LOVE ME, LOVE MY DOG.

Otago Witness, Issue 2323, 8 September 1898, Page 57

LOVE ME, LOVE MY DOG.

11. A couple of hours after, the sound of a horse's hoofs was heard coming up the avenue. It was Tommy's father returning home. He jumped from the horse, and swung. in at his front door, whistling merrily. Something was pleasing him very much, for now and then he. smiled happily. He went into his study, and stood before his mantelpiece, looking at the photos there. There was one of a lady — Tommy's dead mother, and he grew grave as he looked at it. Then he took up a photo of Tommy as a baby, and looked long at that A.t last he sighed, and the smile had quite vanished: "Poor little beggar,"' he said to himself, ''poor little beggar, it has been hard on you, with no mother, but things will be all right now." Then he turned and went upstairs to see his boy in his cot, as he did every night. A moment later he rushed down again, and there were wild lvurryings to and fro. The men were called out, and the horse was re-saddled. Mary Ann was frightened and sobbing. " She had just put the child to bed at his usual hour," she said, " and thought he was fast asleep long ago " She did not mention the dog, or the threat that the had made to do away with him. First of all they searched the gardens and the plantation near the house, but no Tommy could be found. Then the men went further away, calling and whistling and coo-eeing in the warm starlight summer night. About 5 o'clock in the morning a horse clattered into the back yard of the house, where Mary Ann had been left alone to watch, a picture of misery. Someone jumped hurriedly off the horse, and ran into the kitchen. Mary Ann looked up from the table at which she was sitting, her head upon her hands, and to her astonishment, found that the arrival was a charming young lady, Miss Estelle Shorland, who was staying a fe»v miles away at the next station. " Tell me what has happened !" she exclaimed, excited and breathless. "I heard the men coo-eeing over the hills, and they told me little Tommy was lost, so I came to see. They are afraid he has gone into the bush." Mary Ann burst into tears for the twentieth time. She guessed very well that this sweet pretty young lady in front of her was the cause of her master's absence every evening, and she had resented the fact very much. Indeed, the idea that someone was possibly coming to be mistress over Mr Howard's house was one of the reasons why she had been so ill-tempered with poor little Tommy. Miss Shorland sat down beside the- housekeeper, and took one of her hands gentiy. " Can you tell me of any place where the child was fond of going about here?" she asked. " Perhaps if -we put our heads together we might guess which direction he has taken." • But Mary Ann was almost beside herself. "It's all your fault, Miss, that he's- lost at all," she sobbed. "My fault ?'' said Estelle, bewildered. Then Mary Ann, having begun had to go on. And she told Miss Shorland how Tommy had refused to go to bed without saying good-night to his father ; and how, to punish him, she had threatened to poison his dog. " His dog !" exclaimed Estelle. " Did his dog go with him? Oh, of course, I see it all now. Tommy ran away with his dog, for fear that it would be poisoned. What a lucky thing ! If the dog is with him we shall find him all right, never fear." She went to the door, and called her own dog, a beautiful sable and white collie, which came jumping round her. "Now where is Mr Howard?" she said, her pretty cheeks flushing in the light of the early summer morning. Mary Ann shook her head. He had been in and out all night, with the wild hope that his little son might nave returned by liimself. Then he and several of the men had been forced to think that the child had wandered into the bush — that dreadful tnick bush where more than one strong, hearty man had lost his way before now. Just then, however, he returned, after more fruitless search in the daylight. Miss Shorland sprang forward towards him. " Estelle ! You here?" "Of course," she replied gently. " Where else should I be, when you are in trouble? I am going to help in the search for Tommy. But first of all, you did not know, did you, that he has his dog with him?" " His dog ! No ; I had forgotten that I had not seen the dog about." Mr Howard turned reproachfully to Mary Ann. "We only suppose Tommy took Trots with him," interposed Miss Shorland, with a kindly desire to save the poor housekeeper further punishment, "because the dog has not been seen since. Now, I think that if that is the case, there is little fear that Tommy will be lost. Either the dog will come back, or if he hears our dogs barking he will bark. So enrae, I will take Leo and Brant, and we will go and seek him together." She had the half-distracted man outside ■where the horses were waiting, and together they and the dogs turned towards the bush. The sun had been long shining otiTthe dew, "and it was a glorious summer morning. But In those two hearts there was a deadly fear

that away in the dark recesses of the quiet bush on the hill a small golden-haired boywas wandering and sobbing in the vain attempt to get out into the sunlight. Would the little limbs drop with exhaustion, and would he after awhile fall down and lie dead and cold on the damp fern-covered mould? The thought was too horrible, and in intense fear they pushed their horses onward.

(To he continued. )