Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-05-18
DOG TRAcKWALKER.
Dog Follows the Habit Acquired From
Dead Master.

Forming a touching illustration Of a
dogs devotion to dead master is Bob,
"the unsalaried trackwalker' Of the
Northern Pacific railroad in Tacoma
Following in the tracks Of his dead
master, who walked tracks and tended
switchlights for the Northern Pacific
in the local yards, and who was run
down and instantly killed by switch
engine in the passenger yards more
than a month ago, Bob, the pet dog Of
the family Of William H. Gehring Of
28O1 South ] street, continues to patrol
the tracks and guard the lamps, al
though his master has answered the
call to the Great Beyond.
No amount of coaxing, bribe offers
of meat, or even a collar and chain can
prevent this little faithful brown shag-
gy-dog from going to work each day
and returning home with the setting
sun on the same hours of his dead mas
ter's arrivals and departures. Curses,
kicks and stones will not drive Bob
from the tracks, and he appears for
duty every day, bringing tears to the
eyes Of those who knew his master dur
ing his seventeen years Of railroad SER
vice.
bob, the trackwalker," as he has
been nicknamed by the railroad men,
is not dog with blood or pedigree, but
just a plain dog with few fieas thrown
in to keep him from worryin' bout
bein' dog" His ears are SCARED from
many battles and his stub Of a tail
wags pathetically when he Is petted.
He came into the possession Of the
Gehring family about four years ago,
when he was an ungainly little puppy,
being given to one Of the children be-
cause his owner could not see anything
in the pup but just plain dog. The
owner did not look beyond the skin and
he missed the big, grateful heart.
1t Is Bob's daily habit to leave home
at 7.3O o'clock in the morning and re-
turn shortly after p. m. Between the
time he leaves home and returns he Is
on the job every minute. He covers
the same ground covered by his dead
master, and when tired lies in front Of
the shanty that was used by the, track
walker. BY growing and showing vi
cious rows of teeth the dog guards this
shanty during the noon hour. If the
warning Is not needed Bob snaps VI
ciously and rarely fails to take away
a piece Of cloth.
After his masters death Bob was
lost. He would roam about the house
at night and run from one member of
the family to another with mute ap-
peal in his eyes. The second day Bob
hastened off to the railroad yards and
has made his appearance there every
day since. For several nights the dog
would not sleep. There seemed to be
something missing about the house,
and 1t was not until he was given one
of his masters old coats as a rug on
the back porch that he would settle
down to rest after his wearying days
work. The first sniff at the coat SEEM
de to fill the dog with great delight. He
jumped about, wagged his tail and
when 1t was laid down curled himself
upon the garment after venting a sigh
Of peaceful content.
Bob has found warm spot in the
heart Of every employee Of the North
ern Pacific with whom he has come In
contact each day he has worked. The
sight of the shaggy. dirty little animal
trotting up and down the tracks each
day brings tears to the mems eyes, and
at meal hours switchmen and flagmen
vie with each other in looking after
his welfare.-Seattle Times.