WILHELM

"No good thing comes from out of Kaiserland,"
Says Phyllis; but beside the fire I note
One Wilhelm, sleek in tawny gold of coat,
Most satin-smooth to the caresser's hand.
A velvet mien; an eye of amber, full
Of that which keeps the faith with us for life;
Lover of meal times; hater of yard-dog strife;
Lordly, with silken ears most strokeable.
Familiar on the hearth, refuting her,
He sits, the antic-pawed, the proven friend,
The whimsical, the grave and reverend—
Wilhelm the Dachs from out of Hanover.

AN OLD DOG

BY
CELIA DUFFIN
From
The Spectator

By permission of the Author, The London Spectator, and
Maunsel and Company, Ltd. Dublin