My Mamie Rose: The Story of My Regeneration

where I must introduce to you the dearest

he was the only one able to squeeze through them into my better life. He

on, if that was necessary in his case. He was always faithful, true

o detract one iota from the work accomplished by my little martyr, but I would be grossl

transformation I owe a debt of gratitude which deeds only-not words-can repay. If this mentioning of Bill shal

han intelligence; that they have souls. Of course, this assertion caused a storm of indignation and a flood of discussion in

authoritative or deciding voice in the matter, for it will save me from cr

ay and hope tha

*

"hang-out" of the most notorious toughs and crooks in the country. Still, the place was nightly visited

My nightly duty was to suppress tro

r their deftness of touch, and who, at various and frequent times, had had their phot

re times when they did overreach the limits of Bowery etiquette and then it became my painf

arrel with a member of the mentioned gentry. There was a rumpus of sufficient volume to distract the attention of t

lay of dramatic effect, I ejected the loafer, who had already become decidedly threatening. That, a few m

him. A lingering sense of shame and realization of his position made him turn homeward, but before leaving he insisted that I should cal

could not help speculating on the moral make-up of a man who could leave this abode of comfort and home cheer behind to spend his leisure hours in a "good time" at a Bowery dive. Even though I could not read or w

correct in his estimate. After entreating me not to breathe a word to any living soul about his nightly adventure, he in

s fell

t to lead a gift horse through the streets down to the Bowery. The police, if in nothing else, are very careful in lo

pointed with pride at a litter of pure-bred bull pups who were taking a nap at the breast of their

eward evaporate, and could not screw u

f sympathy in his miserable existence, once made friendly overtures to me. I was still a brute-bestial, cruel-and sent the

, and reveled in the e

o propose a compromise on a cash basis, a little rogue, different from his brothers, was elevated for examination. Instead of hanging quietly like the rest of

n my lips, for the owner placed the pu

his welcome as an understood thing, and with a sigh of content snuggled into the hollow of my arm. He was on

i

ters. My room was on the top floor of an old-fashioned tenement. The ceiling was slanting and not able to cope efficiently with the rain. Of the original four panes of glas

closer, he came to the edge of the bed and gave a little whine. I meant to grab him by the neck and throw him to the floor, but when my hand touched him he felt so soft and warm, and-well, I patted him. Of course, I had no i

have upset things or caused other damage. That is what I tried to make myself believe-a rather difficult feat in view of the pup's enormous bulk and ferocity-not caring to interpret my feelings. I opened the door of

d buy three cents' worth of milk and sundry other delicacies suitable to my room-mate. Had they taken it good-naturedly, I would have felt ashamed and the pup would have fared badly in his nursing, but my neighbors sneered and smiled at

ative positions. Always finding him asleep on my return from the saloon, I was surprised to hear him move about, one morning, as I was inserting the key in the lock. I opened the door, and before me danced

trange welcome, perhaps not entirely unselfish, because milk and good things to eat generally came with me, but, still, muc

ter shell would come to me and I would not deny it until my "manhood" whispered to me: "Why, what is the matter with you? Are you not ashamed of giving way to your

oken recognition. Why I did it, I do not know, but I lifted the little fellow to my arms and s

pup?" I asked i

growl or snarl. It was the pup's first effort in the barking line, and it sounded very much l

entitled to be named, and th

eople, and it wouldn't do to give you a 'high-toned' na

ed, and then Bill and I went

ould croak a requiem for us. Now, I am going to make you a proposition. You're friendless, and so am I; you're ugly and s

as a sphinx, until I asked the question. He answere

hers. We're going to stick to each other, Bill; we're going to be loyal to each other, and, though we do not

e and then, we sealed the co

the dilapidated condition of the furniture began to grate on me and, slowly, I improved our home. I bought a few pictures from a peddler, purchased two plaster casts from an Italian, and

night had been expended-we took our walk along the avenue. He was beautifully ugly, and the usual pleasant witticisms, such as, "Which is the dog?" we

wave swept over the city and closed most of the "resorts." The l

ell. It did not even stop at that, for, ere long, we were regular habitués of the free-lunch counters. It often almost broke my heart to see my Bill, well bred and blooded, feed on the scraps thrown to him from a lunch counter. But there was a dog for you! Instead of turning his nose up at it, or eatin

m many men; with souls, could l

nd not by any regrets or self-reproaches; but, whatever the cause, they were sitting oppressively on me, and I often found myself in an atmosphere of

his hypnotic suggestions, he would go further, and place his paw on my knee, with a little pleading whine. Having

being so brutally frank-you ought to be ashamed of yourself. Big and strong, you live in idleness, and now you kick because you are down and out and deprived of your despicable means of li

not without influence over me, or that I could understand him; perhaps it was all imagination, but, if it was-and I doubt it-it was good, beca

playful, run and romp. Bill made believe he was gay, and romped and raced and ran. If you will take note of the fact that the exact measurements of the room were fifteen by twelve feet, you can easily imagine the difficulties opposing Bill's exercise. Snorting and puffing, he would cavor

ut a brute-a po

TS ER