Ranson's Folly (Fiscle Part 3) - Richard Harding Davis (reading diary .txt) 📗
- Author: Richard Harding Davis
Book online «Ranson's Folly (Fiscle Part 3) - Richard Harding Davis (reading diary .txt) 📗». Author Richard Harding Davis
Terriers Than Any Amateur In America. What Can He Mean? Why, Kid Is
No More Than A Puppy! Three Hundred Dollars For A Puppy!"
"And He Ain't No Thoroughbred Neither!" Cries The Master. "He's
'Unknown,' Ain't He? Kid Can't Help It, Of Course, But His Mother,
Miss--"
I Dropped My Head. I Couldn't Bear He Should Tell Miss Dorothy. I
Couldn't Bear She Should Know I Had Stolen My Blue Ribbon.
But The Master Never Told, For At That, A Gentleman Runs Up, Calling,
"Three Twenty-Six, Three Twenty-Six," And Miss Dorothy Says, "Here He
Is, What Is It?"
"The Winner's Class," Says The Gentleman "Hurry, Please. The Judge Is
Waiting For Him."
Nolan Tries To Get Me Off The Chain Onto A Showing Leash, But He
Shakes So, He Only Chokes Me. "What Is It, Miss?" He Says. "What Is
It?"
"The Winner's Class," Says Miss Dorothy. "The Judge Wants Him With
The Winners Of The Other Classes--To Decide Which Is The Best. It's
Only A Form," Says She. "He Has The Champions Against Him Now."
"Yes," Says The Gentleman, As He Hurries Us To The Ring. "I'm Afraid
It's Only A Form For Your Dog, But The Judge Wants All The Winners,
Puppy Class Even."
We Had Got To The Gate, And The Gentleman There Was Writing Down My
Number.
"Who Won The Open?" Asks Miss Dorothy.
"Oh, Who Would?" Laughs The Gentleman. "The Old Champion, Of Course.
He's Won For Three Years Now. There He Is. Isn't He Wonderful?" Says
He, And He Points To A Dog That's Standing Proud And Haughty On The
Platform In The Middle Of The Ring.
I Never See So Beautiful A Dog, So Fine And Clean And Noble, So White
Like He Had Rolled Hisself In Flour, Holding His Nose Up And His Eyes
Shut, Same As Though No One Was Worth Looking At. Aside Of Him, We
Other Dogs, Even Though We Had A Blue Ribbon Apiece, Seemed Like
Lumps Of Mud. He Was A Royal Gentleman, A King, He Was. His Master
Didn't Have To Hold His Head With No Leash. He Held It Hisself,
Standing As Still As An Iron Dog On A Lawn, Like He Knew All The
People Was Looking At Him. And So They Was, And No One Around The
Part 3 Title 1 (Ranson's Folly) Pg 67Ring Pointed At No Other Dog But Him.
"Oh, What A Picture," Cried Miss Dorothy; "He's Like A Marble Figure
By A Great Artist--One Who Loved Dogs. Who Is He?" Says She, Looking
In Her Book. "I Don't Keep Up With Terriers."
"Oh, You Know Him," Says The Gentleman. "He Is The Champion Of
Champions, Regent Royal."
The Master's Face Went Red.
"And This Is Regent Royal's Son," Cries He, And He Pulls Me Quick
Into The Ring, And Plants Me On The Platform Next My Father.
I Trembled So That I Near Fall. My Legs Twisted Like A Leash. But My
Father He Never Looked At Me. He Only Smiled, The Same Sleepy Smile,
And He Still Keep His Eyes Half-Shut, Like As No One, No, Not Even
His Son, Was Worth His Lookin' At.
The Judge, He Didn't Let Me Stay Beside My Father, But, One By One,
He Placed The Other Dogs Next To Him And Measured And Felt And Pulled
At Them. And Each One He Put Down, But He Never Put My Father Down.
And Then He Comes Over And Picks Up Me And Sets Me Back On The
Platform, Shoulder To Shoulder With The Champion Regent Royal, And
Goes Down On His Knees, And Looks Into Our Eyes.
The Gentleman With My Father, He Laughs, And Says To The Judge,
"Thinking Of Keeping Us Here All Day. John?" But The Judge, He
Doesn't Hear Him, And Goes Behind Us And Runs His Hand Down My Side,
And Holds Back My Ears, And Takes My Jaws Between His Fingers. The
Crowd Around The Ring Is Very Deep Now, And Nobody Says Nothing. The
Gentleman At The Score-Table, He Is Leaning Forward, With His Elbows
On His Knees, And His Eyes Very Wide, And The Gentleman At The Gate
Is Whispering Quick To Miss Dorothy, Who Has Turned White. I Stood As
Stiff As Stone. I Didn't Even Breathe. But Out Of The Corner Of My
Eye I Could See My Father Licking His Pink Chops, And Yawning Just A
Little, Like He Was Bored.
The Judge, He Had Stopped Looking Fierce, And Was Looking Solemn.
Something Inside Him Seemed A Troubling Him Awful. The More He Stares
At Us Now, The More Solemn He Gets, And When He Touches Us He Does It
Gentle, Like He Was Patting Us. For A Long Time He Kneels In The
Sawdust, Looking At My Father And At Me, And No One Around The Ring
Says Nothing To Nobody.
Then The Judge Takes A Breath And Touches Me Sudden. "It's His," He
Says, But He Lays His Hand Just As Quick On My Father. "I'm Sorry,"
Says He.
The Gentleman Holding My Father Cries:
"Do You Mean To Tell Me--"
And The Judge, He Answers, "I Mean The Other Is The Better Dog." He
Part 3 Title 1 (Ranson's Folly) Pg 68Takes My Father's Head Between His Hands And Looks Down At Him, Most
Sorrowful. "The King Is Dead," Says He, "Long Live The King. Good-By,
Regent," He Says.
The Crowd Around The Railings Clapped Their Hands, And Some Laughed
Scornful, And Everyone Talks Fast, And I Start For The Gate So Dizzy
That I Can't See My Way. But My Father Pushes In Front Of Me, Walking
Very Daintily, And Smiling Sleepy, Same As He Had Just Been Waked,
With His Head High, And His Eyes Shut, Looking At Nobody.
So That Is How I "Came By My Inheritance," As Miss Dorothy Calls It,
And Just For That, Though I Couldn't Feel Where I Was Any Different,
The Crowd Follows Me To My Bench, And Pats Me, And Coos At Me, Like I
Was A Baby In A Baby-Carriage. And The Handlers Have To Hold 'Em Back
So That The Gentlemen From The Papers Can Make Pictures Of Me, And
Nolan Walks Me Up And Down So Proud, And The Men Shakes Their Heads
And Says, "He Certainly Is The True Type, He Is!" And The Pretty
Ladies Asks Miss Dorothy, Who Sits Beside Me Letting Me Lick Her
Gloves To Show The Crowd What Friends We Is, "Aren't You Afraid He'll
Bite You?" And Jimmy Jocks Calls To Me, "Didn't I Tell You So! I
Always Knew You Were One Of Us. Blood Will Out, Kid, Blood Will Out.
I Saw Your Grandfather," Says He, "Make His Debut At The Crystal
Palace. But He Was Never The Dog You Are!"
After That, If I Could Have Asked For It, There Was Nothing I
Couldn't Get. You Might Have Thought I Was A Snow-Dog, And They Was
Afeerd I'd Melt. If I Wet My Pats, Nolan Gave Me A Hot Bath And
Chained Me To The Stove; If I Couldn't Eat My Food, Being Stuffed
Full By The Cook, For I Am A House-Dog Now, And Let In To Lunch
Whether There Is Visitors Or Not, Nolan Would Run To Bring The Vet.
It Was All Tommy-Rot, As Jimmy Says, But Meant Most Kind. I Couldn't
Scratch Myself Comfortable, Without Nolan Giving Me Nasty Drinks, And
Rubbing Me Outside Till It Burnt Awful, And I Wasn't Let To Eat Bones
For Fear Of Spoiling My "Beautiful" Mouth, What Mother Used To Call
My "Punishing Jaw," And My Food Was Cooked Special On A Gas-Stove,
And Miss Dorothy Gives Me An Overcoat, Cut Very Stylish Like The
Champions', To Wear When We Goes Out Carriage-Driving.
After The Next Show, Where I Takes Three Blue Ribbons, Four Silver
Cups, Two Medals, And Brings Home Forty-Five Dollars For Nolan, They
Gives Me A "Registered" Name, Same As Jimmy's. Miss Dorothy Wanted To
Call Me "Regent Heir Apparent," But I Was That Glad When Nolan Says,
"No, Kid Don't Owe Nothing To His Father, Only To You And Hisself.
So, If You Please, Miss, We'll Call Him Wyndham Kid." And So They
Did, And You Can See It On My Overcoat In Blue Letters, And Painted
Top Of My Kennel. It Was All Too Hard To Understand. For Days I Just
Sat And Wondered If I Was Really Me, And How It All Come About, And
Why Everybody Was So Kind. But, Oh, It Was So Good They Was, For If
They Hadn't Been, I'd Never Have Got The Thing I Most Wished After.
But, Because They Was Kind, And Not Liking To Deny Me Nothing, They
Gave It Me, And It Was More To Me Than Anything In The World.
It Came About One Day When We Was Out Driving. We Was In The Cart
They Calls The Dog-Cart, Because It's The One Miss Dorothy Keeps To
Part 3 Title 1 (Ranson's Folly) Pg 69Take Jimmy And Me For An Airing. Nolan Was Up Behind, And Me In My
New Overcoat Was Sitting Beside Miss Dorothy. I Was Admiring The
View, And Thinking How Good It Was To Have A Horse Pull You About So
That You Needn't Get Yourself Splashed And Have To Be Washed, When I
Hears A Dog Calling Loud For Help, And I Pricks Up My Ears And Looks
Over The Horse's Head. And I Sees Something That Makes Me Tremble
Down To My Toes. In The Road Before Us Three Big Dogs Was Chasing A
Little, Old Lady-Dog. She Had A String To Her Tail, Where Some Boys
Had Tied A Can, And She Was Dirty With Mud And Ashes, And Torn Most
Awful. She Was Too Far Done Up To Get Away, And Too Old To Help
Herself, But She Was Making A Fight For Her Life, Snapping Her Old
Gums Savage, And Dying Game. All This I See In A Wink, And Then The
Three Dogs Pinned Her Down, And I Can't Stand It No Longer And Clears
The Wheel And Lands In The Road On My Head. It Was My Stylish
Overcoat Done That, And I Curse It Proper, But I Gets My Pats Again
Quick, And Makes A Rush For The Fighting. Behind Me I Hear Miss
Dorothy Cry, "They'll Kill That Old Dog. Wait, Take My Whip. Beat
Them Off Her! The Kid Can Take Care Of Himself," And I Hear Nolan
Fall Into The Road, And The Horse Come To A Stop. The Old
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