Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-04-30
Bright Stories by Members of the Club
TOM DICKEnsoN's EARLY DAYS.

Tie cottage that Is nov at ljg S.
Grant street. Pcurow. n. had mo
father but ho loved and cared for
ms mother His mother often told
.ih' now at the death of his father
how he. TOO small To understand the
sleep that his father had pas5ed into
was the only ono TINT was happy IL
Was ono lonely day that he saw the
rove that his mother had for his
fathcr. FOR as she was telling him tho
story OF the way that they buried him.
n sof tear tricklcd down her rosy
cheeks and Tom. now old enough to
understand death. was sobbing. too.
because he too was snd. Then Mrs
DickersOn said 10 Tom. 'Tcny Tin
ana his mother are coming and you
want to look nice. so Tom went up
stairs and dressed in his best suit.
which he had Just cleaned the day be-
fore. The bell OF the old town
church was striking ton. when in
walking came Mrs Peterson and
Tcny Tim. Mrs. Dickcrson was I'm
IN" Kitchen baking the chicken and
rom went 10 her and told her that
Teny aud his mother was there.
Then Tom was brought from proud
ness 70 sadness as Mrs. DickcrsOu told
how. when "a small boy. he had
now. when he was small. never did
obey her But now he was suppOrt-
ing her and was Just finG To her. ana
She had all thBt ahc wanting. al
though they were poor. Mrs. Peter
son related Ia them the life OF her boy
when no was young unI how good he
VAS when no was young and how IA.
was still good. though occasionnliy
he would do something bad. That
night. after Mrs. Peterson had left.
MS mother told him nc had certainly
been RDDd.
one morning as Tom was going to
WORK hc saw - dog In the water and
aS b" was not late he picked the dog
un and carried II hack home He then
went back To WDrh and all day long
thoughts came into his mind about
ia" dog and how h. could treat the
dog and save him. That night, when
II" went home, no CAV" the dog some
tonic and the next morning which
was saturday. the dog was very good.
rom then went 20 work and ~ Il
o'clock he started for home. He
round the dog all right and decided
To- take the dog to Tcny's hous. and
then bring HIN home and teach him
sorrIt tricHr. liH din as he said he
was going to de. and he was SUCCESS
Jul IN teaching him ono which was to
always II he saw any big boys nght-
ing small boys t" stop them or either
bite the biz boys. The other one
was that whenever he saw any ore
stealing anything to let somebody
know
soon the boy was notified that the
war officer in town had been told of
the many tricks that the dog had been
taught. and he said. as the war was
demanding more dogs. so he had to
hav" Toms dog. Tom was very sor-
Ty. but he wanted 20 do his duty to
his country. and he was given a cor
tihcate, stating that the dog was his
property. Tho dog was snnt to New
York and from there TO France. where
no vas taught what TO do II he found
any wounded men. AT first he did no;
iiko to listen TO the sounds of tho
cannons and the continuous firing o:
the rifles.
Pctc's first experience was not very
thrilling, but IL was the second that
Pete was moro thrilled than ever. 4
soldier Of tho Sixteenth Regiment was
Gent into the German lines to act as a
scout. and he had not returned. lie
was near the German lines when he
heard groan and he went to the
shell holc and there hc found the
man which he had been sent for. He
gave the man some Of the water
which he carried on his neck in n
small cRntcen. The man Cwho was
near his cnd) tied the important pa
pers around his neck and told Pete
TO go back to tho generals headauar-
tcrs and stop. so the general VIII get
the papers. AS he was nearing the
American trenches, n shell burst over
his head. a piece Of the fragments OF
iron wounded him. lie put ali the
vaientcy he had and finally reached
tho office OF tho general and high
honors we're bestowed upon him. and
when Tom received him he was very
proud and he always kept Pete and
cared for him until I've died.
LOUIS II. WILSON.