ching at her side,
With pitying love lay faithful Tray;
He nestled up to keep her warm,
And licked her bitter tears away.

And Nelly shared with him her crusts,
And both were hungry and forlorn;
While many a kick and cruel blow,
Most patiently by Tray were borne.

[Illustration]

At last the cruel woman said
She had no bones to throw away;
She could not keep a useless cur,
She really must drive off old Tray.

And, with a broomstick in her hand,
She hunted the poor dog about,
Until, with many a cruel blow,
From his old home she drove him out.

Limping and howling forth he went,
While Nelly, with a breaking heart,
With agonizing sobs and cries,
Beheld her only friend depart.

Within the hospital that day,
The porter with amazement saw
A dog appear, who limped along,
Holding well up an injured paw.

Straight to the doctors' room he went,
Jumped on a chair, held up his leg,
And seemed by a beseeching whine
Their kindly aid and skill to beg.

Laughing, the kind house-surgeon said,
"A stranger patient I ne'er saw;
Well, let us see what we can do,--
Old fellow, let me hold you paw."

He found Tray had a broken leg,
And set and bound it up so well,
That Tray, delighted and relieved,
Sought all his gratitude to tell.

He wagged his tail and loudly barked,
And licked the surgeon's kindly hand;
He tried to make his human friend
His thanks and joy thus understand.

"Oh, turn him out!" the doctors cry,
"The sleeping patients he will wake;
We cannot have their rest disturbed,
By letting him this hubbub make."

The porter then put poor Tray out,
But gave him, when they reached the street,
A mutton bone, well covered yet,
That Tray was very glad to eat.

Now in the streets the dog must live;
But far far from Nell he would not stray,
He howled about her home all night,
And lingered near it all the day.

Poor Nelly in her dismal loft,
That mournful sound in sleep would hear,
And smiles would play upon her lips,
Because in dreams her friend was near.

[Illustration]

The landlady, who could not sleep
For Tray's loud howling, angry grew;
Her guilty conscience he awoke,
And now no peace or rest she knew.