it will take a
mountain faith to believe it in the light
of your life, little dog, and the lives
of many men, and somehow the man
feels that love, loyalty and gentleness
must live on somewhere, somehow,
in place over which is canopy of
the infinite love, and so little dog,
you were only dog, but the Man
About Town would rather be you, only
a dog, than the human beast who gave
you no chance, but took your little
life because he was in the shape of
man and you were only dog"
Only dog. Well, it were better
only to be dog than to be what so
many are. and as the winter wind
blows cherries blasts about the grave
of only dog, around that grave will
cluster tender memories. nursed by the
love of childish hearts, and when the
springtime comes and the birds are
singing their gentle love songs, when
the flowers bloom again, you will not
come back. little dog, buts loving
hands will deck the resting place of
the true little friend. the gentle play
mate and brave defender. even though
he was only dog, but so much better
than thousands in human shape.
Yes, the man had rather be only
dog like little Guess and approach the
best in the human than to be hu-
man and approach the meanest in a
dog. and in this world, little dog, you
had the best of many people who
would have despised you as only
homely little dog, never dreaming that
you were better than they, as in gentle,
unselfish nature you freely ministered
unto others and claimed no pay.
Thousands of men and women live
and die and drop into the great sea of
forgetfulness, but, little dog, your pic
ture will hang in memory's hall, franz
ed In the gold of children's love, and
as the years sweep and human waves
of life sob and sigh and recede to
eternity's ocean waste. you will not
be forgotten. though only dog"