PS 3543 .A35 E6 1916 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS DDDDE7DH31fc. ^ ^o * "^. ♦ - . • \ <^ < Wy,."^" I; ^"■^.#.. V^ .."^-o SPOTTY EPITAPHS OF SOME DEAR DUMB BEASTS BY Their Mistress ISABEL VALLE BOSTON THE GORHAM PRESS 1916 Copyright, 1916, by Isabel Valle All Rights Reserved M SKATES AND A LITTLE VISITOR PETE PETE A Bulldog Had this dog been a general His great broad chest had not held all Its decorations nobly won In combat or for brave deeds done. Yet he loved peace and only fought As soldiers do — because he ought. It meant disgrace to let a rival go . . . Alive . . . none ever did . . . ah no! Death was the Champion worsted Pete And dying does not mean defeat ! 15 JOE A Gordon Setter A childhood's friend was good old Joe — He "passed on" many years ago; But in the Dark where he has gone He'll wait for me till, I "pass on!" i6 JOLI COEUR Just a Little Dog To think there'll be To morrow and to morrow and to morrow And no more Joli Coeur ! Eternity — Without this sharer of my joy and sorrow — My little comforter! 17 SCOTTIE A Scottish Terrier Receptive, responsive, unsv^^ervingly true And loving was Scottie, and so clever too! In comrade, or brother, or lover, or son, These traits have you found them combined all in ONE? i8 SCOTTIE TATA AND TONY TATA A Bull terrier A traitor's hand laid Tata low,- She kissed it as it dealt the blow ! 19 MARY A Lamb Mary was a lovely lamb Until she grew big horns And turned into a rowdy ram,- Her mistress for her mourns! 20 JACQUELINE J Pig If only sweet pig babies Need not grow up at all! Oh, butcher mills grind swiftly And they grind exceeding small! 21 GOBEMOUCHES A Garden Toad Oh, kind Gobemouches Why did you die? We miss you so, The flowers and I! 22 BUNNY A Cottontail What though he nibbled "greens" and pinks, Such crimes deserve not death but pardon! To Hades, she who mourns him thinks With flower and vegetable garden! 23 DUGO A Bull terrier I have given my heart to this dog to tear And he will not let it go! He has taken it off to the Land of Where Past the Desert Whither Ho! 24 DUGO TONY AND MISSY TONY A Bullterrier Thou had'st no other joy In life Save at my side to be; Now In thy grave, alone Death's knife Shall cut my heart from thee. 25 GULLY A Bullterrier Hot on the scent, with wild enthusiasm, He chased his foe, a chipmonk sly, around A ledge and down the Highbanks' yawning chasm Reached with one bound, the Happy Hunting Ground ! 26 MISSY A Bullterrier Who gave my doggie a bad name, And shot her, — not the pure, white dead But he should lie here in his shame, She gamboling above his head! 27 SPOTTY Missy's Child What matters a bar sinister When heart and soul are clean and white As those of my dear Spotty were? Such need not fear the grave's long night. 28 BILLIE A Canary Cruel was the judge who said: ''By the neck till thou art dead, Yellow bird hang on this thread!" Who within thy golden throat, Broke the lyre, and stilled the note. 29 BROWNDOG An Irish Terrier If love lives, then Browndog must, — Though his eyes be filled wath dust, Recognize within my heart His dear self, of it a part! 30 BROWNDOG SACO SACO A Coach Dog How many leagues did Saco run 'Neath sodden skies and blazing sun Beside the old red ''breaking" cart! But when a touring car we bought He pined away, as if he thought His day was done — it broke his heart! 31 FOLLY A Manchester Terrier Dear little Folly, Folly of my youth, Long, long ago Death took thee without ruth! But crueller and sharper is Time's tooth That spared thee little Folly of my youth ! 32 MAXIE Foll/s Child How could a baby all untaught Escape a wheeled Juggernaut That ran him down? 'Twas thus the Erie Afternoon train killed our dearie! 33 PASHT A Cat Feathered folk, give thanks! Rejoice! To your throats let songs upgush! Stilled is now her hated voice, Rots our foe beneath this bush! 34 PASHT KITTY BUD KITTYBUD A Cat Must my Kitty's gold and gray Change and grow like shale and clay? Is that proud one now a clod Underneath a quilt of sod, She who like a queen has lain On a silken counterpane! 35 TOMMY A Stray Cat Nevermore need Tommy roam Looking, longing for a home; What he wanted he has found In the doorless underground! 36 POOR ITTY BITTY A Stray Pussy She died of cold and hunger in the snow Where these forget-me-nots and bluebells grow; I never pass them now but I see her For whom was life all "miaou" without a purr. — The summer day becomes a winter night, The lawn's green velvet changes and grows white And black upon it, like a blot, there lies A tiny sodden heap with open eyes. 37 JIMMIE BEAR A Cocker Spaniel Precious puppy, dearest pet — Silken-coated, black as jet. Topaz eyes affection-lit — Jewel lost in Death's deep pit! 38 GOLDIE A Goldfish Just a little flame was he In a crystal-bounded sea Flashing, flying all about — Suddenly, the flame went out! 39 A CRICKET Thou quaint musician, At the roots of things, Ended thy mission, Broken thy strings. 40 FLEETWING A Carrier Pigeon Thou little feathered postman Who fear'dst no earthly gale, Down in the Land of Shadows Dost thou still carry mail? If our dear mother Proserpine Would send thee back with "just a line!' 41 SCHNAPSEL A Dachshund Him hath his mistress snatched Oft from the jaws of Death, — Now is she overmatched, Now hopeless, sorroweth! 42 SCHNAPSEL p SADI CARNOT SADI CARNOT A Schipperke With happy bark and joyous yap Each hour was romp and play Till he grew tired and took a nap,- He will not wake to day! 43 AMI A Dachshund On the radiant Riviera Sleeps forever little Ami ; While he lived the world a fairer And a cosier place seemed — damme! 44 PRETZEL A Dachshund Pretzelchen they said was mad, But a pellet from the vet Made our well-beloved pet, Glad, forever ever glad! 45 DAINTY A Skye My darling Dainty lies beneath This stone, rough clods among; For others kept she her sharp teeth, For me a roseleaf tongue! 46 FRECKLES A Mongrel No thoroughbred our Freckles was — "Unspotted" though inside. And "handsome is as handsome does" All those who knew him cried! 47 QUERIDA A Chihuahua I weep that naught could save Querida from the clay-cold grave; For w^hom In life, a muff Was too large and not warm enough ! 48 QUERIDA SCHNAPSEL AND HIS FRIENDS FOXIE AND GUY FOXIE A Foxterrier Where Guy and Foxie used to play A doggie's headstone stands to-day. Guy, with the saddest of wee faces, A daisy wreath upon it places And with a rosy finger traces, "To Foxie, a beloved pet I never, never can forget!" — Then, gaily singing, skips alone Around the little new-laid stone. 49 PEANUTS A Mongrel Peanuts was just a spotted cur Whose personality was such Of friends he always had a host; But Death has put him out of touch With all of them, save only her Who "really, truly" loved him most! 50 CATO A Mongrel Than this poor yellow dog, could king do more? He honored the illustrious name he bore! 51 CARO A Florentine Lupetto A little lonely soul thou wast, A little lion-heart; To me thou'rt not a pinch of dust, Thou livest still, thou art! 52 CURLY An Irish Terrier Curly was a jolly Irish terrier Who one day killed a little lapdog brother; He seemed to think: "The less of these the merrier 1" The poor dear ''dreams true" now Some Where or Other! 53 LUPETTA A Little Florentine Dog Within my heart I kept her locked A treasure none might see; But grinning Death stood by and mocked, He held a master key! Soon open wide he flung the door And took my golden one And stole the color from the shore And sea, and sky, and sun! 54 LUPETTA TOTO WHO KILLED THE LAMB TOTO A Bull terrier Together here a lamb and Hon h*e, The past forgot — a blank the Bye and Bye. 55 WHISKERS A Gray Squirrel A brigand was this Whiskers — an "Apache" — Alike of man and squirrel unafraid. The nuts that filled his ever-bursting cache Were mostly filched from neighbors he waylaid And robbed of breakfast, luncheon, tea and dinner! He'd rather fight and steal than eat . . . alas It is to sin for sins sake makes the sinner; He was the real thing! But let it pass . . . The title "hero" cannot be denied To one who in each scrimmage comes out winner, Of whom descendants feel with truth and pride: "He 'dangerously lived' and bravely died !" 56 SMART ALEC A Bantam Cock I pray, my Pretty, where thou'st gone 'Tis always rosy-radiant dawn. That thou mayst cock-a-doodle-do The whole day long and all night too ! 57 LEDA A Pet Swan How crystal-clear the bosom of the lake! Too clear — for see — no heart beneath it lies ! Else would at least its sighs a ripple make Upon a surface that so often glassed A gentle, sheeny-silver breast now passed Beyond the echoes of our last good byes. Or is this mirrored nothingness I see But a great void within the heart o' me ! 58 ENVOI When I am lying dead Perhaps some tears may fall, — But those my dear pets can not shed Will hurt far more than all! 59 1 18 ..<-^^\. oo^c;^^% >*\.i^%\. co^ J* c » " • "i- ^"•'^. *^ » « * .0 v: OK ^-. ^^^ ' S-^^- .^^ -r -^', •^^ >.°-n^ - .^•^ .^^ y- A^ "