until the pallbearers removed Art's coffin. Then he
followed the men, carrying the coffin into the house.
Jubel pattered into the parlor and
watched while the men placed the coffin on four chairs. That
afternoon and evening, the dog stood by Tansy, Amanda, Jeff and
Iris in the receiving line at the end of Art's coffin as the string
of viewers came by. Later that evening when Tansy turned the parlor
lights off, Jubel settled down to sleep by the coffin through the
night.
The next morning after the funeral
service, Jubel didn’t follow the pallbearers as they carried Art's
coffin up the hill to the family cemetery. He walked under the
coffin like an honorary pallbearer.
The family lost sight of Jubel at
the funeral with so many well wishers talking to them. After
everyone left, the family walked home from the cemetery. Iris and
Amanda fixed supper. Jeff and Tansy rocked on the porch and cried
as they reminisced about Art.
At dusk, Tansy missed Jubel. She
filled his bowl with food from the dishes brought by the neighbors,
but when she went out on the porch and called, the dog didn’t
come.
A couple days later, Wilburn Cox
came by to check on the family and leave an applesauce cake Wilma
fixed.
Tansy said, Ya haven't seen Art's
old dog around, have ya? He's been missin' since the
funeral.”
“No,
ma'am, I ain't seen the dog, but I wonder if he's out lookin' fer
Art. They sure were close. Tell ya what, I'll checked around with
the other neighbors to see if the dog showed up at their place,”
Wilburn said.
That afternoon, Wilburn Cox came
back by. “I've checked all over Pleasant Valley, and no one has see
yer dog.”
A few days later, Wilburn had an
idea. He drove to the Craftton farm and walked to the cemetery. The
first thing he saw was dirt flying high above Art’s
grave.
On investigation, he found Jubel,
digging furiously down to the coffin. The dog had the hole so deep
that dirt kept falling back in, hampering his efforts to get to
Art.
Wilburn stopped by the house to
reported to Tansy. “I couldn’t distract Jubel from digging, and the
poor dog hadn’t eaten in days from the look of his
ribs.”
Tansy filled the dog bowl with
scraps from the meal. “Ya have time to take this food back to that
dog?”
“I'd
be glad to make time,” Wilburn said.
“I
want to go with you, Mr. Cox. Maybe I can talk Jubel into coming
home,” Amanda said.
When they neared the cemetery, they
heard the scratching Jubel made as he dug.
Amanda knelt at the hole and
called, “Come here, Jubel. Time to come home.”
Jubel's ears perked up at the sound
of a friendly voice, but he didn't stop his slow methodical digging
with bleeding paws.
Amanda said, “I don't see what else
we can do, Mr. Cox. If I try to bring him out of the hole, he'll
bite me. If we could take him home, he'll just come back. Jubel
doesn't understand what happened to Grandpa.”
Amanda laid down on her belly and
stretched her arm until she could easily drop the dog's food bowl
into the hole without spilling it. Jubel didn't seem to notice. Not
even Tansy’s good cooking induced him to stop digging.
For the next few days,
Amanda and her father walked to the cemetery to check on the dog
every day. Finally, Jubel became too starved and exhausted from his
efforts. They found he'd died in the hole before he reached his
friend.
Jeff asked his mother what
she wanted done with Jubel's body. Tansy said for Jubel’s fidelity
to Art he deserved to be buried in the grave he dug for himself so
he'd be with Art. So Jeff filled in Jubel's hole in Art's
grave.
For the next few years when
Amanda came, Tansy and she took flowers to the cemetery. Until she
died, Tansy placed two bouquets of flowers on her husband’s grave.
One for the man she loved, and one for the dog that loved him so
much.
After Tansy passed away,
Amanda continued to place flowers on the graves for her
grandparents and Jubel during her summer stays.
After Amanda had a family,
her two sons and
followed the men, carrying the coffin into the house.
Jubel pattered into the parlor and
watched while the men placed the coffin on four chairs. That
afternoon and evening, the dog stood by Tansy, Amanda, Jeff and
Iris in the receiving line at the end of Art's coffin as the string
of viewers came by. Later that evening when Tansy turned the parlor
lights off, Jubel settled down to sleep by the coffin through the
night.
The next morning after the funeral
service, Jubel didn’t follow the pallbearers as they carried Art's
coffin up the hill to the family cemetery. He walked under the
coffin like an honorary pallbearer.
The family lost sight of Jubel at
the funeral with so many well wishers talking to them. After
everyone left, the family walked home from the cemetery. Iris and
Amanda fixed supper. Jeff and Tansy rocked on the porch and cried
as they reminisced about Art.
At dusk, Tansy missed Jubel. She
filled his bowl with food from the dishes brought by the neighbors,
but when she went out on the porch and called, the dog didn’t
come.
A couple days later, Wilburn Cox
came by to check on the family and leave an applesauce cake Wilma
fixed.
Tansy said, Ya haven't seen Art's
old dog around, have ya? He's been missin' since the
funeral.”
“No,
ma'am, I ain't seen the dog, but I wonder if he's out lookin' fer
Art. They sure were close. Tell ya what, I'll checked around with
the other neighbors to see if the dog showed up at their place,”
Wilburn said.
That afternoon, Wilburn Cox came
back by. “I've checked all over Pleasant Valley, and no one has see
yer dog.”
A few days later, Wilburn had an
idea. He drove to the Craftton farm and walked to the cemetery. The
first thing he saw was dirt flying high above Art’s
grave.
On investigation, he found Jubel,
digging furiously down to the coffin. The dog had the hole so deep
that dirt kept falling back in, hampering his efforts to get to
Art.
Wilburn stopped by the house to
reported to Tansy. “I couldn’t distract Jubel from digging, and the
poor dog hadn’t eaten in days from the look of his
ribs.”
Tansy filled the dog bowl with
scraps from the meal. “Ya have time to take this food back to that
dog?”
“I'd
be glad to make time,” Wilburn said.
“I
want to go with you, Mr. Cox. Maybe I can talk Jubel into coming
home,” Amanda said.
When they neared the cemetery, they
heard the scratching Jubel made as he dug.
Amanda knelt at the hole and
called, “Come here, Jubel. Time to come home.”
Jubel's ears perked up at the sound
of a friendly voice, but he didn't stop his slow methodical digging
with bleeding paws.
Amanda said, “I don't see what else
we can do, Mr. Cox. If I try to bring him out of the hole, he'll
bite me. If we could take him home, he'll just come back. Jubel
doesn't understand what happened to Grandpa.”
Amanda laid down on her belly and
stretched her arm until she could easily drop the dog's food bowl
into the hole without spilling it. Jubel didn't seem to notice. Not
even Tansy’s good cooking induced him to stop digging.
For the next few days,
Amanda and her father walked to the cemetery to check on the dog
every day. Finally, Jubel became too starved and exhausted from his
efforts. They found he'd died in the hole before he reached his
friend.
Jeff asked his mother what
she wanted done with Jubel's body. Tansy said for Jubel’s fidelity
to Art he deserved to be buried in the grave he dug for himself so
he'd be with Art. So Jeff filled in Jubel's hole in Art's
grave.
For the next few years when
Amanda came, Tansy and she took flowers to the cemetery. Until she
died, Tansy placed two bouquets of flowers on her husband’s grave.
One for the man she loved, and one for the dog that loved him so
much.
After Tansy passed away,
Amanda continued to place flowers on the graves for her
grandparents and Jubel during her summer stays.
After Amanda had a family,
her two sons and
Similar Books
