HERO

New Zealand Tablet, 26 November 1908, Page 37

HERO

The story begins, away out In Montana, where Loyd Harris lived with his father and mother and Hero. Hero was the dog which Mr. Harris had bought before Mrs. Harris and Loyd came to join him in Montana. When the stage which brought them to Lewistown stopped at the door of the new home there stood Mr. Harris with Hero close beside him. The first thing Loyd knew he and his mother were hugged up in his father's arms, while Hero circled around them barking joyously.

Before they were really settled in the new home, Mr. Harris was taken ill, and in a few weeks was buried in the new frontier graveyard. During these weeks of illness and afterward Hero seemed to feel that he must stay close by Mrs. Harris and Loyd to comfort them. On the day of the funeral he could not be coaxed out of the carriage in which they were to ride to the cemetery.

Uncle Richard Mann, who had come out from New York, objected at hrst to Hero's being allowed to ride with them, but Mrs. Harris repiied gently, 'My boy wants Hero near for comfort and so do I.' Uncle Richard choked down something like a sob and made no further objections.

Less than a year later Mrs. Harris was laid beside her husband and Uncle Richard same out from New York again to take the lonely boy home with him to live. He made several efforts to tell Loyd that Hero must be left behind, but -always a picture of the lad's mother came before him, and he could" almost hear her saying again that her boy needed Hero for comfort. He simply could not separate them, but he wondered what Aunt Gertrude would say. ""Mrs. Mann hated dogs. She was not particularly fond of boys, either. It seemed to be her duty to let Loyd return with Mr. Mann, but had she known about Hero thu- story might never have been written. When the thtee travellers arrived at the New York home Mrs. Mann met them with the bitter remark, ' Does my duty extend to dogs, too ?* .And then, remembering that she must welcome the. orphan, she hastened to ask about his health, and said she hoped the trip had not tired him too much. Loyd tried to reply, but the harsh words about Hero had brought such a lump in his throat that he could not speak.

The house was big and roomy, so. large that every one had his own room and stayed in it most of the time. There., were iio stoves, . but big, gilded pipes full of hot water. The- ones -Jn Loyd's room sizzled with steam in the mornings, reminding him of the way the "tea kettle sang in his home out West., Poor Hero could not ever hear the Sizzle. He was away out in hs

stable tied with a chain. That chain was the hardest thing Loyd had to endure. Poor Hero"! He had been so used to the wide sheep ranges and the freedom of the hills !

Day by day Loyd could see that Hero was pining away. Aunt Gertrude disliked him-; the stable boy often ' kicked- him. Loyd had seen this from his bedroom window, and .worried about it so that he could. xiot, sleep .at night. "Hero was, getting so thin, and the pitiful* way -he would snuggle up to Loyd and try to get beyond the chainls length was enough to break anybody s heart. One early morning Loyd thought it all out. Hero was suffering — in fact, dying. Something _must be done for him "at once. It was quite dark that evening when Loyd slipped in from a secret trip, unnoticed by, "Aunt Gertrude and Uncle Richard, who were entertaining company. Among the guests invited was Dr. Howard, who, with his family, had just returned from Europe. Dr. Howard was a rather eccentric old man, but was such a famous physician that Mr. and Mrs. Mann were greatly pleased to have him accept their hospitality. On the evening he arrived quite -late and took the opportunity during the conversation at the dinner to explain his tardiness.- ' After office hours 'his evening,' he said, ' I was reading my mail and chatting with little Dorothy when the maid announced . that a boy was at the door to see me. ' " My office work is over for the day," ' I responded. - ' The maid returned to say that the lad refused to go, and that he had said he must see the doctor, and would stand there all night if necessary. ' I was about to send word that he must call to-morrow when Dorothy interrupted me with, " Grandpa, maybe it is a little boy in trouble." ' That settled it. The boy was brought to my door, and I looked up to see a slight, nicely-dressed boy of about twelve holding tenderly in his arms a sick-looking dog. ' " Why, I exclaimed, in surprise, "I'm not a doctor for dogs." ' " I know it," the lad replied, pathetically, " but I cam. 1 to see if you would help kill a dog." ' " Kill a dog?" I echoed in amazement. ' " Yes," continued the lad. "We live with people who do not like dogs. Father and mother are dead, and now Hero is dying, too. His chain hurts him so. They keep it on him all the time, and it is breaking his heart, and mine, too. He is sick, because we cannot go back to Montana. Father always said it was not right to let a dog die hard, that when a dog was going to die anyway he should be chloroformed. Oh, doctor, I will miss Hero so, but, since he is dying so hard, please help him to die easier!"' ' What did you do?' Mrs. Mann interrupted the doctor, speaking in a quick, strained voice. ' Do? I told the lad to leave his dog in my care for to-night and to come and see me early to-morrow,' replied the doctor. The guests were much interested in the ' case,' but gradually the conversation changed to other topics. When the party left the dining-room no one noticed the hostess slip quietly out into the hall. Up the stair toward Loyd's room Mrs. Mann passed quickly. Tears were running down her cheeks. She kept saying to herself : ' Poor little motherless boy 1 He is dying for love, too. I have been so heartless. Dear little lad, I "will make it all up to him ! He shall not lose his dog ! Oh, will he only forgive me? I will try so hard to make him love me yet. Poor little boy ! Poor Hero!' But by this time Aunt Gertrude had reached the' door of Loyd's room. To her knock he answered, ' Come in,' and from his voice she knew he was crying.* She held out her arms and went eagerly forward. The end of the story I can not tell, for when Aunt Gertrude entered Loyd's room she closed. the door behind her.