Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-08-28
THE GOWNSMAN
TORY

/
- lot the other day scratched in the
lichen that makes grayer the gray of a
granite boulder the four letters of Tobys
name. For | remembered that it was near
to this spot tha: he lay buried under the
sod of wildilowers. wihtcrgrecn and trailing
pine. Old and obese he had been unable
to endure the departure of the family one
hot day in August; and on n bed of straw
attended by Harry, the man. he had breathed
his last, wngging his tail in recognition to
the last. Toby had led good life and a
happy one. and now rested in a grave, un
crowded by other dead. with monument
the beauty and pcrmanence of which princes
might envy; and his. too. was an cpitaph.
sufficient in its brcvty to recall world of
meaning to those who had loved him-and
which. of us really cares to be remembered
by any one else?
COME years ago n lady entered birdshop,
~ not SO much to buy as drawn by n liking
for pets and a pity for the poor little mas
terloss creatures. the subjects of barter with
n future lowering in the toss up of chance.
AZ -hc looked m at a parrot she placed
hor glovcd hand on cage on the floor
when little. snub noscd puppy caught at
h"r finger and began to tousle it. Turning.
sh" looked down into the hcscoching. brown
eyes of Toby. who made his first conquest
then and there. Now Tobv's brown eyes
were precisely the trouble. for they told the
story of mixed blood For being oStensibly
n fine sDerimon of an English bull terrier.
white. slightly spotted under the hair his
oars crucllv trimmed after the fashion de-
creed by dog fanciers for las kind. he lacked
the little Sits Of shfty eyes which belong
IN his forebpars on the nCdigreed side. II
was a discerning cook of ours. of African
blood and EXPANSIVE Dimensions. who said
to Toby as he sat on tho hem of her skirt
and looked mp ndoringly. "Toby, you amt
ra dawg; you's jos folks.
AND "ies folks" Toby always was. Loyal
n to his family. he loved the whole genus
homo and was no watch dog. He would
have welcomed burglar engagingly. When
caught once by the dog catChers. he con-
trived to ride to the pound on the seat
with the driver. friend. and not in tn"
cart with the days catch. He had that
gcntlemans instinct which makes n good
dog a snort or vagabond, never worker.
The only thing which he ever resented among
the viciSsitudes which ingenious childhood
hoappd upon him was the attemnt to make
him draw n small wagon. He literally lar
down in tho traces or else ran the thing like
a fire engine to fire. happy in the final
smash He was taught to carry small
basket to market and he was willing to take
homo his supper in paper bag. waiting
paticntly until permitted to open it. Cane
or umbrella hc would carry rucfully under
protest and simply to obigc. awaiting
favorable opportunity to drop the thing
Surrerttiously and absent -mindedly. n"
was deeply mortified one day to be caught
in the net of burying an umbrella in the
soft earth of plowed field as he Jagged be-
hind for the purpose.
TNOBY'S morality was very human. He
L knew what was considered wrong for
some inscrutaba reason among those Olym-
plans. the family. but what he really hated
was being found out. Much of his service,
like ours. was eye service, and he con-
soed himself in disappointment by indul-
genccs such as living luxuriouSly on forbidden
sofas The intercourse of gentlemen knows
nothing finer thau'the manner in which Toby
deprecated an apology for some roughneSs
or hurt to him accidentally given: and when
comradeship in long ramblc was in ques- .
tion. an exnedtion, or an evening over
wood fire Toby was Incompatible. AS to
beasts he was possessed Of large tolerance.
He marveled at the interest which his de
luded family took in parrots and like ver-
min. But his tolerance drew a sharp line
at eats. The very word in his younger days
inrensed him even when only syllable of
'cataract' or "Catastrophc': and he re
garded the entire feline race as essentially
creatures of the chase. TO be hunted into trees
at the least. And yet he was taught at last
to put up with the presence of a couple of
kittens. who even took liberties with him.
though one Of them came to an untimey
end in an. accidental snan of Toby's great
jaw. mOmentary loss of equilibrium, for
which Toby was sincerely pentent.
" of his own breed and he was somewhat
dilapidated as a result. A witness of tn"
fray shook his head but said. "You ought
to have seen tha other dog" Whether this
eouivocation represented admiration for
Toby's prowcSs or merely consolation for
his master never knew. and Toby never
told. \ more terrible frav was that with a
porcunine. one Cf many. for Toby hated the
nricky things and never left off until he
| killed them. This fight left Toby bewhis
| kcrPd with Qulls each barbed and only to
he extracted singlv with pair Of twcezcrs
But Toby understood and. though he could
! not help an occasional groan. he lay quite
| still during thc panful bloody surgical
oneration. One dog friendship Toby had
with country collie. and many were their
hunts together for field mice. the collie dis
! placing the stones. Toby seizing the prey and
| shaking it, after which he lost all interest.
! and II was the come VINO ate up the XIII.
| OF THE sagacity and amiability Of Toby
! " his doting remembrancer could go on
! for hours. How he would unerringIy find
| n ball. hidden in the house or thrown at
| random into field. with that wonderful
nose of his: how he reasoned out process
of bringing a long stick in at a narrow
gate aud never made n mistake after how
| bO Iooi1nd nprrartly 1ilnmmo Of rhnion bo
tween his master returned after year of
absence and mis- kind friend and recent care .
taker-but enough. To own another dog
after Toby would be much like marrying a
second time-to some impossible
| II it is true that one out Of every eight
deaths in PHILADELPHIA is due to tuberculosis
then the need for municipal hospital is
greater than the need for party regularity.