The Dog and the Master's Shoes

A man of considerable means kept in his household a Dog of noble bearing and gentle temperament. This Dog had been raised from a puppy in the household and had grown to love his master with a devotion that knew no bounds. He followed his master from room to room, rested at his feet during meals, and slept upon a cushion beside his master's bed. The master, occupied with his business and the concerns of the world, often paid the Dog little attention, yet the creature's love remained constant and unwavering. The Dog greeted his master each morning with joyful recognition, his tail wagging with such force that his entire body trembled with delight. Years passed, and the master grew old and was afflicted with a terrible illness that confined him to his bed. His fortunes, once considerable, had diminished through misfortune and poor judgment. His family, sensing that his death was approaching and fearing that they would inherit nothing, grew cold toward the dying man and ceased to visit him. Yet the Dog, now aged himself, never left his master's side. When the man could not rise to walk, the Dog moved not from his post beside the bed. When the servants brought food and water to the old master, the Dog watched with vigilant eyes. As the master's strength failed and his mind grew clouded with fever, the Dog rested his head upon the coverlet and seemed to share in his master's suffering. On the night when the master drew his final breath, the Dog lay quietly beside him, and with a soft sigh, seemed to surrender his own spirit. The servants found them together at dawn—master and faithful companion, their devotion to one another unbroken even by death itself. The family, arriving to claim their inheritance, found the Dog lying still upon the bed, his purpose fulfilled, his devotion complete.