The Little White Dog

There was an old woman who had no family still living. Her only friend was a little white dog who went everywhere with her - with one exception. The dog loved the fairplace at winter, and after the old woman went to bed he would sometimes go and lie at the warm coals. Usually tought, the dog slept at the very edge of the bed on a throw rug. If the old woman became frightened or had a nightmare, she would put her hand down to the little dog and he would lick it.
One night the woman was reading her newspaper just before going to sleep. She shivered and pulled the comforter up around her as she read that a mental patient had wandered off from a nearby hospital. No one knew if th patient was dangerous or not; he was a suspect in the murders of several women who had lived alone.
The women turned turned off the lights and tried to sleep, but she was scared, and tossed and turned fitfully. Finally, she reached down to where little white dog slept. Sure enough, a warm, wet tounge began to lick her hand. The women felt safe, and left her hand dangling off the bed as she turned and settle in comfortably. She opended her eyes for a moment and looked trough the open door into the living room.
There infront of the fireplace, was her little white dog, gazing at the coals and wagging his tail.
Down beside the bed, there was still something licking her hand....