South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-01-11
Boots! Just a Darn Dog
By BIanch Brace.

Boots IS just a darn dos. as the
doughboy regiment that brought him
back 20 the United States assured
the customs officer who demanded
his breed and price.
He's almost setter Cthe kind
that won't seD and pretty nearly
a TERROR, and good deal OF coll
lie. and-bUt it's easier 20 name The
dogs he's not. There doesn't seem
20 be any bulldog or Russian blood
dog in his makeup. and that's
about ALL He could get a blue rib
bon for being the purest mongreI
az any dog show I'm the world
But II all the dogs i'm the United
States were lined up. tail 10 tail for
national canine roIl-cau. Boots
would be the one with the most
faithful heart and the most thrilling
past That little old black-and-tan
epitome Of every dog who don't
dare write which for BootsD
makes his home nowadays az the
Salvation Army headquarters in
New York has a story of his own.
It's the story OF a darn dog and a
hero. It's the account of a monEreI
love and OF a mongrel loyalty equal
70 those celebrated in any OF the
great doy-epics of the world
When the doughboyS rushed into
Monneaux, one of the villages of the
Marine. within a few miles Of Chat
eau Thierry. i'm July 1918. they
found black-and-tan cur growing
his head off at the Germans there.
the one representative of the French
nation at hand. Single-handed and
unarmed, Boots had held the town
for France. against the Huns Per
haps he was getting a little tired of
holding it all alone. for he greeted
the regiment with the most fervent
bark IL ever expected to hear
When the miX-up OF the next few
hours was over, the Germans had
gone. and Boots had Joined up with
the regular American army, choos-
ing a buck private as his command
er-in-chief. The private fed him
beans, taught him 20 salute. and Of
fered him bareback. which Boots
refused, naturally installing IL for
dog biscuit. Ia return. he tried
to help the private with his striker
duties, by licking an officers boots
waiting to be shined. i'm vain at
tempt TO give it that mahogany fin
ish so highly approved That was
how Boots acquired his name. He
also took the private 10 the heap
of stones that had been his home
and they agreed together that 81 was
darn shame, and that they would
like TO get the Huns for that.
The chance came The regiment.
rushing headlong into that terrific
Chateau Thierry fight. didn't notice
the black-and-tan dog at their heels.
just at first When they did. they
tried 10 send Boots back. but he
wouldn't send. There was nothing
yellow about his tan. He was the
kind of a dog that adopts "a regi-
ment for better or for worse
II seemed TO be for worse. There
were four long days when Boots
wagged his way through he'll. at his
private's heels He was just a darn
dog. but the fusiuade Of shells
couldn't daunt him. I'm happier
times, he might have fled from an
appraised broom, but cannOns
couldn't stop him now: he kept his
eyes fixed on that insisting khaki
that he knew from all the other
1.999.s99 in the army. and forged
ahead.
Everyone knows the story Of
SJickeen, the little dog who braved
the avalanches and the gales. be-
cause the man he loved was Just
ahead. Boots avalanches We're of
molten steel and the storms he fac
cd were fun OF shells. His private
had divided the emergency rations
with him, but these long since We're
gone. But the boys say that the
persistent tail of him kept on waeg-
ing. as they charged ahead.
His private fell When one OF his
buddies who had seen him fall
crawled back TO see whether his paf
was living or dead. he found
black-aud-ta mongrel waiting sic
lently there by the lifeless body.
unmindful OF danger He rescued
the wildly unwilling Boots. dragging
him back TO safety.
Boots stuck with the regiment.
heart-broken though he was. at the
loss OF his communicative chief He
was with it during all those months
in France though ne never saw any
more fighting. He came back 20
America on the transport with the
men. When the Regiment disbanded
In New York. the question arose Of
what 10 do with Boots Everybody
wanted him and nobody wanted him
He wasn't anybOdy's property in
particular, for he had never adopt
ed another master. Besides. funds
were low and the army equipment