Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-06-12
CHAPTER XIX

~ down Main street he wished
profoundly that the butterfly,
4 4 which exhibited no annoyance,
had been of greater bulk and more APP
proachable, and it was the evil fortune
of Joe's mongrel to encounter him in
the sinister humor of such wish I'M
fulfilled.
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 managed to evade the eye of
all concerned in his keeping, made off
unobtrusively, 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 checked clerk had
thrown a bad potato at him month
before. The same clerk had just laid
down the Tocsin as Responsibility
went by, and, inspired to great deeds
in behalf of justice and his native city,
he rushed to the door, lavishly seized
this time n perfectly good potato and
hurled it with result which costa
sized him, for it took the mongrel fair
~ aside the head, which it matched in
size.
The luckless Responsibilities purpose
to reach Joe's stairway had been en-
tirely definite, but upon this violence
he forgot 1t momentarily. 1t is not
easy to keep things in mind when one
is violently smitten on mouth, nose,
cheek, eye and ear by missile large
enough to 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 miraculously fit
ted to the judges need. Here was no
butterfly, but solid body, light with
al, wet, muddy and dusty yellow dog
eminently kickable. The man was
hea'1.Iy built about the legs. and the
vigor Of what he did may have been
additionally inspired by his recogni-
sASAA "a SASs JUG lOuucu ..
The impact of his toe upon the little
runners side was momentous, and the
latter rose into the air. The judge
hoped, as one hops. who, unshod in
the night, discovers an unexpected
chair. Let us be reconcled to his pain
and not reproach the gods with it, for
two of his unintending adversary's ribs
were cracked.
The dog, thus again DETECTED, retrac-
ed his tracks, shrieking distractedly
and, by one of those ironical twists
which Karma reserves for the tails Of
the fated. dived for blind safety into
the store commanded by the ecstatic
and inimical clerk. There were shouts;
the sleepy square beginning to wake
up; Che bench loafers strolled 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 Respectfully 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 pimpled,
uproarious, prodigal clerk, added to
the impetus of his flight. A shower of
pebbles from the hands of exhilarated
boys denied the soft asphalt about
him. The hideous clamer of the pur-
suing bell increased as he turned the
next corner, running distractedly. The
dead town had come to life, and its
Inhabitants gladly risked the danger
GUS heat in the interest Of sport, where
by it was merry chase the little dog
led around the block. For thus some
destructive instinct drove him. He
could not stop with the unappeasable
terror changing at his heels and the
increasing crowd yelling In pursuit, but
he turned to the left ut each corner
and thus came back to pass Joe's stair
way again, unable to pause there or
anywhere, unable to do anything ex-
cept to continue his hapless flight, poor
meteor.
Round the block he went once more,
and still no chance ut that empty stair
way, where perhaps, lie thought, there
might be succor and safety. Blood was
upon his side where Martin Pixies boot
had crashed, foam and blood hung
upon his jaws and lolllng tongue. He
ran desperately, keeping to the mid
die of the street. and, not bowling, set
himself despairingly to ontstrp the
terror. The mob, disdaining the sun
superbly, pursued as closely us it could,
throwing bricks and rocks at him,
striking at him with clubs and sticks.
Happy Fear, playing "tic-tac-toe," right
hand against left, in his cell, heard the
uproar, made out something of what
was happening and, though unaware
that 1t was a friend whose life was
sought, discovered similarity to his
own case and prayed to his dim gods
that the quarry might get away.
Mad dogv' they yelled "N1ad dog"
And there were some who cried, "Joe
Louden's dog" that being equally as
exciting and explanatory
Three times round, and still the lit
tie fugitive maintained lead A gray
helmeted policeman, big fellow, had
Joined the pursuit. He had children
at home who might be playing in the
street, and the thought of what might
happen to them If the mad dog should
head that way resolved him to be cool
and steady. He was falling behind, so
he stopped on the corner, trusting that
Responsibility would come round again.
He was right, and the flying brownish
thing streaked along Main street, pass
ing the beloved stairway for the fourth
time. The policeman lifted his re-
volYer, fired twice, missed once, but
caught him with n second shot in
forepaw, clipping off fifth toe, one
of the small claws that grow above
the foot and are always in trouble
This did not stop him, but the police
man, afraid to risk another shot be-
cause of the crowd, waited for him to
come again, and many others, seeing
the hopeless circuit the mongrel fol
lowed, did likewise, armed with bricks
0n1 oubs Amnnp them was tba MIN.