Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1913-09-24

Up THE SAME TREE
Rx JOHN PHILIP ORTIZ.

|
at the gate. He was homeless wan
derer. and in search of home. He
was as big as a calf, and it was evil
dent that he had the appetite OF a
horse
1t was summer time. and the dog
the kitchen and took up a position
under the table Jed's wife was at
the washtub and after looking at the
dog a moment she burst out laugh
ing and said:
THAT dog hasn't got the sense of a
cabbage-head, or somebody has lied
to him. He wants food and home.
and the idea that he should come
here for them makes me GRIM"
| Jed Barnes was the LATEST man in
| the county, and it may be said in the
same breath that his wife was the
! hardest worker She worked for Jed.
For years he had made her believe
that he had consumption, liver COM
| plant. kidney trouble and three or
! four other ailments that would be
sure to carry him of il he handled ak
or spade, and she believed him enough
to earn the living for two of them. 1t
was poor living, and she smiled as
! she wondered what would be left for
| the dog
When Jed came home after his day 5
loaf he did not kick the wanderer out
doors, as expected. For the first time
in his life he betrayed streak OF
! commercialism
That dog has come from fifty miles
away" he said 'His feet are sore,
| for week"
And he'll get mighty little here. "
said the wife Il am not going to
work for man and dog too"
/ Don't you spite good thing, Betty.
After that dogs been fed up and got
his boundin' speerits back he'll sell
| for $25 in cold cash"
You can't mean it, jedi"
AT least SIS, and mebbe double
that"
And | can get a new dress and a
! pair of shoes?"
SS, anu q udL ana uLnSA
| Why, it's the greatest piece of luck we
ever had! Jest you work day and
| night to help get the dog IN shape"
The wife was willing, and Jed did
| not have to curb his own appetite at
all When he and the dog had fin
| ished their meals there were only
| crusts left for the wife. Sne stood it
| for time, however, and might have
! gone a couple of weeks more, but for
Jed coming home and saying:
Darn my cats, but do you know
what's happened?"
You've been offered days work.
| gasped the wife
mo, I amt and IL had been
shouldn't take and dig my own grave.
| The Teller that owns that dog is here
after hint"
Great snakes!"
Lives thirty miles away, and says
q tramp coaxed the dog away. Heard
he was here and has come on to get
him. Says must give him up or he'll
raise an awful row."
And you'll give him up?"
No! I'm slowly but surely dyin' of
twelve different ailments, but I'm a
| game man. Let him find his dog If
he can"
What are you goin' to do?'
| For answer Jed cut piece on the
clothes-line and tied one end to bat
tered old tin pail. The other he made
fast to the tail OF the dog after he had
called him out of the house. Then a
kick sent the wanderer away from his
| happy home and down the main street
of the town. He ran for his life.
Other dogs sought to overtake him
and ask questions Men and boys
cried mad dog!"" and threw missiles
at him Down the long street and
straight out in the country ne ran
and little did that dog know that Fate
and Cupid were In the combination
with him.
Three miles from the spot where
Jed Barnes tied the old tin pail to
the dogs tail and babe him disap-
pear from the sight Of a lazy man,
dwelt farmer Rigsby. He had daugh-
ter, Irene, who had just returned from
boarding school. He also had a sec
ond wife. to whom he was married
while the said daughter was away,
and who had no hint OF the affair
until about ready to return home.
Both the daughter and the wife. ex-
pected clash sooner or later, and it
came sooner. A step-mother can be
just as nice as pie, or she can be as
rusty as an old saw and hold her
teeth ready to bite. After a week
or SO this particular step-mother came
| out with the query:
Well do you wish to pay your
board or work it out2'
Pm In my fathers house" was
the reply.
And In mine, and IL you think you
are going to play lady while l play
| slave You'll find yourself greatly mis-
| taken!"
4 shall teach school in the town in
the fall"
And until faH?''
i II shall have talk with father in