The Holbrook news., 1922-06-30
He Was Only A Puppy And He Led A
 Dogs Life

beings wonderful creatures Tn hlS eyes ana when man even spoke kindly to him he was apt to literally dog his steps night and day. The strange thing about it was that they didn't to like it very we'll and the pretty ladies usually screamed and hit at him and said "Go way! You nasty thing. Your feet are all muddy And the would kick him and he would fall way out in the street and his ribs would ache Of course was nt their fault He really didn't have proper dog man. ners No taught him that it most impoite to leave the print of his muddy paws immaculate or gande.
 But sometimes at night when it got chilly, he would wake up shivery and with ache way down his hun gry heart But he always thought 1t was his tummy, because he really never got much to eat. You see he was nobodys dog-ust poor little affectonate stray with loads of love and loyalty to offer which one wanted.
 We'll when he was half grown he saw The Boy. He knew at once that it was to be The Boy and only The Boy that he would love all his ife We would only have seen little freckled faced snub-nosed kid in blue denim with bare feet whose squirming toes made little spurt of dust as he podded along through the sand Rail- road Avenue. But besides ali this he had smile al wide-open, genuine sort of thing was, and when he wiggled his toes and smiled at the Pup and whistled thru the place where the two teeth were missing we'll it was all over for the Pup. He a slave for life.
 But all this isn't really our story We just had to tell you about the Pup and The Boy you would under stand the real story, and how much it meant to them both
 It seems that the Boys mother wasn't very well sol The Boy had to go with the family up into the cool pine scented mountains But of course The Pup couldn't go The family wouldn't be bothered with 'mangy cur he really wasn't you know, he nice and soft and silky even if you couldt tell whether he was going to grow up into collie or a bull dog The Boys lip trembed but he remembered the sick mother, and that he was ten and almost man now---so he didn't cry when he left The Pup He just hugged him hard and told him that he coming back and that his friend Jimmy would take of him while he away, and the dog licked his round cheek with rough little tongue Friend Jimmy really intended to look after The Pup but the very next day he got chance to go out and ride real horse at fathers roundup, and Jimmy for got the Pup The boy never would have forgotten him
 We'll, we must hurry with the story. While The Boy was away The Pup grew up into just plain dog He got cuffed and kicked because he always looking for his Pal and expected other people to love him the Boy had
 The family with the boy in tow, brown as berry after months in the mountains and anxious to see The Pup he could hardly wat came back from the hills and the mother was feeling fne They reached home on the morning of the Fourth of July The Boy could hardly wait to get to the for recrackers and to see his dog Somehow later the day they noticed that he never mentioned ire-crackers again
 It was at the bridge the little Colorado that the tragedy happened, few men came running around the corner they heard the sharp crack of gun an a onized cry; and there in the dust of the roadway just in front of their car lay limp and motionless heap of fur with ptifuly quiet paws
 '.Oh, it's The Pup, cried The Boy, he tumbed out of the
 ''Too bad. sonny" said one of the men. "Had to shoot him. He'd gone mad.''
 "No he wasn't. I'm sure he wasn't sobbed the Boy, for he felt too badly now to mind the tears, and after all ten is not very old.
 Maybe the little chap is right" said another man. 'Look here fellows. He pointed to the dead dogs tail and there hung the remains of bunch of exploded fire crackers ''l reckon the kid right. That dog was just scared crazy-wild. But I'd like tolay my ing gers the young rapscaon that played the dirty trick
 Muttering but half convinced, the crowd drifted away. The little boy went home and in the road lay all that remained of that oyousy anmaedbundle of love and faithfulness, The Pup, who now was Just Dog and dead at that.
 The moral? Must this story have a moral? Mo- for after all this is only story, but just the same couldn't it have happened? And what sort of fellow was be- do you think who tied the bunch of fire crackers to The Pup, and laughed to see him run?