 | Lines in Pleasant Places |  |
233
THE REASON WHY.
A coalman's dog, native of Newfoundland,—A sturdy, shaggy, handsome, faithful beast,—
Greeteth my vision, day by day, as goes
His master to his customary toil,—
The dog attendant, gravely, as it were
His mission, also, to dispense the coals.
He has no notice for the wayside curs
That strive his grave attention to arrest.
His gait “means business,” and nought frivolous
Or trifling can divert his constant feet
That press unswervingly in duty's path.
Grateful to him who gives him scanty bread,
He looks up to him with great, earnest eyes,
Ne'er faltering in love and trustfulness—
Deeming none other in the world like him,
E'en though a dudeen desecrate his lips,
Or “ardent” lave his incandescent throat,
Or the fierce oath at times, perchance, emits,
Which serves to emphasize a cruel kick.
Still he's his master, evermore revered,
And, humbly acquiescent, he forgets
All ill in joyousness at one soft word,
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Exponent of a love most sanctified,
He asks but that he may his love bestow,
And find in his devotion his reward—
Unselfish, tender, true, unto the end!
He has no habits vile; no passion's rage,
No breath exhaling fumes of nicotine
Or alcoholic death; no word profane
Escapes his lips, nor slander's baleful slime;
No schemes dishonest ever mar his rest;
No treachery to friends, no base resorts
Of trickery and fraud his point to gain;
No subterfuge, or false pretence, or greed,
Or mean endeavor others' wish to thwart;
Living just up to instinct's light, Heaven-lent,
And shaming reason by example grand.
Fidelity to duty's unpaid claim
Distinguishes his life; his proudest post
The portal of the humble home he guards
With ceaseless vigilance and rigid trust;
His only recreation with the boys to mix,
And in their sports be boy among the rest,
Barking his sympathy in noisy joy,
Or meekly following at his master's heels.
Why is he thus the faithful, true, and kind,
—Embodiment of every native good
Men might well copy with abundant gain,—
I know no reason save that—he's a Dog.
| Lines in Pleasant Places | |