JERRY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 255, 27 October 1928, Page 3 (Supplement)

JERRY.

I (Concluded.)

The colonel's pet hobby was his garden, and his pet aversions were the cattle that had been thrust on him through the leasing by an economical administration of a plot of vacant land within the reservation limits for grazing. Several times the cattle had broken through the fence and wandered on to the main post. On their first trip they had found that the colonel's garden had an unusually tasty lot of greenstuff growing in it, and on each subsequent break they had headed on a bee-line for the neat plots where grew the colonel's vegetables. Each time they had been seen, and a tired and perspiring fatigue-gang had herded them back to pasture, but not before they had undone in a few minutes the result of hours of careful work.

The thought of those cattle were like a nightmare to every officer on the post. No matter how carefully lie might perform his duties, the unfortunate man who was serving as officer of the day when the cattle broke out was sure to get a first-class call down from the irate commanding officer. It had come to the pass where each officer of the day, at least once during his tour, would make a trip to the cow-pasture and inspect the fences, and breathe a sigh of relief when he found them secure. The colonel was not a bad commanding officer, but he was a man who took no excuses, and his garden was the pride of his heart.

Just a week after he had finally disposed of Jerry, the company commander marched on guard as officer of the day. Ha duly inspected the fences in the morning, and again in the afternoon, and found them secure. Shortly before supper [tie was called to the main gate, the road ; tv which ran past the colonel's garden. 'Everything had been serene during his I tour, and he started for the gate in a '•heerfnl frame of mind. When he came n sight of the garden he beheld a sight ! hat took the joy entirely out of the i leautiful evening. Milling around before he forbidden ground were a bunch of attle. With a gasp the captain started t a ran, hoping against hope that he ould head them off before the damage /as irreparable. As he rounded the corner he paused in imazement. The precious garden was •ntouched, and before it stood the colonel —laughing.

"Good dog," the captain heard him say. 'Go after them, boy! That's the idea, pup —run them ragged! Good dog! Sic 'em!"

The captain rubbed his eyes and looked again. Sure enough, the cattle were milling around trying to get into the garden, but before them, leaping and barking in a perfect frenzy of excitement, was Jerry.' There was no doubt about it; the wanderer had returned. Dirty, tiredlooking, a little gaunt, but none the less Jerry, with a short length of chewed cord hanging from his neck. The captain drew a deep breath and went forward. The colonel saw him, and pointed to the group of animals.

"Look at that dog!" he exclaimed. "That's a real dog! He's got more sense than most people. I heard him raising Cain when I was in the house, and I came out to see what the matter was. Those cattle had broken loose, and he spotted them and stopped them right at the edge of the garden. He's all right. Whose dog is it?"

The captain blushed uneasily.

"Sir," he replied, "that's Jerry." "Oh, your company dog," replied the colonel. "Well, he's all right. I wish that we had a dozen more like him. Where did you get him?" "No, sir," said the captain. "He's not the company dog. He is just a stray. He is the dog I spoke to you about a week ago, and whom you told me to lose or shoot. I thought that I had lost him, but I see that he's back. XII have him shot this evening, sir."

"Shot!" exclaimed the colonel. "Xot by a long sight! Take him down to your company and keep him. He's worth a dozen of these mutts that most of the outfits have. Shot, indeed! I should say not!"

The captain decided to strike while the iron was hot.

"Yes, sir, we will be mighty glad to have him. He is a dandy rat-killer, too; but the colonel knows that we have one dog, Baddy, that we have owned' for six years, and I don't want to get rid of him. Will the eolonel allow us to keep two dogst He said once that he wouldn't."

"Two dogs? Hm!" said the colonel. "No, I can't have that. If I let you have two, everybody else would want two, and the whole post would be overrun with them. We've got to keep this one, though. What did you say his name was, Jerry T Here, Jerry, come here and let me lode at you."

Jerry bounded up, greeted his old friend the captain, and promptly tried to make friends with the colonel.

"Good dog," said the colonel, as he patted him on the head.

Jerry wagged his tail-stump vigorously and licked the colonel's hand.

"Yes, captain, we've got to keep this dog," said the colonel. "However, we cant have t* * in one company, and I am sure that every organisation has a dog. What can we do about it?"

The captain smiled craftily and registered deep thought.

"Well, sir," he said at length, "the only solution that I can see is this: Every outfit has a dog, but so far as I know there is no official post dog." "Tlio very thing!" exclaimed the colonel with delight. "Make him the post dog. Take him down to your company and see that he is given a bath and a square meaL To-morrow get him a collar and have his name and the name of the post engraved on it. Send me the bill, and 111 list him as the post dog. Attach him to your company for rations and quarters, and put him on special duty to keep the cattle away from my srarden. How about that, Jerry? If we let you enlist in the post at large, will you bear true faith and allegiance and keep the cows away from my garden?" Jerry barked assent.