Los Angeles herald., 1908-10-11
THE BOY AND THE DOG
BY

running his legs were like lightning If you
happy he was mad with delight. IL you
sleepy he would drowse too.
In bed at night, though, he but
mixed blessing Undeniaby a companion and
a charm against burglars, nevertheless as
bedfellow INDUCED in certain thoughtlessnesses
which you could gladly have dispensed with. For
instance his initial dream was always about cats
and he would chase them not only with agonized
whispered but with frantic running motion of
his hino legs which members, being invariably
piastered against your tender young stomach, all
but vivisected you. Waking, very much ashamed of
himself. he would wetly dab apologetic kiss up
on your cheek and drop to sleep again. Lulled,
you slept too; then the next thing you knew you
the floor, for Pat, getting hot, had braced
feet against the wall and showed you into space
That ditculty adjusted along toward the middle OF
the night Pat used to make point of remember
ing ancient burr between his toes, and
sitting heavily upon some portion of your
anatomy he would shuttle and snafie and humble
those toes for hours at time keeping you from
due and desired slumber. And always at four
o'clock in the morning he heard robbers and would
so bark himself off his feet tumble the entire
length of the stairs from top to bottom yelping all
the time and too excited to know that he had fall
en-, glad of the miracle of being at the front door
under which he could sniff and whine to his hearts
content. Next, he would come bounding back in
high g1ee to let you in the joke, too standing
ecstatcally over you to tell you 1t was only the
usual milkman after ALL
Not but what Pats dioey could be a blessing at
times. You remember of course the muscular
spasm, fatally resembling grin, which elected to
attack your miserable face when you were being
scolded and actually frightened stiff? This
spasm good for box the ear nine days in
the week in the anti-Pat period; but after he
rived he always had the celestial kindness to see
cat, opportuniteiy, at the very moment
you were catching it the worst, thus giving you
pretext for an anguished smile and preserving you
from being stigmatized brazen criminal who
took amusement in his own vileness.
And then when you were out of the danger belt
and were off for the uninhabited safety of vacant
lot, what actual relief glowed from his honest facet
The snuggle of his cold into your palm was
the signal OF release for all your black and bitter
fances, and with whoop and jump you answer
ed to Gs pressing invitation to throw dull
away. How long did you have him? You cannot
possibly say. Those boyhood days stretched like
a fairy tale from long adventure to another, and
time measured not by hours but by experiences
which came four million to minute. You can
remember Pat and snowballs, Pat and spring pic
MICS Pat and school, Pat and vacation: consequent
ly you had him for the length of good round life
time, and you felt that he belonged to existence
inevitably as night and day. You drew your breath
without effort and without effort there was Pat
always bounding beside you you analyzed fur
ther and took him everlastingly for granted.
Then day-wiIl you ever forget it?--you went
schoolward as far your garden gate, and woke up
to the fact that you ~ere alone. There
painting scu1e in your wake no admonfshing yelps
from decreasing distance, commotion in the
near underbrush, to signify that the rest of you
hurrying to catch up. You recalled with
cold sinking of your heart that Pat had not
bushed under the breakfast table that morning. So
you whisted and called and wandered, worried,
back toward the house little. Then he skunk
languidy out from under the bed, his head hang
ing, his legs dragging but his loyal stump of tail
essaying to wag, striving to say Never mind me.
old fellow; I'm not very fit this morning Just go
along without for once, won't you old chap7"
You patted him and shook hands with him, heart
ening him that he crawled to the gate. only to lie
down there, his in the grass his eyebrows
moving anxiously, his brave bit of tail blufng it
right royalty.
That interminable day at school is horror that
that will go with you to the grave. Missed lessons
and accumulating punshments usually the domi-
nant factors in your of daily suffering. faded
into trivialities, anxously did you keep listening
for the sound of a joyous bark. Four o'clock the
hour of reprleve for the pure in heart meant moth
ing for you You always had to stay at least half
hour and write II have whispered" two hundred
times; and then you had to stay another half hour
and put in the n"
But once released how you flew down the road!
Yet the very fear which spurred you seemed
to pull you back Generally your first mad dash
was bee line from the school door to your pan
try shelf where you hungriy boted down every
thing which might be legitimatey called yours, and
gnawed ilegitimately around the edges of such
thinga intended for temperance on the
fazaily table But to-day you had no thought or
food You dreaded to reach home, for all the
haste you made to get there. And there was no
comrade in the garden You knew the worst right
then, even without searching further and if your
face betrayed the haggardness of your heart, you
must have been pitiful little sight
Yes, Pat was where you thought he would be, un-
der the she'd and he dead.
Now, you haa dead things often enough be-
fore. had come across them in field and wood and
had investigated them with interest, the more dead
the thing, the more intricate your interest; but
things had had any attributes for you in life