The Colorado statesman., 1912-02-03
Jimmy
Gets a Dog

might be possible to permit him to
have a dog to play with. Up to that
time they had been able to match his
teasing by a succinct and comprehen-
sive mol" But now life was vastly
different.
Every Homecoming of the elder
members Of the family, If not greeted
by "Didyuh bring my dog?" was hailed
with the wall, when kin l have my
dog?" or "Whut kind of dog is It
I'm going to get?" until the King
thornes reached the stage where their
opinion on dogs as whole was SO
intense that 1t was wordless.
The situation led to dissensions also,
for both Kingthorne and his wife ac-
cused the other of having been the
one who said the fatal word Of assent
The peace of the family was gone, and
the more they argued the worse II
grew. OF the lot Jimmy was the
most injured, for with all the bicker-
ing because of dog there wasn't any
dog.
You said could have dog!" he
invariable ended in the plaintiyely ac-
cusing tone before which all well
brought up parents shrink.
When the Kingthornes had time to
look for dog they never could find
an attractive one, and If they did see
a possibility they lacked the time.
Sitting in her living room one after
noon conversing with visitors about
green tomato pickles. Mrs. Kingthorne
after staring from the window, gave
little shrek.
"Just the thing!" she cried. How
did 1t get there?'
"What?" demanded her caller.
There aren't green tomatoes growing
out there!"
"Pickles?" repeated Mrs. King
thorne, dreamily. mo, it's dog. L
doesn't seem to belong to any one,
either!"
Everybody looked. The dog was
most apparently youthful, because It
still wabbled slightly when it walked,
or, rather, rolled. For it was fat and
globular, made still more so by a
thick coat of woolly brown fur. From
one end of the brown mass a pink
nose stuck out and from the other
end protruded tiny plumed tail. He
really was too much like an ideal
puppy to be quite true.
There isn't soul in sight," as
serted Mrs. Kingthorne. "And nobody
would let puppy like that go for a
walk alone, SO it must be lost. It'll
get stepped on or stolen or something.
and to own it would send Jimmy into
Mysteries of joy, SO, really, I think It
is my duty to rescue the puppy, don't
you?"
| Everybody wanted to see the puppy
at close range, so everybody said
| 'Yes." Mrs. Kingthorne went out and
brought the animal in.
Don't dogs have germs and
things?" demanded one of the visit
ors. "It is likely to give Jimmy some
thing, isn't it?"
That was why everybody followed
Mrs. Kingthorne down into the laun-
dry to see her give the waif a bath.
He was very little and the tub was
very big and the soap was exceed
ingly fluffy, so it took four Of them
to wash and dry him. Afterward he
frisked in front Of a CRATE fire and
Mrs. Kingthorne admired herself eIr
tremely for finding him.
Jimmy, for some reason, was late.
but presently Kingthorne arrived. He
seemed little dazed at the chorus
of joyful shrieks and the bundle Of
brown wool that was thrust at him
WE'LL" he murmured in a puzzled
tone. THAT doesn't look a bit like
the one
"The one!" cried Mrs. Kingthorna-
What one, and what is it?"
The bell rang just then and King
thorne went to the door. When he
rejoined them he was leading by q
leash an Airedale pup. A grown-up
Airedale is without doubt the ugliest
dog yet invented, but an Airedale pup
transcends by a hundred degrees the
ugliness Of the grown-up AiredaIe.
There is no use in trying to tell what
Kingthorne's pup looked like, because
If adequate words could be found no
body would believe the description
anyhow.
Kingthorne spoke into the immense
silence almost defiantly. He's a
bench dog" he said. "AIl my life
I've wanted an Airedale-and 1 am
sure Jimmy will be crazy about this
one. So will you when you get used
to his looks and appreciate his noble
nature. That brown, woolly thing
hasn't any class, my dear"
well, like himi" cried Mrs. King
thorne, Indignantly.
Jimmy slammed into the house Just
then. Something slammed in with
him. 1t was an overgrown, calfliks
creature, all legs and tail and tongue,
with great ugly head, and its style
of architecture was a combination Of
everything from early Greek down
Hes mine!" Jimmy CRIED proud
ly. "An ashcart man gave him to me.
an he's goin' to sleep in my room