The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1907-08-02

/
OF Joe's mongrel 70 encounter him Il
the sinister humOr OF such a wish IN
fulfilled.
Responsibility dwelt at Beaver Beacl
under the care OF Mr. Sheehan unit
his master should return, and Sheehal
was kind. but the small dog found til,
world lonely and time long withou
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 OF
unObtrusively, partly by swimming
and, reaching the road. cantered into
town. his ears erect with anxiety. Benz
upon reaching the familiar office, he
passed the grocery. from the doorway
Of which the pImply checked clerk had
thrown & bad potato at him a 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, lavishIy seized
this time a perfectly good potato and
hurled 1t with a result which costa
sized him, for 1t took the mongrel fair
~ 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 1t momentarily. 1t is not
easy to keep things in mind when one
is violently smitten on mouth. nose,
cheek, eye and ear by a 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, a wet, muddy and dusty yellow dog
eminently kickable. The man was
heavily built about the legs. and the
vIgOr OF what he did may have been
additionally inspired by his recogni-
ton Of the mongrel as Joe Louden's.
The impact of his toe upon the little
runners side was m'nIontous, 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 reconciled 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. Owed for blind safety into
the store commanded by the ecstatic
and inimical clerk. There were shouts;
the sleepy square beginning to wake
up; the 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 Responsibility emerged from the |
grocery he had notable audience for
he scene he enacted with brass din ,
Ter bell tied to his tail.
prodigal clerk, added to
he impetus of his fight. A shower of
Debbles from the hands of exhilarated
Joys dented the soft asphalt about
i'm. The hideous clamor of the pur-
uing bell increased as he turned the
Iext corner, running distractedly. The
lead town had come to life, and its
Inhabitants gladly risked the danger
us heat in the interest of sport, where
Y 1t was a merry chase the little dog
estructive instinct drove him. He
ould not stop with the indispensable
error Changing at his heels and the
crowd yelling in pursuit, but
nd thus came back to pass Joe's stair
Tay again, unable to pause there or
nywhere. unable to do anything eX-
,pt to continue his hapless fight, poor
eteor.
Round the block he went once more,
nd still no chance at that empty stair
ay, where perhaps, he thought, there
light be succor and safety. Blood was
pom his side where Martin Pixies boot
I'd crashed, foam and blood hung
BON his jaws and lolling tongue. He
n desperately, keeping to the mid
e OF the street, and, not bowling, set
mself despairingly to outstrip the
rror The mob. disdaining the sun
perbly, pursued rs closely as It could,
rowing bricks and rocks at him,
riking at him with clubs and sticks.
Apply Fear, playing ''tic-tac-toe," right
nd against left, In his cell, heard the
roar, made out something Of what
rs happening and, though unaware
at 1t was a friend whose life was
light. discovered similarity to his
m case and prayed to his dim gods
1t the quarry might get away.
Mad dogw they yelled. Mad dog"
Id there were some who cried, "Joe
uden's dogr' that being equally as
citing and explanatory
Three times round. and still the lit