A Basket of Chips: An Autobiography

Basket of Chips, page 061

Career, Romance, and Fmnily It would be almost criminal to deny a dog to a boy. My small brother at a very early age said to my mother: "I wonder if God has enough skin to make a little dog for me." God did have and it was not long before one appeared. My son at about the same age, after the death of his little brother, asked, with tears in his eyes for a dog. We were plan- ning to go to Europe and it was not possible but he had one later, and such a dog it was. But they are all alike under the skin. It was a bit of flesh of his own to love. Another narrow escape happened many years later, when I was on one of my exploring trips with my sketching outfit. It occurred with a large pack of St. Bernard dogs. I never think of it but I wish I could have peeped through the sights of a rifle and sent a ball through the heart of that keeper. I may have been trespassing but there were no signs to that effect. It was along the Jordan north west of the city and I found an interest- ing turn of the river with large willow trees for foreground. I was about to plant my easle when I heard the sharp, deep bark- ing of dogs and turned to face a dozen large St. Bernard full grown beasts. The keeper had turned them loose. My first natural impulse was to run, but I knew they would be upon me before I could get any where. The next thought was to fight which I realized would end in being torn to pieces. But the better impulse came in thinking of what I had read and heard. Show no fear and talk to them kindly, which I did and in a short time they were off after a colt, but not before some had put their teeth through my coat sleeve and pocket. They just missed getting my hand which I held out in a friendly way. I gave up painting along the Jordan. OUR FIRST GRIEF AND EUROPE AGAIN Our third child, Lawrence James, we lost at about one and a half years old. He had the measles very lightly, but we had 61