Mr. Goboffle had a small child, no wife, a large dog, and a house. As
he was unable to afford the expense of a nurse, he was accustomed to
leave the child in the care of the dog, who was much attached to it,
while absent at a distant restaurant for his meals, taking the
precaution to lock them up together to prevent kidnapping. One day,
while at his dinner, he crowded a large, hard-boiled potato down his
neck, and it conducted him into eternity. His clay was taken to the
Coroner’s, and the great world went on, marrying and giving in
marriage, lying, cheating, and praying, as if he had never existed.
Meantime the dog had, after several days of neglect, forced an egress
through a window, and a neighbouring baker received a call from him
daily. Walking gravely in, he would deposit a piece of silver, and
receiving a roll and his change would march off homeward. As this was a
rather unusual proceeding in a cur of his species, the baker one day
followed him, and as the dog leaped joyously into the window of the
deserted house, the man of dough approached and looked in. What was his
surprise to see the dog deposit his bread calmly upon the floor and
fall to tenderly licking the face of a beautiful child!
It is but fair to explain that there was nothing but the face
remaining. But this dog did so love the child!