JIM.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 154, 2 July 1927, Page 3 (Supplement)

JIM.

A BRAVE ST. BERNARD.

Of course, I must tell you who Jim is, so that you may understand my siorv. He is a fine, big three-year-old St. Bernard. He is brown and white, and his soft brown eyes look at one with a melancholy expression in them. To-day Jim's little mistress Lucy is being taken to a large building called by human beings the "hospital." The day before yesterday, Lucy had fallen while roller-skating and had broken her hip. Jim knows that he will not see Lucy for a long time, and so he wants to say farewelL Quickly running to her side, he licks her burning cheek. Now she is going to leave, and Jim feels very dejected because ho can't go too. Sitting in a corner and not moing, Jim watches the doctor lift Lucy onto the stretcher and carry her out to the ambulance that is waiting in the street to take her to the hospital. In a few minutes she will be gone. Jim, not able to resist the impulse anr longer, springs through the street door. which stands ajar, and runs after the ambulance which is speeding down the street. He runs until he is quite out of breath and cannot run any further. On hearing his master's voice calling him, Jim turns abruptly and heads for home. Lucy's mother has gone with the child, and her father has to go to hii-ines;-! So there is no one to console Jim in his sorrow. To-night Jim can hardly sleep; he is *o broken-hearted. Getting up from the foot of Lucy's unoccupied bed. Jim softlr creeps down the staircase. Half of the* way down he is startled by the siren of a fire-engine and people outside shouting. "It's the hospital! It is on fire!" There is something familiar to Jim in those sounds. What is it? "Hospital! - ' That is where they took Lucy. Reminded of this grief, Jim barks aloud' waking the whole household. Lucy's father comes down the staircase, he being the onlv one awake at that hour. Two o'clock in me morning! Throwing on his coat, he leaves the house with Jim at his heels. They have reached the blazing hospital. Firemen are trying to quench the flames, but all in vain! One of the people next to Jim says, "There is a child in there that they can't get. Five years old. Thev say her name is Lucy Arnold." "Great Scot!" cries Mr. Arnold. "That's my child!" He runs toward the burning building, only to be stopped by policemen. Jim runs into the building unseen. Up the staircase he goes. Now he is on the landing. Coming close to a little heap on the floor he stops and sniffs. He barks for joy. A feeble little voice comes from the heap on the floor. "Jim," it cries, "take me away, please!" It is Lucy! Half lifting herself from the floor, she throws her arms around his neck and puts one leg on his back. She is half astride. The dog runs swiftly down the stairs and out the door. They are just in time, for no Booner do thev reach the street than the walls crumble and fall in. The place is ruined, but every one is saved. As Jim reaches the street shouts of praise sound from the crowd: "Braxo"' "Hero!" "Hurrah!" Newspaper reporters are rushing up, all eager to write a story about the rescue. Mr. Arnold and bis wife are so happy that tears of jot are streaming down their cheeks. It is many days after the event now. Jim is very proud and happy and goes about with a gold life-waving medal suspended from a gold chain on his new collar. But I think his happiness will not be complete until Lucy is well again, and, as for her, she is rapidly improving and will soon be able to romp and plav with Jim once more.