—John H. Finley.
Sonny
HOW MAPLEWOOD WON SONNY
Sonny, a big, gentle, and affectionate dog was offered as a prize to the members of the Junior Red Cross by one of the large woman’s magazines of this country. Sonny was to be given to the school children who sent in the best account of the work they had done during the first year of the life of the Junior Red Cross.
The prize dog was sent to the children of Maplewood School, Maplewood, New Jersey, in time to march in their Fourth-of-July parade, and he and the children were very, very proud of themselves and of each other. Everybody cheered them and they had a delightful time.
The Maplewood children decided to send the prize dog to serve in the trenches during the World War. As he was a real police dog, with plenty of courage, this just suited Sonny.
Here is a part of the prize essay: