Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1912-12-19

in the house The Douglases did
the visiting, for they could take
with them, chain him to a sofa
and take him home with them at
night if they chose to stay so long
John was hard working man
gradually accumulated a little fort
on the income of which he and M
could live when they came to old
One day John had trouble with a 81
ty deposit company where he kept
securities and took them home
him, intending to rent another box
next day. He also drew his acco
amounting to $3.50, from the banI
department of the concern and
that home too. Whether some
disposed person saw him draw
money and followed him, certain
that the same night the house
robbed, Tito, the securities and
money disappearing at the same I'll
This, of course, was terrible b
to the couple. In one thing they W
disappointed. They had always s.
posed that Tito would warn ths
against burglars. Instead of that
had been captured But a strans 81
smell indicated that the dog had been
put to sleep by the robbers before loot-
ing the house and carried away with
the booty.
Maria endeavored to comfort her
husband as well as she could, though
the sops she gave him were very thin.
swell, DEAR" she said. 1--WE have no
one but ourselves to provide for, and
we don't need much. If we had a
child to leave behind us we would
have something to worry about If
we only had Tito back | would will
ingly give up the securities and the
money
John made no reply. He had strug-
gled for twenty years to accumulate a
property that would support him and
his wife in their old age or that he
might feel that in case of his death
she would be provided for, and he saw
no comfort in its loss, especially since
he had passed an age when a man
usually finds himself indisposed to be-
gin again.
OF course he reported the matter to
the police The sergeant at the desk
questioned him closely and when John
said that Tito had disappeared the
sergeant said that it was possible the
robber had made mistake in carry
ing the dog off alive instead of dead.
He might be identified by Tito in case
the latter was recovered He took
Johns address and promised to notify
him If any clew were discovered, but
since nothing had been left behind by
which to track him the chances of re-
covering the property were slight.
John was very much discouraged.
"If they hadn't got ahead of the dog"
he said. "we would have been alarmed
by his bark"
ooh, burglar never thinks of enter
ing house where there is dog" said
the sergeant, without first eliminat-
ing the beast"
Then he took down a minute descrip-
ton of Tito
When John told Maria what the SER
geant had said she declared that if
Tito were alive she was sure he would
lead to the discovery of the lost prop
erty.
THAT'S just like a woman" said
John. "She's always considering prob
able what she wishes to come to pass.
My opinion is that the robber or rob-
bers killed Tito and took his body
away with them"
Months passed and nothing was
heard of Tito or the lost property.
Then one day telephone message
came to the Douglases that dog had
come into the possession of the police
which answered to Tito's description.
Would either Mr.. or Mrs. Douglas
come to the station and identify him?
Maria lost no time In reaching the
station, expecting to find Tito there.
She was disappointed. The sergeant
asked her to be seated and, taking up
the desk telephone receiver, called up
a police office in a distant CITY, When
the party he wished to speak with re-
piled the sergeant asked him to bring
the dog" to the phone and place the
receiver near his ear. When the dog
was reported in position Mrs. Doug
las was asked to call Tito through the
phone.
"Tito," she said in an affectionate
tone; '.Tito. Did they take Tito away
from us?"
A series of joyful barks came back
to her that removed all doubt as to the
identity of the dog.
Nothing would satisfy the woman
but that her husband, who was at
business, should be connected by the
wire with Tito that he might call the
dog and hear his bark. This was
done, and when Tito heard his mas
ter's voice he went wild with joy.
"The way we got on to the dog"
said the sergeant, was this: A man
who committed burglary was track
ed to his room, where he was arrest
ed, and this dog was found there.