Love My Dog

Dufïy was the proprty of Oaldwell of the Tnth, and wa looked upon in the ligbt of au inheritanoe, havingcome down to him froin Wentworth - of the same - when the latterhad been ordered j away. Oaldwell went into Wentworth 'a qnarteis at once and found Dnffy j biiig up a pair of his ex-master's 1 carded boots, -with a view to nsing thern ' himself. He liked the man's looks, and he liked the oondition of the vacated quarters, with thair slate gray painted : woodwork, so he took the quarters and agreed to take Duffy at a striker 's usual rate of remuneratiou. Duffy enterad proroptly upon his dutiea, and was entirely satisfaotory. He had no incumbrances in the wayof 1 ily or sweethearts, and he was faithful to a degree thafc was oocasionally exasperating. Por six montbs he served Caldwell in singleness of purpose, having in that time been incapacitated only for six days - that is, for 48 honrs af ter each of the paymaster's visits, and Caldwell, knowing the ways of strikers, made no objection. Duffy slept uproariously in his rooms, and Caldwell made hia own fires, and brushed his own clothes, and went with unblacked boots. In the interim nohour was too early for rising, none too late to sit up and keep logs on the andirons that the rooms might be warm and cheerful for the "leftinant," no dnty imposed too arduous provided it served Caldwell's ends. Blackstone, seeing the excellence of Duffy, departed from the strict code of honesty in the matter of servants whioh governs the army and made overtures to the model striker. Blaokstone had no business to do it, and Duffy knew it, and a fina and inscrutable grin carne upon his Hibernian mouth. Blackstone had said, with an assnmption of off handedness, "Dufíy, what do y ou get?" Having due regard for his employer's credit in the world, he answered calmly, "Twinty dollars, sor." "Qetout!" said Blackstone. "Yes, sor," replied Duffy. "I want to know the truth, not lies like that." "Yon'd best ask the leftinant, sor. I disremember. " "He works you deuced hard." "Does he, then?" "My man is do good. Suppose you oome to me. You won't have to sit up to all honrs for me. ' ' DufEy only smiled, but the smile was not pleasing. "What do you think of it, Duffy?" "I niver think, sor. The leftinant says 1'in to do as I'm told and not think." Upon this Blackstone went away, and Duffy saluted him respeotfully. In jnstice to the officer's common sense, it must be said that it was onlypartial intoxication which could have led him to place himself in such a position toward a soldier. Dnffy did not repeat the conversation to Caldwell, because he knew it would roaketrouble between the two men, and Caldwell - whose disposition was not of themildest - had several quarrels on his hands as it was. The lieutenant feil into the habit of keeping the striker up very late, night after night, so DuflEy inspected his pookets several times in suocession while Caldwell was sleeping as soundly as if justice had been the soporific, and not, as was the oase, sutler's whisky, and he judged, from the fact that sometimes there was muoh loóse changa and again almost nothing, that his master was playing too muoh at cards. There was nothing to be done. Duffy did not consider that his duties as striker included the moral guidance of his superior. He reflected that it would be a good thing if Caldwell should get married ; only then he, Duffy, would very likely lose his place. So he sat up night after night, and it grew monotonous. Just at this period there carne into Duffy's life a yellow and white dog. Exactly wby it should have wandered to the door npon one wet and freezing night, when Duffy was in a particularly weary frame of mind, and where it came from he never knew. It was well after midnight and Duffy was sprawled in a leather chair of the troop saddler's manufacture, dozing, with both ears open, when there carne a scratching at the door. Dufïy thought it was the lieutenant trying to find the knob. It had never been so bad as that yet ; nevertheless the striker went and opened the door, to be rewarded by the sight of an extremely sniall and miserable dog, with piteons eyes. Now, Duffy was only a soldier, and a soldier loves nothing on earth or in heaven as he does acur. So Duiïy called the dog in and warmed it and fed it ad w atened it with satisfaction Ing all over hii face. It was spotted and tUrty and wouuded and woefully thiii, but Duiïy took it fco his heart. He speut three nijjbts befeue tbs fire, no loDger lonely, contentedly trying to flnd a name for that dog. At last he determinad to cali it "Bessie," after the 1 muoh adraired daughter of the oommanding offloer and with a complete diaregard for the entire inappropriate ness of the name. After he had E6ttled this to his satisfaction he tried to discover aocoruplishmeuts in the croatare. "Her9, Bessie, old boy. Set np now, set up. Can 't yon set np? Well, then, give us your paw, here, paw, paw, now. Can't yon give I ns yonr paw? Well, then, lie down. Charge, charge, charge. Down, lie down, down. Can't you charge? Well, then, speak, spoak, Bessie, s-p-e-a-k, 1 speak now. Wow! Speak." But Bessie could only follow him with his bright, enrióos eyes and come wheu called. So j the solace of mauy more hours of pa: tient waiting la y in teaching Bessie these and many other trieka nntil he was the most accomplished dog in all I the ganison and greatly bsloved at the barracks. Duffy was a littl annoyed about the comruent thu inappioprinta nam called foTth, bat he insisted that it was as good as another, and the iocongrnity was sooa lost in Bessie'g popularity. Oaldwell saw the dog only on rare ocpasions. It staid in ila master's room and slept on hit bed and waxed fat in retirement. He had spoken to it sevaral times, but otherwise took no notice of j ita existence, whicb sacratly riled Duffy. ' But Caldwell wï preoccupied and not i quite himsslf. He carne home a good deal the worsa for wine one night, and i Bessie, being in his way, got a kick that sent him crouching to his master's side. Caldwell rnigbt far better have kicked Dnft'y. However, the striker understood and sympathized with the lieutenant's condition. He himself could never have kicked a dog, even after pay day, but all men are uot alike, so Duffy petted Bessie and shut him up in his own room j and returned to look after the bodily comfort of his rnaster. This, oonsidering the wine, was pardoniible, but the next offense could not be condoned. It ocourred in broad day' light, and Caldwell was sober. He had been having an explanation with the commanding offleer, and that gentleman I had made reflection upon some of the i lieutenant's fastgrowinghabits that had exasperated thje already overworried ' junior almogt beyond endnrance. He j strode into his quarters and fouud Duffy, I who was not expecting him, dividing his atteution between Bsssie's charms and the bucklo of his master's belt. Now, Bessie's disposition inclined him to forgive. He ran to Caldwell, looked up to j his face with soft, affectionate eyes and put his little paws, one yellow and one white, upon his knee. Caldwell did not I Í dare to kick the commandant, but he kicked Bessie - and broke the yellow paw. It was the one always held out to i Duffy to greet him. I Duffy bandaged the paw, and in time it grew well. But Duffy hated Caldwell with the most dangerous of hatreds - a silent and a waiting one. Caldwell's habits did not improve. His fondness for whisky, whether good or bad, continued. He had good whisky in his room, and Duffy knew it, for he belonged to the old school of strikers, who do not look upon cigars or liquor as private property. One day, after Bessie's foot was well, Duffy went to get a drink, because his spirits were low. There was very little whisky in the decanter, barely half a glassful, and an idea suddenly flashed , into the striker's mind. Caldwell was offleer of the day. He never etarted to i make the rounds without taking enough j ' liquor to keep him warm, and Duffy j knew it and saw his revenge laid bare. The striker took Bessie for a walk j over to the hospital to show the steward the mended paw. "Say," said Duffy, "I've got the toothache. I didn't sleep none last ( night. Hev you got some - what's that you give me once? Laudanum, was it? I Kin you let me hev a bit?" "Why, yes. I guess so, " the steward answered and went into the dispensary to get it. "Shall I take all that?" inquired the Btriker, with sweet simplicity. "Lord! No, man. Put some on cotton and stick it in the tooth. " "Oh, and what wud it do to me if I wuz to swallow it? Wud it kill me?" "No, there ain't enough for that. It would put you pretty fast asleep, though. " "Oh!" said Duffy again. Then Bessie went through his tricks for the steward and trotted back home at his master's heels That night Caldwell finished the whisky in the decanter and grumbled that the sutler was selling him vile tasting stuff, then started off a little while afterward to make his rounds. The next day he was under arrest - for drunkenness on duty. And Duffy, who had, with well I played reluctance, given some of the most damaging testimony in regard to Caldwell's habits at the court martial, which dismissed the latter, said goodby to the disgraced man with a sparkle - which was not of tears - in his eyes, and he told Bessie to give the"leftiuant the right paw," which was the yellow one.