Show FAITHFUL FLUSH few faithful pets have received so charming a tribute as mrs browning paid to her devoted little spaniel in the well known poem to flush ma dog it is ie pleasant in her published letters to trace the career of the much loved and loving flush who was the companion of his mistress during al the most important episodes of her wc lif given to mrs browning when she anva a yet miss barrett by her friend mis mitford flush became and long re bained the partner of her secluded 1 f 1 as an invalid con confined to her room i he was a beautiful little c creature long eared silky haired large eyed golden brown in color with a whap wh t breast and buil of intelligence and spirit nevertheless it was affection i r w which aich he excel excelled ed refusing from th the first any invitation to sport or 0 exe cise beyond the bounds cf the sma inal half darkened chamber showing show ing ar almost human sympathy sm path dizh the suf ferer and making tireless efforts ir all pretty ways was to divert 0 or comfort her he slept with his head against hei cheek at night and in the day datorre da tirre n e when she was reading G geek eek his gnp n ears drooped upon one page of the bir follo folio while her eyes ees traveled do doon don doo n t th h other when she was somewhat bei be ter he would accompany hr her wl ieee e chair or leap into it I 1 twice he was stolen orace once in iti once in england and there was wa gre ret turmoil and trouble until he was ra covered the first time lime his poor frai ai little mistress was sick with distress i until he was restored by b the fameni of six guineas and a half to the thieves who explained complacently that the had bad been looking out for a chance te tc I 1 steal him tor for two years and tant taint moreover they should steal him agala if they could and that another time they would not give him up under ter tek guineas 1 I tell poor flushie she wrote while he looks earnestly in my face that he be and I 1 shall he be ruined at last and I 1 shall have no more money to buy bu him cakes but the worst is the aexie ty whether I 1 am particularly sill or not I 1 dont know they say here thai I 1 am but it seems to me impossibly tor for anybody who really cares for a dog doe to think quietly of his being in m the th hands bands of those infamous men and then I 1 know how bow flushie must ii feel it when he was brought home be be gap gan to cry in his manner whine as ai if his heart was full it was just whal whai I 1 was inclined to do myself but we w are both recovered now thank you yon and intend to be very prudent for the future when miss barrett married robert roberl browning flush accompanied the poetic pair to italy and his bis happy mistress then greatly improved in health wrote gaily that robert spoiled him quite as much as she did while flush evidently considered robert created fot foi his bis especial convenience to open doors and would nearly bark his head off il this task were not always promptly performed later when the baby was was at first extremely jealous but in a year or two the tables were turned and it was the little boy who roared with jealous wrath if his mother took flush up instead of himself while flush had bad learned to regard the child with a kind of lofty toleration very amusing to behold flush died after a long life in italy and was buried in the vaults of casa gaedi the dwelling made famous by his hia mistress poem and now bearing a tablet in her honor |