JOHN FINISHED HIS CHORES. THE MILK HE HAD BROUGHT UP FROM THE BARN, HE STRAINED THROUGH A CLEAN WHITE CLOTH, THEN PUT THE GALLON JAR OF WARM MILK IN THE PORCH ICEBOX. HE TOOK OUT A QUART JAR OF COLD MILK, A SMALL SYRUP BUCKET WITH A FEW EGGS IN IT, THEN LAID SOME COOKIES WRAPPED IN WAXED PAPER ON THE EGGS.
HE TIPPED HIS HAT, THEN HE AND DAWG WALKED OUT OF
THE PORCH AND DOWN THE ROAD TOWARD HIS HOUSE.
THEIR SILHOUETES FADED INTO THE DARKNESS.
THIS ROUTINE WENT ON MORNING AND NIGHT FOR TWO WEEKS. SELDOM DID JOHN SAY A WORD. HE SILENTLY DID THE CHORES, TOOK HIS SHARE OF THINGS FROM THE OLD PORCH ICEBOX AND LEFT WITH DAWG RIGHT BESIDE HIM.
LATE ONE NIGHT, A WAILING SOUND PENETRATED THE QUIET, DARK COUNTRYSIDE. THE WAIL SEEMED MOURNFUL AND SO SAD. SOME OF THE NEIGHBORS GOT UP, THREW ON SOME CLOTHES AND WENT TO CHECK OUT THE HAUNTING HOWL.
THEY DISCOVERED IT WAS DAWG THAT WAS MAKING THOSE CHILLING WAILS. HE WAS IN JOHN'S BEDROOM, LYING ACROSS HIS MASTER'S BODY. JOHN HAD A HEART
ATTACK AND WAS DEAD. THE CORONER SAID HE
HADN'T BEEN DEAD VERY LONG.
AFTER JOHN'S BODY WAS REMOVED, SOME OF THE NEIGHBORS LOOKED FOR DAWG. HE WAS NOT TO BE FOUND. FOR THE NEXT THREE DAYS, SOME OF THE FARMERS TRIED TO LOCATE DAWG. THEY KNEW HE'D BE HUNGRY AND
NEEDED SOMEONE TO TAKE CARE OF HIM.
HE SEEMED TO HAVE DISAPPEARED.
IT WAS DECIDED TO BURY JOHN BY HIS DECEASED WIFE AND CHILD UPON A HILL THAT OVERLOOKED THE VALLEY. WHEN NEIGHBORS WENT TO DIG THE GRAVE, THEY FOUND DAWG.
HE WAS LYING ACROSS THE GRAVES OF JOHN'S FAMILY.
WHEN THE WORKERS APPROACHED DAWG, HE RAN A SHORT WAYS THEN STOPPED AND WATCHED THEM DIG THE GRAVE. THEY TRIED TO COAX HIM TO GO WITH THEM WHEN THEY WERE FINISHED. HE RAN INTO THE WOODS.
THE NEXT MORNING, NEIGHBORS ATTENDED THE GRAVESITE SERVICE FOR JOHN. SOME OF THEM BROUGHT FOOD FOR DAWG AND LEFT IT BY THE TREE WHERE HE WAS LAST
SEEN. NO ONE SAW HIM THAT DAY.
FOR TWO WEEKS, SOMEONE BROUGHT FOOD FOR DAWG AND LEFT IT BY THE TREE NEAR THE GRAVES. A NEIGHBOR WHO SHOWED UP LATE ONE EVENING, SAW DAWG. HE WAS SITTING ON A LEDGE THAT OVERLOOKED THE VALLEY.
THREE WEEKS TO THE NIGHT THAT JOHN DIED, THE SAME PIERCING HOWL SOUNDED THROUGHOUT THE VALLEY.
THE LONESOME WAIL LASTED ABOUT TEN MINUTES
THEN THERE WAS SILENCE. SEVERAL NEIGHBORS
WENT TO THE TREE THE NEXT MORNING.
DAWG WAS FOUND LYING ACROSS HIS MASTER'S GRAVE.
HE HAD DIED DURING THE NIGHT. NEIGHBORS BURIED
DAWG BESIDE HIS MASTER.
BY LATE SUMMER, THE WILDFLOWERS COVERED ALL
THE GRAVES ON THE HILL OVER-LOOKING THE VALLEY.
IN TIME, MEMORIES OF JOHN AND DAWG FADED AWAY
IN THE LITTLE DUNLAP, MISSOURI COMMUNITY.
THERE WAS ONE LITTLE GIRL WHO STAYED THAT SUMMER WITH HER GREAT-GRANDPARENTS IN THAT MISSOURI
VALLEY THAT NEVER FORGOT JOHN AND DAWG.
THE WAIL OF A HEART-BROKEN DOG WILL ECHO
THROUGH HER VALLEY OF MEMORIES FOREVER.
AUTHOR: DEE WYLAND SPINDLER
This page was last updated on: July 21, 2009
I ASKED GRANDPA IF JOHN HAD ANY KIDS. GRANDPA SAID THAT JOHN LOST HIS WIFE AND A CHILD YEARS AGO. JOHN SPENT MANY WEEKS UPON THE HILL WITH THOSE GRAVES. DAWG WENT WITH HIM AND SEEMED TO SENSE
HIS MASTER'S GREAT GREIF.
ALTHOUGH DAWG WAS JUST A YOUNG PUP AT THAT TIME, HE MOURNED WITH JOHN. HIS WAILING HOWL LATE AT NIGHT COULD BE HEARD THROUGH THE VALLEY. LOCAL FARMERS WERE SOMEWHAT AWE-STRUCK ABOUT THIS GREIVING DOG.
I WAS SO INTRIGUED ABOUT THIS DOG AND HIS MASTER. I NEVER MISSED A MORNING OF SEEING THEM. IF I SPOKE TO JOHN, HE SPOKE. OTHERWISE, HE AND DAWG CAME AND WENT QUIETLY. I WANTED TO PET THE DOG, BUT HE KEPT
