The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-06-04

~ r. A. mitchell.


now far agone when we were boys.
There was Abe and Sam and Ned and
myself, all Of whom lived within a
mile Of each other and were insepara-
bic. While we were out OF school we
were together and when In school we
were thinking OF one another. When
we were told to write compositions on
subjects Of our own choice we wrote
about what we loved. most usually si-
ther cat or dog or horse or .
lamb or our swimming hole or the cir
Gus. We we're only from six 10 nine.
and our good teacher did not expect us
70 soar higher
remember one Of the essays was
upon the subject Of dog called shep-
herd, the name being abbreviated to
Shep. There was a sentence in II that
have never forgotten. delight to
nurse It in my heart as an epicure viii
roll rare wine on the tongue. It was
this: Il know a dog BY the name Of
Shep. / love shep, and shep loves
me" Could there be anything more
touching? Alas, how rare. how brief,
Is a real affection OF a human being
for an inferior ANIMAL It can never
be as real as in childhood.
We boys all lived along a road that
led toward city. An omnibus passed
every morning to take people to town.
and can hear today the bugle notes
that served FOR signal ringing out
clearly as Josh drove BY, picking up
the passengers. We all knew Josh,
and many free ride be gave us. One
Of the regular passengers used to stand
at his gate every morning when the
stage was late with his watch in his
hand. Josh used to call him Colonel
Minute. but hts name was Colonel
Ringgoid, a veteran Of the Mexican
war He had been shot all 10 pieces,
being minus an eye, an ear, leg and
an arm. / do believe that the only
spur that forced Josh to keep any sort
of time was the thought Of the colonel.
watch in hand, standing at the gate,
his single eye darting between 1t and
the driver
We boys were in great terror of Colo
mel Ringgold. We told each other aw.
full stories about him which we invent.
ed ourselves, but which in time be.
came real to US. One was that his
house was fortified with an unlimited
number Of guns, pistols, sabers, and
the like. It was averred by one boy
that he had killed man with his
wooden leg. There is no one like a
boy for making real things out Of
dreams, and all we had to do was to
fancy these things, tell them to each
other and they had happened.
Colonel Ringgold was the owner Of
the dog shep. Shep was collie, and
the cellie Is a very intelligent dog
shep stood, as remember him. about
two feet high, bis color being a mix
ture Of white and brown. During the
night shep was expected to be sin" BY
3 o'clock, but during the day he was
free to romp with Us boys. think be
loved Ned best. That was because
Ned loved him best. for Ned, you know
was the boy who wrete the compost
fion mentioning shep SO sffecttonately |
we were all very careful that Shep
should not get into trouble. first, be. /
cause we loved him and, second, be.
cause ne feared that his owner would
blot us from the face Of the earth II
any harm came to the dog while ID
cur company. Many bigger dog we
beat off when he was driving our com.
rade to the wall.
One afternoon when we were all to-
getheY teaching shep to jump q rope
we saw the colonel coming toward us,
walking with the limp occasioned BY
his wooden leg. Every boys heart
sank into his boots Had the whole
United States army come down on us
we could not have been more terrified |
What caused us the chief alarm was
the thought that be was coming to or
der us Id future to leave Shep out OF
our fraternity. / can see the old man
now making his way across corn
field, trying to walk erect, his stern
countenance making up for his dilapi.
dated body. We woui7 have all run.
but we were paraiyzed.
what do you boys mean BY stealing
my doglg he asked IN his stentorian
voice.
scarcely distinguished what be
said. + thought 1t something like
Column forward; guide right +
Charger Every boy was too fright
ened to answer.
Some one Il keeping hir9 nights,
added the colonel. whoever is doing /
it shall be put fl the--I mean de.
serves to be punished" Again there
was silence, ended by little trem.
bling voice. 1t was Ned's.
sI'm the one who has been keeping
shep," he said. II have locked him
Id, and he has come Up and slept on
my bed"
sYou locked him ini Don't you
know that he is not your dogT
Eyes, sir. knew that"
ssWell, don't you ever do such q
thing again. / want my dog Ii the
house nights. Eight o'clock Il taps
for him-s o'clock precisely, not Eve
minutes after s 81 five minutes be-
fore 8, but 8. AS d punishment you"
addressing Ned, eare forbidden to
have anything to do with Shep In FL.
ture. DO you underestimate
eyes. SIR came faint tremolo.
sWhy did you keep the dogln
Because love him and be loves
me"