Love Me, Love My Dog.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIV, Issue 3, 3 January 1903, Page 5 (Supplement)

Love Me, Love My Dog.

14 Enjest Pamiltoij, author of " The Outlaws of the Jtahes," etc.

A CHRISTMAS STORY.

_ in the village to spend that the D " Cas tle there was, as out f % C o r r U S ou Vh it was ten good * onder '. ; fie! "old Duke" had daed, i» T \* m h The Castle had been left "and though_ the oa her pucbess to wwd ono ml- stood in the snow wonder the viu » are not to as plentifully as sheep town, as everyone iS i As to this particular one, the ® m, , J hardly call her to mind, '"SS self-eflacing person of a QC P Jd and gentle nature. Mark SJjS , 7 » who read, for it has a ril oJ what follows. ■ « * + a* the Grange, and ncr .^fhadno';f turned 'out with P rl Sto stare at the windows f h : See's carriage, the mother of * I noia and the daughter prehßTlDg i'baluU in the orchard fffanTCper °This is also imCthe 20th day of December, Mrs. £ years hac* undisputed game S over the common, naturally Sed to the Airedale, and, after t Spreiminary sniffs, proceeded Rphasise his objection in the usual ni In the twinkling of an eye the Si was on his back and Jock toing nobly to eviscerate him. Jock Si a large and muscular Dandy, and in canine circles was that when once he got an opponent on to Ms back, the opponent was apt to lemain there for some time. Such timed to be the case on the present occasion; and now comes the mam incident on which the later developments hinge. Kecognising the condition of things as regarded the Airedale, the strange lady with somethingapproaching a shriek, rushed up to the scene of combat. "Oh, my darling Bouncer," she screamed, whirling her arms hysterically, "he is being killed, killed, killed. John, John, John, for Heaven's Bake do something." The young man addressed as John, toweTer, showed no inclination to interfere, tfre probability being that a good stand-up fight was by no means distasteful to him. With his hands 11 Ms pockets ana an amused smile on his face he sauntered leisurely in •tie wake of his excited companion. b the meantime Mrs Moffat and Pegrj had hurried precipitately up from lie far side, and now stood with dasped hands and agonised brows pzing down upon the gurgling, snarlty, worrying mixture of legs and ieeth that represented Jock and the Airedale. , "Call off your aog, Madam," shrieked the strange lady, waving wild arms in the direction of Jock's owners.

"We can't," shrieked the M off at tofflily in response, "he won't come." "Yob. must," yelled the stranger, stamping impotently in the snow. The savage brute is killing my poor fog." .

~ "He is not a savage brute," screamed the elder Moffat. "He is." shouted the stranger. "Yours is a 3avage brute, and I tope he gets -well bitten," was the response.

"Oh! you horrible old woman!" replied the stranger, lustily belabour- % Jock's back with her umbrella.

"Oh! you nasty cruel wretch" rewrted the Moffat, "how dare you neat mj dog?" "I shall beat your horrible dog," Mid the other. "Yes, and you too," we. added, truculently. At this outrageous declaration the "'ood of all the Mo'ffats rose in reWt. and breathing the slogan of her wan, Jock's owner brandished her wtrachan muff with a determination worthy nf her forbears, and prepared yinsfanthostilities. The threatenf catastrophe was, however, averted «* the 'time by a sudden strategic jwoewre on the part of the Airew«. oy vhich it completely reverses? , f Position of affairs, getting its i°t\ legS astride of Joek ' and in ~ •wntly getting about his destruction ™ the most business-like manner pos-

JJ °i ! ON" shrieked Mrs Moffat. OM Oh! Oh!" chimed in Peggy, wemg around on the toes of acute sft WMle the Aire dale's owner smile of satisfaction re™JM ler umbrella to its scabbard, ekl;? B■*'8■*' m the y°™& man the tat time land?! add f ssed herself to the ,r; m youth. cried l m - ios off > wiU y°u." «&« .yj U t^ o,ls stamp of the foot. jw« bitte s n aid b he / irily ' ' Wy * et Bou^er&? SldeS lts Onl y fair *«£thXI aTe ■ turn, he ' s been "Bnt ti, five minutes." being killed." a bit of Sl'S^ 0 him S°od to "Oh! hiding. , ' "T ha i^r you ~y ou brute." V seS 5d the y° un S ana etoopefl ? fl °f - ,°PP° r unity, suddenly ked Mxa U P into his gOoa solid «2« ° foUow » with a "Oh! he Hbs - y**t*Ll 2 : I sbrieked Pe^ytim with P m her turn an( 3 fac"W / yes that absolutely \ ea^ ? , dare you do such a Cc " said coolly, Vtt? t£i^ % ; and doing so looked at p4gy-

here."

« E s ER - v - E -P-

Now Peggy was at all times an exceptionally prepossessing person, but at the present moment she looked absolutely entrancing, what with ragt and excitement, and one thing and another, and John, who was a person of much discernment in such matters, was simply "struck all of a heap," as the saying is. However, the feeling being by no means reciprocal, Peggy, with. Jock still undei her arm, spun on her heel and stalked haughtily away, and the two elder women, after one final glare of deathless defiance, betook their heaving chests, and clenched fists, and purple faces in opposite directions. On the following day Lord Joltn put on his boots and trudged through the snow to the Grange. Mrs Moffdt was unfortunately out, but Miss Peggy was some* where in the garden, and wa.s presently retrieved by the excited maid. On seeing who the visitor was, Peggy went very red, and Jock, who was in attendance, growled sepulchrally. "I thought I must come over and see how your poor little dog was,' , my lord explained a little awkwardly. "My poor little dog!" echoed the owner, trying to cover her great confusion by assuming an air of surprised defiance. "I should have thought it would have been more to the point to have inquired after yours. He was the one underneath most of the time."

Lord John felt that, this was hardly a fair way of putting it, seeing that in the. end he had dragged Bouncer

off the top of the prostrate Jock, but he had not come to argue.

"Well," he said, a long face, "to tell the truth Eouncer's pretty bad."

"Oh! poor dearl" cried Peggy, clasping her hand in instant mollification. "What's the matter with him? Nothing really bad?" "I am not quite sure," said he, gloomily, "I am afraid there is some internal injury." "Oh, dear! oh, dear!" she cried with a piteous face. "Can't something be done for him? Poor dog! How dreadful it sounds. And you think Jock did it?"

"Not much doubt of that," lie replied, "these Dandies have such punishing , jaws." "Oh!" she said, "It's too terrible. What are you doing for him?" "Well," he said hopelessly, "we are do'ug nothing; none of the people at the Castle know anything about dogs." "But you must do something,' ,, she insisted, with a characteristic stamp of the foot; "you can't let the poor thing suffer without trying something to help it." Lord John stared moodily at his boots.

"We none of us know anything abort dogs," he said. "Internal injuries sound so abstruse," reflected Peggy, "if it had only been a leg I might have done something. I once set Jock's leg when he got it in a trap." "But it is his leg," cried Lord John eagerly. . "But I thought you said internal injuries." "Yes, but there is the leg , too, and that is really the worst." "Oh dear, oh dear, is it broke? ' "B"'m, well, I should hardly say broke exactly, but—er—well, pretty bad."

"Oh! and to think that it's all this wretch Jock's doingl" "Perhaps you might be able to do something for the poor old fellow's lc-g." he suggested diffidently. "Oh! if I only could!" "Shall I bring him over to-morrow just to see what you can do?" "But he can't walk all this way?" "Oh, I'll carry him; it's nothing." "Why shouldn't I come over and see him?" "H'm, well, I think perhaps it would be best for me to bring him

"An right," she said, not, however, quite understanding why. An houi later Lord John trudged back again. "Mother," he said that night at dinner, "I think you ought to ask the Moffats to our Christmas dance." I "What!" exclaimed the Duchess, "those dreadful people with the dog? "Yes. You see you were atrociously rude to thorn—called them goodness knows what—and I think you

ought to make it up—just at this time of year and all—Christmas, you know, and peace and goodwill, and all that sort of thing , ."

"But, my dear boy," expostulated the Duchess, "how can I? She called me a nasty cruel wretch.." "Yes, and you called her a horrible old woman, and threatened to beat her; I heard you."

"My dear," taaid his mother, getting very red, "I am dreadfully afraid I did."

"Not a doubt of it and you meant it, too."

, "I really don't know how I could have said such a thing." "Well, you did it, and quite easily too at the time; so I really think yoii ought to make amends; it's oniy right." "Very well, dear," said the Duchess, who was by nature the meekest, mildest woman upon earth. "I will write."

The next afternoon Lord John took the injured Bouncer over to the Grange. Bouncer enjoyed a good deal of rabbit coursing on the "way, and eDded by running Mrs. Dibbin's cat, who had an innate prejudice against Airedales, into the highest branches of a tree just outside the Grange gates. When Bouncer had been well thrashed Lord John produced a piece of rag , from his pocket, and, having tied it tightly round the unhappy dog's left knee-, tucked him. under his arm and carried him into the house.

"Poor dog! he does look wretched!" cried the sympathetic Peggy. "Yes, poor old fellow, he's still pretty sore, and his legs hurt him a good deal," said Lord John, both of which statements Bouncer would have most cordially endorsed. "But did you ever see such a baiidage?" cried Peggy. "Who on earth put on such a thing as that? Here, let me look at his leg ;y

"I don't tthink I would toucfli him, :: Lord John said, as Peggy began making overtures to the sorely injured dog, "he will lie perfectly quiet on my knee, but otherwise he's not quite to be trusted." "Well, take him on your knee, then," said the unsuspecting maid. John did; and Peggy, kneeling on the floor, began untying the bandage with the softest, tender est fingers imaginable.

"Poor dog! Wh.at a wicked piece

of work," she said, scowling darkly upon Bouncer's lord. "Yes, I lold you we didn't undersiand these things at the Castle," lie said, meekly; "besides," he added with a straight and wicked stare. "you can't expect too much from— brutes and devils."

Peggy's bent head bent lower still, till her fair fluffy hair all but hid the scarlet of her face.

"I don't think that was at all a kind remark/ she said, at length, in the lowest and meekest of tones.

"I hardly thought yours overflowing with benevolence," he retorted. "I am dreadfully sorry and ashamed. Do you think you can ever forgive me?" she asked, looking up at him with truly suppliant eyes. "1 think more impossible thin.g3 have happened," he said, bending on her upturned face a look that, so thoroughly endorsed his words that in an instant Peggy's head was once more bent low over her surg-ical work. "Well," she said, in the briskest and most businesslike of tones, "you ought to be ashamed of yourself over this piece of work. Here, keep him on your kn.ee till T get another bandage from my ream."

She was out of the room and back again like a flasJi, and dropping- on« 3 more on to her knees sewed the deftest and most scientific of bandages round the wonderimg clog's knee.

"Tihere,poor old chap, now you'll feel more comifortable," she said, soothingly,"and Jock's mistress beg-s your pardion most humbly for his having- bitten you so "badly, and, if she might, she Would nurse you right through till you were quite well again, but, as that's not possible, she can only beg your pardon once again, and kiss the place to make it well."

When this proscription had been carried through with considerable warmth, Lord John, who had latterly shown signs of uneasiness, observed that Miss M off at appeared to have (iftfte r> remarkable turn for surgery, and wondered whether she might not be able to do something for his second finger, which had been troubling him a good deal for some time, V< ggy looked dreadfully concerned. "I am afraid I should be no good," she said, shaking her head dismally. "Try," he suggested, holding out tie suffering member. ''I am suje you won't hurt me." "Nio, I don't thinki I should be likely-to hurt you," she said, solemnly, "but it's too great a responsibility. Bivt I'll tell you what I will do. I'll run and find mother. She's somewhere about in the garden, and she's extraordinarily clever at that sort of thing. You see I'm only the vet. of the family. She's the one who attends to human ills."

"Oh, I wouldn't trouble Mrs Mo I- j fat," John suggested' hurriedly, as I'egigy made a dash for the door. "o(h., but she'd love it," she protested, already half way into the passage. "Miss Moffat," cried John, excitedly, "please don't go; you don't know hiow it would distress me."

"Goodness .gracious!" she exclaimed, "whart's the matter with you? f thought you wanted your 'finger seen to."

"Yes, but you see I am a bit of a faddist in these things, and I have a sort of idea that your treatment would suit me (better tlhan Mrs Moffat's."

"But you don't know anything about mother's methods."

"No, but I have seen yours, and that's enough for me. You see, you seem to have done poor old Bouncei' such a tremendous lot of good that I can't help thinking the same treatment would cure my finger. You. see, I am something of a Christian scientist —Faith healing, and all thai sort of thing— and what one believes goes for a lot in the xesult."

Peggy stared at him with mischievous questioning eyes.

"I believe you are a rank impostor," she said. Then her eyes turned suspiciously on to Bo oncer, whj was curled up confidentially upon the hearthrug, and an inspiration flashed across her brain. ''.Bouncer, Bouncer," she called, but Bouncer only turned up a blood-shot eye, and made no movement. "Here, Bouncer, rats, rats, rats! Lv! Lv! Lv!" she cried, poking with her hearth brush behind the sofa.

This time Bouncer did move; in one second he had cleared the sofa, upset four photograph frames and a flowi r glass, and was burrowing with ferocious energy at the corner of the.

wainscote

"Oh! you wicked fraud!' , saic. Peggy, shaking her head at John. "I plead guilty,' , said John, "but 1 claim extenuating circumstances, and, generally, great provocation.

"Who provoked you?" Peggy asked rather rashly.

Lord John looked at her, and for some obscure reason Peggy grot vevy red.

"Miss Moffat," he said, irrelevantly, "my mother has sent an invita'ioi to Mrs Moffat for our dance on Mouday. I do hope you'll be able to come." "it would be lovely," said Peggy demurely. Mrs Moffat, however, refused peremptorily. She was r> ot going to bo called a horrible old woman be> beaten with umbiellas by anybody, she said, however nuch of a Duchess she might be. So at John's instigation the Dunheas, who was miserably ashamed of her share in the BouncerJack fracas, # and who was not a little moved 'at heart by the peace-and-goodwill-at-Christmas arguments so cunningly pu* forward by John, drove across hi hei landau to t&e Grange. When she and Mrs Moffat had with a marked disinclination to moot one another's i;ye, stiffly disposed or the weather topic, the Duchess shuffled a littly shyly in her seat, and bending forward said: "We had r.o hoped you and yonr daughter would have been able t;> come to our dance en Monday, Mrs Moffat." "Well, you see we very seldom do go out," replied the other uneasily. "We have no carriage for one thing, and then Peggy has a cold in her head, and —taking all things into consideration —I thinJk it would be best not to go." The "taking all things into consideration ,, was unmistakeable, and it brought the Duchess quickly to her point. "I have been so anxious to see you, Mrs Mcifot," she said nervously, "ever since we met last, that is to say ever since the day when you were on the common with your dog. I have been so dreadfully afraid that in the excitement of the moment I may have said something which was capable of a double construction." "I can assure jou, Duchess, that you need not be alarmed on that score, , ' said Mrs Moft'at stiffly, thinking that "horrible old woman" was quite intelligible English. "Because I should be so dreadfully distressed if I thought I had said anything whitfh—er—well, of course, you must know I couldn't have meant," the Duchess bleated pathetically but quite ruintelligiblyHowever, unintelligible as her plea was, it, had the effect of completely breaking the back of Mrs Moffat's offended Scotch pride, and as a consequence left her face "to face with the uncompromising fact that she had called this august personage in velvet and sable a "nasty cruel wretch, and goodness knew what else besides. "I was so afraid that it was I who had possibly been—er—hasty," she said uneasily.

"My dear Mrs. Moffat, believe me, you said nothing, nothing," the Duchess assured her, leaning- forward and laying a soothing hand upon her &rm, but carefully avoiding her eye. "One never quite knows," responded the other, likewise looking anywhere except at her visitor, "the tongue is an unruly member." "H'm, yes," said the Duchess, reflectively, "and of course one is naturally fond of one's dog." "Well, yes, I suppose that is natu-

ral."

"And you will come, won't you, to our little dance? I will send the carriauT fcr you about ten o'clock." "Oh, thank you so much, dear Duchess, it will be a great thing for Peggy; she gets so few chances." "Such a lovely child as she is, too," said the Duchess gushingly, "she would take London by storm if she bad a season there." "She is' a dear good girl," said the mother modestly.

So they kissed and parted, and in due ciurse on Monday night, the Moffats, senior and junior, arrived at ths Castle, Peggy looking so disturbing , y bewitching in pale green that my Lord John absolutely lost all responsibility from the moment that he set eyes on her. After he had danced with hor for the sixth time he conOucted her to a room of which the otliee ball-goers knew not, where they seated themselves on a kind if Turkish divan in the middle of the Peggy .somewhat heated with dancing, but otherwise as placid ns the e> ening star, and John very much the r< verse.

"My finger is still pretty bad," he said, inanely. "Shall we go and find mother to doctor it for you?" she asked with great simplicity.

"I have already told you," he remarked with decision, "that I am not a believer in your mother's methods." Peggy laughed.

"Poor finger," she said, "let me look at it. It "doesn't look so very bad."

"No, but it is."

"Well, I am afraid I can't do anything for it," she said, shaking her head.

"Would you if you could?" "Why, of course I would." "You remember how you cured Bouncer's leg?" "I remember there was nothing to cure," she said, laughing. "Well, there's a good deal to cure in me, pains in my finger, and somewhere about my left side —and —principally at the moment—in my mouth."

"Oh, I know nothing about mouths," she s-aid, "you must cure that for ymirsell."

"1 will," said John. A minute later Peggy said: "Yoii know I didn't mean that." "No, but I did," said he. "Does it —does it—feel better?" "Much," he said, fervently, "but by no means well yet."

It mubt have been about ten minutes later that Lord John said in an apologetic kind of way: "You see, if you will sit under such a flaming advertisement of your cure, you must expect people to try it." 'What do you mean?" said she.

"Look tip," said he. Peggy did, and found above her head a very fine specimen of the parasite known as mistletoe.

"I am sure I didn't put it there,' , she protested.

"No, but I did," he said, chuckling, "j'ou see I am a believer in your cure, an enthusiast in fact."

"You are," she said, with conviction.

"And shall we have Jock and Bouncer as bridesmaids?"

"I think they would like to be asked," said Peggy.