The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-05-20
THE COURTnY TRHMP

"Ah you don't know Babe" and he
 stroked the dog, who looked very happy and very proud. Now for some tricks,
 Babe! Show the young folks what you can dop' A moment later the dog was balanced delicately on his hindlegs and walking forward or backward at signals from his master. Another signal and he jumped through the hoop made | by his masters arms, then imped sor- rowfully on three legs, and at final signal dropped limp and as if dead at his masters feet and lay there til snap of the fingers told him his task was over, when he frisked about the road
 barking gleefully. a "I guess Babe and can get enough milk for all of us on that, at fhe nearest farmhouse" he said. "1t always fetches them"
 T don't wonder" I replied. Then, my mind on the theatre, l added. T
 don't see why you don't show him on the stage He's finep sE
 That's an idea," said the man. @But what theatre d take me in these clothes ?" They'd take you with fBaber" He 1 laughed when I said tflat-it made the dog seem of so much more account than l the man-and then, with Babe follow ing, he went toward farmhouse little l off the road. The milk was good, but we didn't get ! 1t till late in the afternoon, for, while | Babe" and his master were gone, our | fatigue got the better of us and we fell l fast asleep on the bank by the roadside. l That evening we came to little hamlet 1 called Mountain View, only about ten | mile from San Jose. (And we had ex- pected to reach San FranciscoC The man took us to the little hotel there, land after some conversation with the | landlady which we didn't hear, shook
 hands with us. Babe jumped up on 1 us and said goodbye with quick little | dog went their way. --sxss Things happened very quickly after that. At the supper table San Fran cisco drummer looked up from his pspefs gave a start when he saw us, and wl1is- l pered to the landlady as he looked from us to the paper, while she nodded her l head in assent Next morning we were awakened by sobs of joy at our bed side-our dear mothers weeping as each held her respective offspring in her arms, our fathers trying to look severe bat unable to keep back their own tears. That noon we reached home. not famous
 as we had expected, but chastened in l spirit; exi1es from the theatres for long, long time and separated from each l other for nearly as long.
 | Of course, our parents were immense l 1y interested when they heard about the protection They advertised for him and the papers printed the story with sensational headlines, but he never ,ap- | re,rad to claim reward
 | Ten years later was on the stage and acting with ,Augustin Daly's company in l New York One afternoon on my way | from a rehearsal, I stopped in at one of the continuous" houses. A dog act was just going on. The man was on | the stage There was something oddly familiar about him. I seemed to have heard his voice before Yet could not place him. But when, looking into the wings, he called, Now for some tricks, 'Babet' Show the young folks what I you can dol" and an Irish terrier deli
 cately balanced on his hindlegs came out from the wings probably, alas, not
 the original Babe" but his successor don't see why you don't show him on the stage" I had said; and That's an Iidea," had been his comment.
 My first impulse was to ask at the stage door if I could see the trainer.
 and recall myself to my old friend of the Santa Clara highway. But on re- flection I thought better of it. He looked prosperous, was dressed in an immaculate Tuxedo suit, and was billed as one of the chief attractions of the house would he care to be reminded of the days when he was a tramp?
 Probably not. But when reached
 home, I dropped him note, sSsignsd.
 telling him that the two girls whom
 he had safely guided to Mountain View
 ten years before never would forget
 his kindness. I think my not signing
 the letter was a guarantee to him that
 never would disclose his identify. I owe that to his chivalry.