Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-24

handed men giving so far had been a
pleasure. Now came the real test Of .
devotion. They were asked to give
until 1t hurt
II was Jerry who made the sug.
gestion--the one in the group of men
seated at the engine-house door with
the bright-eyed, alert-eared fox terrier
at his feet
The proposal met with blank silence.
II know it's not easy. boys" Jerry
spoke again. Its going to he like
pulling teeth without any laughing
gas to every mothers son OF US. But
something's got to be done. All the
time he was in the hospital I never
saw him so disheartened as he Is now.
It's company that Barney most
needs now" Jerry continued. His
wtfe's devoted to him, but except for
hurrying in to get him bit Of lunch
at her noon hour she's gone all day.
And she can't give UP her bookkeep-
ing job. for their little house isn't paid
for yet. and Barney's mar-sarge and
electric treatments cost a lot OF money.
Now il he had the Brat
But why the Brat?" asked fire.
man recently transferred to No. s.
Couldn't we get him another dog that
would do as weu?"
Jerry shook his head.
There amt no such ANIMAL Not
in Barney's opinion, anyhow. You see.
while we all contribute to the Brat's
keep. Barney had more TO do with
the kids bringing up and educatin'
than the rest OF US put together"
Il can remember" reminiscently
srinned Jovial Joe, way back when
to beat the band. and US fellows shy
ing boots at him to make him shut up.
how Barney would get out of bed and
warm milk for him"
And it was Barney who learned
him all his tricks" chimed in another
of the men
And Barney who trained the Brat
to ride to fires, sitting up beside him
as important as the chief himself"
contributed third.
II tell you what let's do, boys"
twinkingly proposed Jovial Joe, Tets
put it up to the Brat Brat" said he,
addressing the fox terrier, which
would YOU rather belong to? Engine
House No. s in general or Barney In
particular"
At the word Barney, spoken in an
arresting tone, the Brat danced UP and
down, wagged his stub of tail and
broke into an outburst of excited yaps.
II should say the vote was 'unani-
NOUS " grinned Jovial Joe.
And the next day, with due cere-
n1ony, the presentation was made.
From that time on Barney began
to improve. Not only was the Brat
company: he was occupation as we'll.
Barney fed him, brushed, combed and
bathed him. He taught him all sorts
of new tricks
So. while still the helpless cripple,
a light came into Barney's dull eyes,
a healthy color to his cheeks, even a
cheerful whistle to his lips.
Such vas his Improvement. in fact,
that in a couple Of weeks he was well
enough for his wife to wheel him out
in the sunny front yard at noon and
leave him there with his inseparable
companion until the schoolboy neigh
Dor she had arranged with wheeled
him in again at 4.
Barney and the Brat were "as happy
as kings
Then, out Of a clear sky. fly thrust
itself into the ointment of their con-
tent-a boisterous buzz-fiy.
The buzz.fiy was a lawn-mover in
the next dooryard.
At the sound Of IT. the streak Of 1t
across the grass, the Brat went wild
with resentment.
Unfortunately. Hopkins, the owner
of the next door house, was out of a
job and terribly out of sorts because
Of the fact, and to have a yapping
swapping small dog hurl himself before
the fawr1-nower every time he started
in cutting his grass made him furious
''If you don't call off that confoun6-
ed dog of yours, III not be responsible
if it gets hurt" he angrily exploded.
Barney called off, but, the instant
the 1awun1ower tuned up, the Brat
was raging before 1t.
Soon 1t was not merely case Of
lawn-mower. The Brat dug holes in
the Hopkins fower-beds. The Brat
tracked mud on the Hopkins porch.
The Brat left bones on the Hopkins
doormat
Then came a climax of threat.
If he-Barney-could not put stop
to that internal dog being such a
nuisance, Acknowledgement find a
way to-
From the first poor Barney, who
had not a moments peace for fear his
beloved Brat would be shot or poi
soned, knew there was only one way
out; one safe way, for the Brat's
health and happiness" But 1t took
him week to make up his mind.
In the middle of a sleepless night
Barney came to the great decision.
How he could live without him he
did not know. but the Brat must go
back to engine house No. $50 the
next day while ''the going was good.
AS Barney lay there in the outer
darkness of the night and his renun-
citation, tears streamed his cheeks, a
lump choked his throat.
What was that?
As Barney listened, his heart
turned cold. 1t was a dog in wild
outburst of banks, yelps. bowls. It was
the Brat who slept out in the back
yard, now the nights were mild.
If he should wake up Hopkinsl
A shutter of the next door house
slammed back; window sash went
up; the enraged Hopkins began to
swear at the Brat.
Then the impossible happened.
Without stopping to call his wife,
who slept in the communicating room
with the door open between, somehow
the cripple got out of bed and to the
window.
Brat! Be quiet, Bratr' he called
and fell unconscious to the floor.
When he came to Barney was again
lying in bed, has wife seated beside
him. holding his hand
"Brat?" he faltered in distress.
An ecstatic bark on the other side
of the bed answered.
Feeling better. Barney?''
In a daze of astonishment Barney
lifted his eyes to a fireman bending
solicitously over him.
why. jerry he gasped. What
brought you here? Has there been a
fire."
Yes, don't you remember? The
fire next door that gave you the scare.
But there's nothing to worry about.
The department got II out in short
order. 1t would have been another
story. though. If the Brat hadn't dis
covered the hlaza and raised Cain