The earth was fairly peppered with David Harbin’s cousins. No matter what part of the world was mentioned David said, “I have a cousin out there.” David was a London lawyer. During law vacation he visited cousins all over the world. He always came to see me when visiting Canadian cousins.
David and I were sitting on my garden bench talking. David said, “My last visit (to a Canadian cousin) has left me very sad. Cousin Allan and I were brought up together; his parents died and my Mother took Allan. He was a deaf-mute. His dumbness did not seem to matter when we were boys. We used dumb language and were jolly. When Allan had to face life, to take his dumbness out into the world, that was different–he bought a ranch in Canada, a far-off, isolated ranch. Now he is doubly solitary, surrounded by empty space as well as dead silence.”
While David talked a Mother Bobtail came and laid her chin on his knee. His hand strayed to her head but he did not look at her. His seeing was not in the garden; it was back on the lonely ranch with dumb Allan. The dog sensed trouble in David’s voice, in his touch she felt sadness. She leapt, licked his face! David started.
“Down, Sissy,” I called.
But David shouted, “Dog, you’re the solution. Is she for sale?”
“Sissy,” I said, “was intended for a kennel matron. But she was temperamental over her first litter, did not mother them well. She will do better next time perhaps, unless….”
I caught David’s eye….
“Unless I send her over to mother dumb Allan!”
David fairly danced from my garden, he was so happy in his solution for Allan’s loneliness.
From England he wrote, “Allan’s letters have completely changed, despondency gone from them. Bless Bobtails!-Sissy did it.”
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