Many years ago there was a little man who lived in a little shack by the railroad tracks. The shack was old and weather worn and the only source of heat was an old wood stove. The shack had a single door and only one small window. The roof sagged and the whole place seemed to lean backwards. The roof was made of overlapping boards; there were no shingles on Happy’s roof.
No one knew his age, where he came form or where he got the name “Happy,” I haven’t a clue. Perhaps it was because he always had a smile on his face. He was a gentle man and was always kind and polite to the town’s people. He always walked with a limp.
Happy had a deep love for pets and would never pass up the chance to adopt another stray dog. He had so many strays living with him that he had to beg for food on the streets and, everyone knew that he was using the food to feed his doggies friends rather than himself.
I remember giving him cans of food, knowing that he would use them to feed his dogs. But, that was our special secret.
One spring, the winter thaw came early. The river, fed by snowmelt and excessive rain, rose rapidly. Happy was asleep in his shack with all of his doggies. Large blocks of ice jammed against the single door, trapping Happy and his many canine friends inside. The single window wasn’t big enough for them to get out through.
It wasn’t until the floodwaters had subsided that the townspeople remembered Happy and his many dogs. When the firemen broke into Happy’s shack they found him in the loft, cuddled up with all his dogs. They had all passed to “Beyond Life’s Gateway” together.
The townspeople felt so bad and I remember crying. Everyone who knew Happy missed him walking the streets, his happy smile and his ever-present following of dogs.
Although many years have now gone by, Happy is still remembered in that town and there has never been another so willing to provide love, food and shelter for the many dogs that no one else wants.
In Special Memories,
| Unknowns |
| Carole |