The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-11-10
Learning From 4 Puppy
BY wINfFRKD BLACK

The old dog had gone out. wonder
where 1t is he takes to wandering OF
late?
| Last night, when the moon was a
silver half UP there IN the turquoise
and silver skies. he ran down the lit
tie path TO the gate, stopped a min
ute. looked back at us trifie, as If
he were nce-smitten. flung up
/ his Yrizzled old head and was gone
out into the shadows of the broad road
that leads his doggish feet to what gay
canine reyelry who can guess? is
there a part ocular cat he wants to catch
| down there in the broad road? Can
lit be that ne hears the coyotes up on
the brown hills barking, barking. like
fretfui puppies, every night just about
moonrise?
+ / knew good dog once. staid, re-
spectacle family dog, who went West
with the family and ran away and
joined his wild brethren in the hills.
| At first he played with them just at
dusk, and ran out Of the house at early
dawn TO follow them. And then he
spent the whole night. then the day,
and finally he went away with them
Ialtogether.
| Only once in a while did he appear
sitting on distant hill--to watch the
children playing around the bonfire at
night. but when they called him by
his old name he threw up his head.
shifted the air an instant. turned tail
and ran to the wtlds again.
Can 1t be that our old dog Is going
! to go back TO the caves? At any rate.
he left the puppy alone in the house
with one who sleeps early in the even
/ ing and rises 1t seems to me, with the
dawn.
| Later In the evening I heard some
thing in the garden--a cat most like.
Come. boy" said / to the puppy.
come. 60 out and see what's coming
so close to your house"
| opened the door. but the puppy
| looked wistfuiiy up into my face.
"Oh." he seemed to try to say. "Oh,
am so young. and what Ii 1t should
| be a lion Or a tear?"
| But I was memorable, and all at
once the puppy's blood spoke; ne
raised his foolish head and plunged
| noiseiessly toward the soft footsteps
/ in the garden.
GOOD boy I said. Good old Raj
| fes." for his name Is Rallies since the
very day he came, when he tried to
| steal every knife and fork from the
frst table he had ever seen set
Good boy, Raffies," and Raffes
heard, and he lifted up his puppy
voice in a real bark. "Woof! woofT
dear me, what fierce voice: 1t quite
terrifies me. ''Woofi woof." said
Rafties. the PUPPY no mora real
dog, with dogs responsibilities. now
that the old dog has taken to wander
ing in his old age.
| Foolish dog; he makes me think Of
some old men know. old enough for
| a chimney corner and out following
the footsteps of every reckoning hand,
| I do hope he won't teach the pap such
| bad ideas.
Good boy. Raffies." said I again
| when the pup came in the house and
| oh, the pride. the JOY of that pup. He
knew what he had done: he knew that
| he had met his call OF responsibility
| as dog should, and he held his rag
ged head high and grinned. afd
, showed every white tooth in his faith
| rul. affectionate head.
Wasn't / all right" he said. with
every muscle Of his wriggling body,
and I told him. .'Yes. he was quite III
right" and he knew what l said and
gloried in 1t.
| Ard afterward. when the old dog
| came home. he ran to him and pulled
| his ears and grabbed him by the legs
and threw him down and mauled him
| to ami fro. and barked and acted so
strangely that the old dog watched
him with suspicion In his eyes
| Since then RafYies has taken charge
| o. things in the house. Not cricket
chirps but his wary ear rises TO heed.
and not shrub sttrs In the fall
wind trt the hair on the pups back
| ruffies; no one shall modest his house
hali not II that pup knows II.
! Afraid not he. He was yesterday.
| but yesterday Ia past: II Is today
now And It's his day at that, ana
braveiy hes going to live il In his
/ doyrish way.
| GOOD old pup. good old Raffies.
wonder II lie who sleeps SO early At
night in the little bed yonder, and
| who rises at the first peep of dawn.
/