Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-11-27
SO much that in spite of his cruelty
she wanted to be with him.

/ had not her sweet and patient dis
position, and 1 would not go with her.
| watched her out of sight, and then
ran up to the house to see if the mas
ters wife had any scraps for me. l
nearly always got something, for she
pitied me, and often gave me kind
word or look with the bits of food that
she threw to me.
had number of brothers and sis
ters-six in ALL One rainy day when
we were eight weeks old the master,
followed by two or three of his rag
ged, dirty children, came into the sta
BILE and looked at us. Then he began
to swear because we were SO ugly,
and said If we had been good looking,
he might have sold some of us. Mother
watched him anxiously, fearing some
danger to her puppies, and looked at
him pleadingly.
1t only made him swear the more.
He took one puppy after another, and
right there, before his children and
my poor distracted mother, put an end
to their lives. 1t was very terrible.
| lay weak and trembling, expecting ev-
cry instant that my turn would come
next. don't know why he spared
me. was the only one left.
My mother never seemed the same
after this. She was weak and miser-
able. And although she was only four
years old, she seemed like an old dog.
| She could not run after master. and
she lay on our heap of staw, only turn
ing over with her nose the scraps of
food | brought her to eat. One day
she licked me gently, wagged her tail,
and died.
AS l sat by her. feeling lonely and
miserable, my master came into the
stable. could not bear to look at
him. He had killed my mother There
she lay, gaunt, SCARED creature
starved and worried to death by him
She would never again look kindly
at me, or curl up to me at night to
keep me warm Oh, how 1 hated her
murderer!
Still kept quiet till he walked up
to me and kicked at me. My heart
was nearly broken, and l could stand
no more. flew at him and gave him
a savage bite on the ankle.
"Oho" he said. $50 you are going
to be fighter, are you? 1pll fix you
for that" He seized me by the back
of the neck and carried me out to the
yard where log lay on the ground
"Tom," he called to one of his chill
dren, bring me the hatchet!"
He laid my head on the log and
pressed one hand on my struggling
body. There was quick, dreadful
pain, and he had cut off my ear close
to my head. Then he cut off the
other ear, and turning me swiftly
round, cut off my tail.
Then he let me go, and stood look
ing at me as l rolled on the ground
and yelped in agony He was in such
a passion that he did not think that
people passing on the street might
hear me.
There was young man going by
He heard my screams, and hurrying
up the path stood among us before the
master caught sight of him.
In the midst of my pain, heard the
young man say, fiercely, "What have
you been doing to that dog?"
I've been cutting his ears, for fight
ing, my young gentleman" said m,
master; there is no law to proven
that, is there?"
"And there Is no law to proven
me from taking dog away from sucl
a cruel owner, either" cried the young
man land giving the master an angr,
look, he snatched me up in his arms
and walked down the path and out O
the gate.
| was moaning with pain, but still
looked up occasionally to see which
way we were going. We took the roat
to the town and stopped In front of ;
pleasant looking home. Carrying m,
gently In his arms, the young mai
went up a walk leading to the bacl
of the house.
There was small stable there. H,
; went into 1t and put me down on tn,
floor. Some boys were playing abou
the stable, and heard one Of then
say, in Mortified tones, ooh. Cousil
Harry, wnat is the matter with tina
dog?"
: Hush" he said. Don't say any
thing. You, Jack, go down to tn
kitchen and ask Mary for a basin o
warm water and a sponge, and DON
let your mother or Laura hear you.
A few minutes later the young MAJ
had bathed my ears and tail, an
had rubbed something on them tina
was cool and pleasant, and had bar
, daged them firmly with strips of col
ton. felt much better and was abb
to look about me.
Presently one of the boys cried ou1
. Here is Laura" A young girl, hole
ing up one hand to shade her eye
from the sun, was coming up tn
walk that led from the house to tn
, stable. l thought then that I neve
, had seen such beautiful girl, and
/ think SO still. She was tall and sler
: der, and had lovely brown eyes an
brown hair, and sweet smile, an
i, just to look at her was enough t
make one love her.
( "Why, what a funny dog!" she sait
/ and stopped short and looked at nj
5 Up to this, l had not thought what
/ queer-looking sight must be. Now
J, twisted round my head, saw the whit
2 bandage on my tail, and knowing
was not fit spectacle for a prett
( young lady like that, skunk away int
] a corner.
: "Poor doggie, have hurt your fee
2 ings" she said. What Is the matte