St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1909-05-22
The Sorroru of a Setter
Copyright. by ]. B. Lippincott COD
By CY WARMAN

= 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 of. but Hugh
| made no move The man turned MS
face to the wall, but still the dog stood
mute and motionless.
When the man got out and made the
dog welcome the latter did not romp
as 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 reception given IN
honor of a 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 ne
was sighting the old dog, but ap-
peared to glory in it. 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 soiled and sorry-look-
ing dog lying in the shadow of the
bank on 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 it 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 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 on 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.
1 wish now" said the doctor to his
wife one day, that had just hunted
as long as Hugh was able to hunt ana
quit when he quit
One afternoon, the tenth day 81
Hughs illness, some school-children
stopped to ask after their old friend
lney tiptoed round to the back ward
ana saw the doctor sitting with bill
mead between his hands and his Il.
BOWS on his knees. Just in front ~
him and only few feet away the afa
Jog lay his thin nose stretched oil
between his wasted paws. The doe.
tors back was towards the childsan
and ne did not see them. While theg
stood looking, two or three with ~
lfted fingers hushing the rest, the al
setter lifted his head and looked at hs
master. He tried to stand I'D, IN
was too feeble to rise; then he M
ais nose straight up and gave enc
ong, low, melancholy howl, and ID
lis head fall to the ground, The ~
rbo ob;,dso. ms lace with his hands.
rbe doc Ill oluteneo at one another.
,erfect1 s u LEV. one deep breath and lay
,arL +ho q"!et over across Victoria
,nt1y tho enilnes were ringing. Pres
MT ond H,h en turned aRed tipt0ed
vas very still. =
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