The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-04-11
61 0uIDk (lOUljF 1[ IA RAfEI

All tHtS SLOry EOulQa 0lepiayeQ most fully her gift of Insight into the sim : pie but compelling emotions and hopes of the poor and simple. The boy and the dog of Flanders became characters that a large world of readers loved as as time has not left the story in its orig inal commanding position, 1t has re- rnssS,t sinsS vital iiyng thing g.ma,I and the ways. one of the prized~ stories of the Gnglfsh language.
 Patrasche was only a dog of F1and- ers--yellow of hide, large of head and limh. powerful by inheritance of mus cle from a race that had toiled cruelty in Flanders through many century, slaves of slaves, dogs of the people that strained their noble sinews in harness and broke their noble hearts ton the fints of the merciless streets. When the drunken Brabantois. who owned him. had at last driven and beaten and starved Patrasche till the dog fell on the dusty road and lay with wide-open, foaming mouth. the Bra bantois gave him a final kick and then harnessed himself to the cart, to draw At tn he could steal dog for the work.
 Patrasche flung into a ditch, was found by a little, bent. lame, miserably clad old man. who had little, rosy, eair-haired, dark-eyed child by the hand. The old man was Jehan Daas. who had been a good soldier in the times when war trampled the country as. the oxen trample furrows. When wounds and age had crippled him. and peace had made soldiers unnecessary, he was thrown aside and permitted to starve. bit by bit, on the small coins -s'that such remnant as he could earn.
 The child was his orphaned grand son. Nello; and old Jehan Daas proved again the daily miracle that the strength which Is not sufficient to sup port one, by love is made sufficient for two.
 Jehan Daas and Nello did not share the Flemish hardSheartedness toward dogs. The old soldier surveyed the creature with pityiig. eyes. Then he kneeled down and lifted the big head. He saw that the dog was alive, and took him home with much effort Pat rasche lay there, too weak to move, for many days. In all that time he waited for the blow, the kick and the curse that had been his constant portion. But he felt only the soothing caress of the old mans hand and heard only the soft murmurs of the child's voice,
 So when the great dog reused him. self again to life his great, deep eyes had gentle grace in them, and his faithful dog's heart awoke to mighty love.
 Little NelIo threw his arms around the tawny neck and hung1a chain of ] marguerites over the great head and clapped his hands as they decided to call him Patrasche.
 The pity that had made them bear Patrasche to their mud hut and share their crusts with him was more than repaid now. Patrasche became bread- winner. As soon as he could move again the dog walked to the little cart that the old man used to draw each morning to Antwerp with milk intrust- ;. ed to him by the neighbors. He back ed into the shafts, and when they hes itated about harnessing him he tried to draw it with his teeth.
 Jehan Daas thanked heaven for the dog that winter, for he grew too feeble to pull the load himself. Patrasche, ac- acustomed in his puppYii ood to frightfnl burdens, thought nothing of a little cart with a few milk cans.
 So little Nello and Patrasche grew up together, almost equal in years, until Nello was big enough to take his ,grandfather's place at the side of the cart.
 He was a beautiful child, with dark. grave eyes and fair hair that clustered to his throat. He attended faithfully to his work, and Jehan Daas was able to sit at home and rest his old body. Nello and Patrasche toiled cheerfully over the hot leagues in summer when the dust lay thick on the unlovely, plowed, treeless country around Ant werp;sa and they toiled cheerfully over those same frozen leagues in winter, when all the wild North Sea weather blew it's angriest gusts over the un- protected roads
 Neither Jehan Daas nor Nello ever had quite enough to eat. Therefore Patrasche did not have enough, either, Al. AnIx x.rff him carefully. But Patrasche was happy despite a little hunger. Being only a foolish, loyal dog. he preferred love to crusts, and he was content so long as he could trot or lie by Nello's side.
 Only one thing caused atrasche any uneasfness, and that was that Nello would disappear in the great old churches of Antwerp whenever he had moment. Patrasche, left outside of the dark, arched portals to these mel ancholy, majestic piles of stone. would walt wearily and anxiously. Once or twice he essayed to follow his beloved and inseparable companion, and ciat- tered up the steps with his milk cart, but they drove him back so sternly that ever after he waited patiently out side. s
 When Nello came out after these vis- ets he looked very queer, and would gaze dreamily at the evening Skies be- yond the lines of the canals. suhdued and almost sad.
 He visited the great cathedral again and again, and whenever he went there he stayed So long that lonely Patras- che would yawn and sigh to himself tili he could bear it no longer, and found relief for his doggy grief in a piaintive howl. Then, when the lad emerged at last, he would throw his arms around the beasts neck and kiss him on his broad, tawny forehead and murmur always the same words; If could only see them, Patrasche-if could only see them!"
 One day when the custodian was out of the way Patrasche got in for a mo- ment after Nello. The boy was kneel- ing before the altar picture of the As sumption. He arose and drew the dog gently toward the door: but as he passed the two great yelled pictures by Rubens that hang on either side of the choir, he said to Patrasche: Tt is terri ble not to see them. Patrasche, just because one is poor and cannot pay He never meant that the poor should not see them when he painted then, am sure. And they keep them shroud- ed here in the dark-the| beautiful things! If I could only see them would be content to diel"
 But he could not see them. and faith Rul old Patrasche. who looked at him so wtstfully. could not help him. for poor folk to whom a sou Is life or death, could not hope to get the silver