Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1926-11-25
The bedroom door closed after Ly.


"Amos," said John, shat child's
nerves are all shot to pieces" He
related his conversation with Lydia.
'What can / do?" asked Amos, with
worried air. Seems to me she's
just got to wear 1t out"
Levine grunted and put on his hat.
II wish she was my daughter" no
said. eff you'll ask Brown to come
around to the Elks' club tomorrow,
I'll talk to him."
On the Friday afternoon following
when Lydia got home from school, she
found the house apparently deserted.
But there issued from the neighbor-
hood of the kitchen yipping and
ki-yi-ing that would have moved a
heart Of stone. Lydia ran into the
kitchen. The puppy walls came from
behind the door Of the old bedroom.
who's in there!' she called.
The yipping changed to deep barks
Of joy. Lydia tried the door. It
opened easily and great, laundering
puppy hurled himself at her. Lydia
was dog lover.
"You Lowell You lamb !" she cried.
She squatted on the floor and the pup
crowded his great hulk into her lap,
licking her face and wagging his
whole body.
There was a note tied to his col
lar. Lydia united it: Dearest
Young Lydia: Here Is friend who
wants to share your bedroom with
you. You must bring him up to be a
polite. obedient dog, and a credit to
your other friend, John Levine"
"Oh!" squealed Lydia. "Oh! but
why did they tie you in herei" She
looked about the room. The old bed
had been moved out and the dining
room couch moved in. The bureau
had been shifted to another corner.
There was nothing to be seea Of all
little Patience's belongings. It did not
look like the same room.
AS she chung to the squirming pup
by and stared, Lizzie came in.
saint it nicer she asked. "Mr.
Levine came out with tn. dog this aft
ernoon and suggested the change. He
helped me- See the old quilt In the
cornerP That's for the dog to sleep
on. Amt he as big as an elephantl
I'm afraid he'll eat as much as .
man."
"He can have half Of my food"
cried Lydia. "Oh, Lizzie, isn't he
beautiful I"
swell, no." replied Lizzie, truthful
ly. "He looks to me as II some one
had stepped on his face. You'd bet
ter take him out for run"
John Levine never did a wiser *
a kinder thing than to give the brindle
English bulldog to Lydia. He was a
puppy of nine months, well bred and
strong. Lydia took him into her emp
ty little heart with q completeness
that belongs to the natural dog lover
and that was enhanced by her be-
reavement. She and Kent cast about
some time before deciding on name
At first they thought seriously OF
naming him John, after the donor,
but decided that this might lead to
confusion. Then they discovered that
Levine's middle name was Adam, and
Adam the brindle bull became, forth
with.
Lydia made no objection to return
ing to the old room. It had lost Its
familiar outlines.
In May the garden was planted and
in June, Lydia graduated from the
eighth grade, and the long summer
vacation had begun After the episode
of the note, Lydia made conscien-
tious effort to play with Margery at
recess, and when vacation began she
called for the bankers daughter regu-
larly every week to go swimming
Outwardly this summer was much
like the previous one, except that
there was quiet contentment about
Amos in spite of his real mourning
for his baby daughter, that had been
foreign to him for years. 1t was the
garden that did this. Not only was
1t a wonderful garden to look on and
to eat from, but with 1t Amos paid for
milk and butter from the Nortons and
for part Of his groceries. This made
possible the years interest and pay
ment on the note.
Lydia sewed for Florence Dombey,
climbed trees, swan and played pf-
rates with Kent. But as a matter of
fact, the old childish zest for these
things had gone. For Lydia's real
childhood had left her that December
night she had spent under the far cor
ner of her fathers bed. She had not
prayed since then. Her young faith
in the kindness and sweetness Of life,
badly shaken by her mothers death,
had been utterly destroyed when lit
tie Patience had been taken from her.
Lydia was very nervous about her
first day at high school. Kent was
entering at the same time and she
would have liked to have asked to go
with him but she knew he would re-
sent violently being associated with q
girl on so important an occasion.
So 1t was that one of the teachers
observed child In a faded but clean
galatea sailor suit, with curly blond
hair barely long enough to tie at her
neck, standing In one Of the lower
halls after the mob Of seven or eight