Clarence Hawkes

“ When wounded and dying men are arriving faster than they can be cared for, men do not think much about dogs, so it was easy enough for Pep to slip out through the quadrangle and into the boulevard. He brushed against the leg of his friend the Captain, who did not even notice him.
Once out on the broad street he turned his nose northward and galloped away like the wind.
Something away to the northeast was calling, calling, calling. A mind and a soul that was stronger than his own dog mind was pulling him, pulling, pulling, pulling, so why should he not know which way to go? ”

“ But what shall we say of the house dog, who is one of the family? The sharer of all our joys and sorrows: the one from whom we have no secrets: the social intimate whose tail is a perfect barometer of sunshine and [13] storm in the family: the custodian of the premises, who always sleeps with one eye open, and one ear cocked for the sound of prowlers: the friend of the children who follows them about like a shadow, watchful lest any danger threaten them, often sharing in their romps with all the zest of a boy. ”

“ The dog sat on his haunches in the man’s lap and listened intently, his head on one side as though to catch each word, a sad, wistful look on his face.
The doctor had sometimes used that tone to him before when he was going away to New York for several days. Then it had meant loneliness and dog heartache, so Pep was rightfully depressed.
“I’m going away, Pep. It is to the front. I am going where the wounded men come from and you must be a good dog and stay here and not run away. Do you understand? You must be a good dog.” ”

“ Pep watched both his mistress and master narrowly and his dog heart was troubled. For he noticed that his mistress shivered as she took the telegram. The little cry that escaped her as she read it, made him whimper and go to her, standing on his hind legs and putting his paws on her knees.
She reached down and stroked his glossy head and a tear fell on his upturned muzzle.
“I wouldn’t have you miss it for the world, John,” she finally managed to say. “It’s a man’s part and you are every inch a man, but it has come so suddenly.”
“You are a brave woman, Betty,” the doctor returned chokingly. ”

“ The large room was nearly empty, the only other occupant being a young man who sat at a typewriter clicking away for dear life at the other end of the room.
“It’s just you and I, Pep,” said the man, running the dog’s silky ears through his fingers in a way the terrier loved. “We can have a good visit, Pep. I’m lonesome, old chap. I want you to comfort me. I am thinking of the dear old home and the mistress. What do you suppose the little woman is doing to-day? I’ll bet you another stick of candy against three wags of your tail that she is thinking of us. I am sure of that, old sport.” ”

“ Do cares oppress you and is the burden of life heavy, are you cast down and unable to see a sunbeam through the shadows? Look over in the corner. Your own anxious mood is reflected upon the face of your dog. He is the very picture of misery, uneasy and longing to comfort you. ”

“ Even more culpable than the boy with his thoughtless cruelty is the man with his deliberate cruelty, the brute who makes this faithful creature the butt for his ill will. There is a deal of truth in the statement of Roland Hill that every man’s dog or his horse knows whether he be a Christian or not.
Where in the annals of mere humans, is there a story as touching in its absolute fidelity as that of “Gray Friar’s Bobby?” ”

“ The people who are prone to fall on their knees and do us honor when success is with us may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads. The one absolutely unselfish friend a man may have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is the dog. ”

“ No one but a dog lover knows the comfort of [71] that soft tongue on your cheek, or the muzzle in your hand.
Presently the doctor was aroused from his grief by a wild yelp. He looked back towards the ship and in the darkness he could just see Pep balancing himself on the rail, and a second later he sprang into the sea.
At the sight, hope welled up in the physician’s heart. If it was not more than five miles to the shore, perhaps the dog could swim. Soon the white head appeared close to the boat and the dog whimpered to be taken aboard, but his master could not even do that much for him. ”

“ The doctor stooped down and hugged Pep and he was very happy. He felt sure that the man had liked him and that pleased his master. He loved to please his master above all else.
So they went back to Bull Terrier street, Pep with his blue ribbon and his master looking very happy. There they received the congratulations of the surly dog who had threatened to chew the dandy’s throat if he could get at him, while the dandy sulked in his corner.
“I liked you the first minute I saw you,” said the surly terrier, mellowing up and fairly smiling. “You don’t put on airs. I can’t stand airs in a dog. ”

“ The wolf, with all his meanness and skulking cunning, is the progenitor of man’s friend, the dog.
They belong to the same family, their breeding habits are alike, and the wolf is as surely the father of the dog, as was brute man, the cave dweller, the ancestor of the highly civilized creature we now know.
In the case of the man it has taken untold ages to bring about the change, and so it has in the case of the dog. ”

“ HOMEWARD BOUND THANKS to the restoratives given him and the nursing he received while on the journey, the doctor recovered consciousness before they reached the hospital. He did not seem to care about himself, but gave very minute directions regarding Pep.
“He stuck by me like a brother and saved my life, and I want him to have every care that any wounded soldier would get. I want his leg put in splints, and the best surgeon in the hospital to dress it every day. You may think he is nothing but a dog, but I tell you he is a soldier and deserves a soldier’s care.” ”

“ A short time before Bobby’s death the Baroness Burdett-Coutts visited Greyfriars, and the sight of the Highland mourner so interested her, that when his demise occurred, she obtained permission to erect at the street corner, near the churchyard gate, a granite fountain with an effigy of the inconsolable dog sitting on guard.
How can I better close this unworthy monograph upon man’s faithful friend, than by quoting Senator Vest’s immortal tribute to the dog delivered before a Missouri jury. He certainly epitomizes the subject as no one else has. ”

“ Not victory for the sea, but victory for the dog and the boat. For at last the watchers saw the boat reach them and the strong arm of a sailor reach out and drag them both to safety. Then they fought their way back to the ship while the passengers cheered themselves hoarse.
Hilda was unconscious when they placed her in her father’s arms, and Pep was so weak he could hardly stand, but his eye was full of fight and he could still wag his tail in appreciation of the petting he received. ”

“ We call and they come though no word is spoken and our command may only be expressed in a great longing.
So Pep galloped and galloped and knew not why, only something was calling and calling and he could but obey. He did not need a map or a compass. His dog instinct supplied both.
The reason for his galloping was this. [89] His master, who was also his god, lay in a narrow gulch at the edge of the Argonne forest, close to a little brook in a poplar thicket, shot through the hips and nearly dead from thirst and loss of blood. ”

“ The doctor heard a dismal howl from Pep as he was left behind and then he felt the boat lowering towards the water.
“Officer,” he called to the man at the rail, “Shoot the dog. I can’t leave him in that way.” But instead of shooting him, the officer kicked at Pep who was trying desperately to climb over the rail.
The doctor sat huddled in the corner of the lifeboat, his head in his hands as they pulled away from the ship.
It seemed strange to the other passengers that with death all around them a strong man should feel so deeply the loss of a dog, but only dog lovers understand these things. ”

“ He is not forward or aggressive, but full of [14] humility and abasement. He knows he is only a dog, while you are a dog’s God, but he wants to comfort you, to take your load upon his own shoulders and help you bear it.
Soon his paws are planted upon your knees and he looks up into your face beseechingly. He wags his tail and tries to smile, suggesting that you laugh it off. Then he jumps down and runs about the room to attract your attention by his funny pranks, or perhaps he even barks once in a deprecating way, but he is soon back again licking your face. ”

“ When we consider all the varieties of dogs ranging from the great Dane of nearly two hundred pounds weight, to the smallest toy dog coming from Japan, this statement that all dogs are descended from wolves seems almost incredible, but all this change has been wrought by man himself. Breeding and selection for certain qualities have been the method by means of which he has attained such varied results.
Climate, and the use to which the dog has been put has also played its part. Nature always adapts her creatures to their surroundings, and the dog is no exception to this rule. ”

“ He was trotting about after the captain growling softly to himself when a thunderbolt much louder than the rest exploded right in their midst. Pep heard the sound of breaking glass all about him. Some of the pieces stuck in his skin and the air was filled with a pungent liquid that drenched Pep’s back. ”

“ The ship, the crew, all obeyed him implicitly. He was the will of the ship, and an iron will at that.
Finally the fury of the storm spent itself and the skies cleared, but the effect of the hurricane was still manifest in the sea. Great foam-covered swells rolled by, many of them breaking over the lower deck. But they were rhythmic and one always knew when to expect the next one. This was all right as long as the waves ran at the regulation height, but the combers were quite different. In them is an element of danger that no seamanship can guard against, no matter how skillful it may be. ”

“ He had come so near to losing everything there in the Argonne Forest that life and home and loved [120] ones had become doubly dear. He had often seen strong men weep like babies when they received letters from home. It had seemed strange to him that they should be so moved, but now he understood.
Two weeks more at the hospital went by and both master and dog improved rapidly. Finally the doctor was able to give up one cane, while Pep had his splint removed and his master declared that he would soon be as good as new. ”

“ Put a collie pup into a wolf den with a litter of wolf whelps and the old wolf will suckle him as her own. He will be brought up as a young wolf; will learn to hunt in the pack, and to stalk his game like a veritable wolf. Of course he will not be as fierce as his wolf brother, and he will still retain certain dog characteristics, but he will pass for a wolf in most particulars, while in two or three generations he will be a veritable wolf. ”

“ The teams driven by white men are driven tandem, while Indian teams are fan shaped, each dog being hitched to the sled by a separate thong.
Of hunting dogs there are many varieties which are always of the utmost importance to frontier peoples, where they guard the flocks and the premises from all kinds of four-footed marauders. Upon the frontier these dogs also assist in the chase and thus furnish meat for the table and help rid the country of vermin, such beasts as the wolf that have to go before civilization is secure. ”

“ That is, unless he is a champion.”
“Wait till he goes up to meet the champion,” whimpered the dandy. “He’ll come [33] back with his tail between his legs, or I am a liar.”
“You are a liar all right,” growled Pep’s new friend, “but he won’t come back with his tail between his legs. If he’s licked he’ll take it like a thoroughbred. If the other dog’s better than you are, admit it and don’t sulk as you are doing.”
Here the conversation was interrupted by a call for the winners in each class to go up to the ring for the finals, so Pep went with his master and both were much excited. ”

“ But wolves in Russia are considered vermin so these dogs do a good work in helping to exterminate the pest.
The Czar of all the Russias was himself interested in wolf coursing and is reported to have owned the finest pack of wolf dogs in the world.
The Alaskan dog teams are famous throughout the world; not only for the very material service that they render man in traveling over the frozen lands where not even a burrow could travel, but also because of the famous races that are held each year in Alaska. ”

“ The dog wagged his tail and whimpered. He would be good.
The doctor felt of his collar. It was very heavy and studded with brass rivets. “It’s strong enough,” he said. “You can’t break that.” Then he tried it to see if he could slip it over Pep’s head. It was rather loose, so for luck he took it up a hole. “There, now I’ll get a good strong chain and I guess you’ll be all right. Of course you’ll be lonesome and make a great fuss, but these are hard times for us all, and you will have to be a good soldier like the rest of us.” ”

“ Even before they left the train they could hear the continuous cannonading away to the northeast. It was like the constant rolling of heaviest thunder dotted with many quick staccato explosions. The fire from the heavy artillery was also visible along the horizon.
At first they went forward through open [91] country, undulating and broken, but soon entered intermittent woods, with deep ravines and sharp ridges, just the sort of country for hard fighting.
Much of this region was so rough that the ambulances could not penetrate it, and the wounded had to be brought out for leagues on stretchers ”

“ Pep had not been allowed to follow the doctor’s car at home, but this was different. His master had gone off and left him. He [53] had not dared even make himself known. For a second he hesitated, then fell in behind the motor and began a wild race for the wharf.
Such a bedlam he had not even dreamed of as that which filled his ears, once they were fairly out on Broadway. Machines whizzed by at every rod. He kept close to the taxi so as not be run down by some passing machine. Several times the taxi almost stopped and once the doctor shouted to the driver that they must hurry. ”