Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1909-05-22

Ht nCAl d0g NhNh Nht CAN NOo
started down TO the corner to meet
his master the pup romped out ahead
and raced down the walk. so that he
could not stop until he had bumped
into his masters knees. The doctor
stopped and caught the frisky young
pup and petted him. Hugh dropped
the stick he had picked up and walked
back to the house. When the doctor
opened the front gate the old dog
trotted round to the back yard. The
man followed and tried TO make up,
but Hugh only wagged his tail and
said, with his sad, eloquent eyes:
"Oh, don't bother about me, I'm all
right" But the doctor felt the slight
and remembered what his wife had
said.
That night he put his traps in the
kitchen, and next morning Hugh
came up, as usual, to call him. The
doctor pretended to doZe off, but Hugh
made no move. The man turned his
face to the wall, but still the dog stood
mute and motionless.
When the man got out and made the
Og welcome the latter did not romp
usual, but laid his head against his
masters face, sighed and turned
away.
In the field that day Trip, the pup,
was as noisy and numerous as foot
ball player at a reception given in
honor of war hero. He barked and
bumped into everything and every
body, but instead of being disguised,
as Hugh thought he should be, the
doctor seemed to enjoy it. He made
no effort to disguise the fact that he
was sighting the old dog, but APP
peared to glory in il. He gave the
pup the best of it, and when, after no
end of help. the noisy one retrieved a
wounded bird, the doctor made great
fuss over him.
That night, when they got home,
Hugh would not touch his supper.
He's ill.," said the doctor.
Let Mary take it" said the doctors
wife, and from Mary's hands he. ate,
showing that he was not sick.
The next day the old dog would not
suffer his master to come near him.
When he was cornered he growled
and showed his teeth. They shut him
up in the kennel, and he chewed the
gate down, though he had never been
known to gnaw that way before.
On the third day he refused to eat
altogether, and the next day disap-
peared The doctor walked miles in
search of the lost dog, but none knew
anything about him.
Some days after the dog left home
the doctor was going up from the store
to his house at noontime AS he was
passing the Merchants bank near the
post office. right on the principal
street, he saw a soiled and sorry-look-
ing dog lying in the shadow of the
bank OH a little patch of grass that
grew between the walk and the build
ing The man looked at the thing for
moment, and then squatted and
called to ii in gentle, kindly voice.
The dog opened his eyes, turned, and
looked at his master. The man came
up and touched him, but there was no
growl now. All the snap and resent
| ment was gone. After much coaXing
the old fellow got up and followed his
master home. They sent the pup
away and let Hugh see him going, but
it was too late. The little friend who
used to play with him came, but he
did not know her. The doctor tried
in every way to win back the lost
| love, but it was dead.
The old dog was dying. He was not
only starving, but his great grief was
eating his heart away. His hair was
dry and stiff, like a parched stubble
his once beautiful brown eyes were
CLASSY. 1t was evident that he had
concluded to quit, and that he knew
it would take time.
At the end of q week all the neigh
| bors knew about the trouble at the
doctors. Busy men who had no time
for dogs, and rough, hard men who
swore in the market-place and beat
their horses in the alley, sympathized
with old Hugh OF course, the chill
| dren from end TO end in that street,
and many round OIL Queens avenue
and beyond the park, knew that Hugh
| Strong was dying, and nearly all of
them seemed In some vague way to
! blame the doctor
II wish now" said the doctor to his
wife one day, that had just hunted
as long as Hugh was able to hunt and
quit when he quit"
One afternoon, the tenth day OF
Hugh's illness, some school-children
stopped TO ask after their old friend
They tiptoed round to the back yard
and saw the doctor sitting with his
head between his hands and his ell
bows on his knees. Just In front OF
him and only few feet away the old
dog lay, his thin nose stretched out
between his wasted paws. The doc
tors back was towards the children
and he did not see them. While they
stood looking, two or three with up
lifted fingers hushing the rest, the old
setter lifted his head and looked at his