Page 26 - Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Vol. 3

6 Ghosts and Phantoms

he sat at the typewriter creating another canine
adventure for his legions of devoted readers.
Due to a series of unfortunate events, Rex
was killed in March 1916, and the saddened
Terhune wrote the story Lad: A Dog as a trib-
ute to the memory of his dear pet.
Many months after Rex’s death, Terhune
was paid a visit by Henry A. Healy, a financier,
who knew how much his host had loved his
big dog—but who apparently had not been
told of Rex’s passing. Just before leaving that
evening, Healy sighed wistfully and said, “Bert,
I wish there was someone or something on
earth that adored me as much as Rex worships
you. I watched him all evening. He lay there at
your feet the whole time, looking up at you as a
devotee might look up to his god.”
Terhune was shocked by his guest’s com-
ments. “Good lord, man!” he exclaimed. “Rex
has been dead now for more than a year and a
half.”
Healy turned pale, but stood by the testi-
mony of his own senses: “I can swear that he
was lying at your feet all evening—just as I’ve
seen him do since he was a puppy.”
Some weeks later, a longtime friend of Ter-
hune’s, Rev. Appleton Grannis, paid a visit to
Sunnybank, and after a stroll around the estate
and a pleasant afternoon meal, remarked that
he thought Bert fancied collies. Terhune
replied that was true. In fact all the dogs that
he presently owned were collies.
Native American might appear to them, so also do many indi-
dressed like an animal viduals maintain that they have witnessed the Rev. Grannis firmly disagreed. “Then what
spirit. (CORBIS spirit of a beloved pet return to a person or a dog was it that stood all afternoon on the
CORPORATION) place after physical death. porch looking in through the French window
at you? He’s a big dog with a nasty, peculiar
One of the most beloved authors of dog
scar on his forehead.”
stories, Albert Payson Terhune (1872–1942),
was a great animal lover who kept dozens of While the author knew at once that it was
pets in Sunnybank, his estate near Pompton his old friend Rex returning for another visit
Lakes, New Jersey. Although Terhune’s from the spirit world, Terhune thought better
favorite dogs were collies, he did have one than to attempt to explain the situation to a
crossbreed named Rex, who was completely conventional man of the cloth.
devoted to the writer. Terhune said that even the other dogs
Rex was a large dog with a vicious-looking were able to sense the presence of old Rex.
scar across his forehead which made him One of the collies that had always been care-
appear much more ferocious than he really was. ful to keep his distance from the big scar-faced
And though he felt it his duty to bark at every crossbreed continued to skirt very carefully
guest who walked across the threshold, Rex around the rug where Rex had always sat wait-
would contentedly curl up at Terhune’s feet as ing for his master to sit down to write.

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