Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1919-09-11
El1 sisIsl ..tc,s IL: Ia 81 So
ONLY A DOG


which had been missing for several
days, Mr.. and Mrs. J. 2. Bowers
drove out to Linn Grove Cemetery to
place flowers on the grave Of their
baby, who died few months ago.
There on the, tiny mound they found
the dog asleep and almost exhaust
ed from grief and hunger News Dis
patch. oc
Yet, it was e"only a dog" keeping
the love vigil under the stars in Linn
Grove Cemetery.
The Bowers family, no doubt, had
been criticised for keeping it around
the house. Indignant highbrows,
quite possibly, had written letters to
the Greeley papers to protest that
there were "too many worthless ours
in this town. There was nothing in
viting about it, perhaps to look at. It
barked at the milkman, and made life
a burden for the iceman Occasionally
it chased the neighbor's cat up tree
and when it found nobody to annoy,
and the baby was asleep, it amused
itself by scratching it's ears in pub
20 h. Sc o1,xfaC
wondered "what the Bowers family
meant" by lavishing affection on such
a dog.
But the Bowers baby and the Bow.
ers dog didn't mind what the high
brows said or what the club women
thought. They rolled on the floor to-
gether, and the baby roughed the
dogs wool, pulled it's ears and twist
ed it's tail If the iceman or the milk
man had tried that familiarity there
would have been trouble But the
iceman and the milkman and the club
women and the highbrows, who hate
dogs, couldn't understand the loyalty
that bound the Bowers dog to the
Bowers baby It was "only dog to
them.
And when the Bowers baby died
thre was sympathy for all the family
Neighbors called to offer coincidence
and to do all they could to heal the
sorely wounded hearts Nobody
however, thought of the baby's play
fellow, the Bowers dog. No one gave
a thought to him as he wandered
through the house alone looking for
the companion that has roughed his
wool and pulled his ears; listening
for the voice that had commanded
him to obedience, even though it had
talked in baby prattle. No one paid
attention to the wistful, wondering
look in the eyes of the Bowers dog
as he went from one to another, seek
ing in dumb, dog fashion an explana-
ton of the mystery of mysteries that
had robbed him of his playmate. He
was only dog.
When the Bowers baby was taken
from the house by strange hands
they never would have touched the
baby in other days, with the dog
standing guard and the silent, sol
emn procession left the Bowers home
for that sad journey to Linn Grove
Cemetery, nobody bestowed so much
as a look or care upon the Bowers
dog. Why should they? He was only
a dog.
And the procession from Linn
Grove Cemetery wended home again.
The Bowers family and the relatives
and the sympathizing friends and the
minister. The little Bowers baby
was left there in new made grave
but not alone. When the last hui
man friend had left the little mound
there came a Waterman to keep vigil
a Waterman prompted by a love and
loyalty that passes human ken. 1t
was the Bowers dog.
In his way the dog had solved the
mystery. They found him there,
three days later, exhausted, the dis
patch reads, from grief and hun
ger" but faithful still, keeping watch
over the dead. n