THE OREGON DAILY JOURNAL, PORTLAND, SATURDAY. EVENING, NOVEMBER & 907
TlvIBER
reus dfbries
RAB
AND HIS FRIENDS
G
ft
Old
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' OB and I were leaving school, our neaas wgeuicr.
and our arms around etch other as only boyt
know how, wljen, at the top of the street, we saw a
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wd. "A dog fightl" lhouted Bob. and off we flew,
hoping It might not be over before we got there. We
found the crowd wound two dogs fighting, one small
white bull terrier, who was busy throttling Urge
shepherd dog, who knew more about tending heep
thiin fighting bulldog They were hard at it, the little
dog doing good work with hi sharp teeth on the shep
herd dog's thick heck. "Game Chicken," as Bob called
the bulldog, was working his way up for a final grip
on the poor collie's throat, while everybody was 'shout
ing "How shall we stop themf "Water," cried some;
but there was none near. ,
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'y ITE the tail,' another cried, and an old man
got down on bis knees and bit the collie's
ail with all bia might. ,But the collie's master knocked
fee old man down for his pain
Game Chicken held on still like death.
"Snuff, a pinch of muff V shouted a gaily dressed
foung man. At this an old man in the crowd put a
pinch of snuff on Chkken'a' nose. Chicken sneezed,
ind the collie was free, and up the street he flew.
But Chicken's blood Was up, and down the street
he oounded, Bob myself and the crowd after him.
Trotting down the middle of the street was a huge,
old and gray mastiff as big as a little ill. Chicken
made straight at him, and fastened bis teeth on his
throat
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r 'HE great mastiff stood still, held himself up and
roared a long, terrible roar, just as Bob and
I came up to him. The. mastiff opened his mouth as
far as a strong muzzle would let him-his Jips curled up
In rage, showing his white teeth; but the straps across
his mouth were tight and held him fast The crowd
was soon around them, while Chicken held on.
"A knife, cried Bob. An old cobbler' handed mo
Its knife, and I put it under the edge of the leather
muzzle. Then one sudden jerk of that big head, and
breve Chicken dropped limp. The mastiff had taken
him by the small of his back like rat. lie looked
down at -his little victim, sniffed him all over, and then
turned .and trotted off up the street, as if nothing bad
happened, Bob and I after him
TT E TURNED up an alley and stopped : at,
stable yard. There was a carrier's can ready
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to start, and by it a thin, little man. with his band at the
fray horse's bead, looking angrily about for something',
tnd we knew that that something was the mastiff, bia
fog.
1 "You thierf' said he, kicking at Rab. Rah avoided
the heavy shoe and ran under the cart, bis ears down
and .what little he bad of tail down, too. Ilia master
saw the muzzle banging cut and useless from Rab'a
neck. We told him what Rab had done, and that we
had cut the muzzle. The Lttle man said to the dog:
"Rab, my man; poor Rabbie," whereupon the stump
of a tail rose up, the torn and ragged ears stood up
straight and the eyes filled. Rab was comforted, for
Rab's master and he were friends again. . A stroke of
the whip, and Jess, the old gray horse, Rab and his
t off together.
IX years passed; a long time for a dog and a boy.
Bob was off to the wars and I was a medical
Student. I saw Rab almost every week, and we were
fast friends. I found the way to his heart by scratch
Ing his big head and giving him a bone every now and
Again. 1 1f I did not notice hint) he would plant him
celf straight before me and stand wagging his apud
jf tail, looking up, with his big head turned a little
to one side
One day Rab walked in the open gate of the hos
pital with that great, easy saunter of bis. lie looked
as if he owned the; place. After him came Jess, with
tier cart, nd in it sal a sweet-faced woman. The car
rier, who was leading the horse, when he saw me, said:
"M
ASTER JOHN, this is the mistress; she
is sick, and we want you to cure her."
Rab looked on very much puezled, but ready to
fight any one, nurse, the porter, or even me, to protect
bis mistress.
I took them into thq hospital, and Rab came. too.
l wish you could have seen him;' he would have made
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you laugh. Rab was a queer-looking old fellow, with
his lion-like hair, short and hard; his big bull-like body
and large, blunt head, covered with scars, one eye out
and one ear torn off. But the one eye he had could
see better than any other dog's two eyes. His tail
was nothing but a spud, half as long as your finger,
and it kept moving to and fro all the time.
Rab was not quite happy in the hospital. He
seemed worried, and the only ear lie had was up and
down all the time.
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TIirrfK he felt that something was wrong with
his mistress, and he stood guard by her bed like
a soldier. It was wonderful the way that dog looked
at me, as much as tosay: "May I stay here with
my mistress V I said s "Yes, Rab, you may stay,
if you behave yourself." And he did behave very
well, never moving a muscle and showing us how
meek and gentle he could be. Every day while
they stayed at the hospital Rab took a walk to the
"alley; but he never fought during these dap that
his mistress Was UL He always came back to the door
of his mistress roon and would wait outside -quietly
until some one would let him in. p Then he would
crawl under the table and watch with his on ye,
wagging his tail if his mistress moved. ; All night and "
all day he followed with his ever-moving eye every
action of the nurse and doctor. c
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"NLY one day did Rab leave his place under the
table. Then he walked slowly over to her bed
side and Tucked his mistress' hand, which lay uncovered;
on the bed, and then he went back to his place under
the table. '
Not long after this his master spoke to Rab, and
pointed to the bottom of the bed. Rab jumped to the -foot
of the bed, to my surprise, and sat there awaiting-'
his master's orders, " The carrier left the room to go 1
for Jess and her cart The time had tome for them
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to go home. When he came hack. Rab got down, ;
and, after the carrier had wrapped his wife fct tb4 , ,
blankets, he took her in his arms and left the ho&pitaL.
followed by RaK : .
The last J taw f them the carrurwas leading
Jess by the head, his wife in the cart, arid Uithful
R&b trolling ia the rear. ' " '' '