SOME DOGS. 



When 1 was a small boy I lived with 

 my parents in my grandfather's home. 

 Here was grandfather's large dog Rouse. 

 He was the constant companion of my 

 uncle in his work on the farm. His 

 great desire was to carry something in 

 his mouth when the team started for 

 the field. He was often given a single- 

 tree, with which he marched along, show- 

 ing evident satisfaction. One day he 

 concluded to cut across a field instead of 

 g-oing around the road. The fence was 

 a high rail one and, burdened with the 

 weight of the heavy singletree, he could 

 not jump over. After several vain at- 

 tempts he dropped his load, stood look- 

 ing up and down the road. Then look- 

 ing at the singletree for a moment picked 

 it up and put it through between the 

 rails. He then jumped over the fence, 

 gathered up the singletree and trotted 

 on. ' • 



One thing he absolutely refused to 

 carry was an iron wedge unless it was 

 put in a basket. On one occasion this 

 same uncle lost the lash of the whip he 

 was using in driving a yoke of oxen. 

 He had another at the house, but it was 

 nearly a mile distant. He wrote his 

 want on a slip of paper and giving it to 

 Rouse said, 'Take this to mother." He 

 was soon scratching at the kitchen door. 

 When the door was opened he dropped 

 the note on the floor, was given the whip 

 lash and hurried away to the field. 



A certain dog belonged to a doctor. 

 He often trotted along under the buggy 

 when the doctor went to call on his pa- 

 tients. On one occasion the doctor rode 

 horseback and hurriedly threw the bridle 

 rein over a hitching post where the visit 

 was made. The horse threw up his head, 

 the bridle rein was freed from the post 

 and the horse started down the road. 

 The dog saw the move and started after 

 him. After some little difficulty he 

 caught the daneling rein, brought the 

 horse back to the post and held him 

 there until the doctor came out. 



On another occasion a horse was tied 

 to a post of the porch at the doctor's 

 house. He got restless and was soon 

 standing with fore feet on the porch. 

 The dog saw it and, catching him by 

 the tail, pulled until he backed down 

 and stood on the ground. 



There is a big shepherd dog not far 

 from where I live that watches for the 

 evening train. As soon as it appears 

 he runs to a certain place beside the 

 track, where the mail clerk throws him 

 a bundle of papers. He never fails to 

 be at his post or on the way. 



A dog who was utilized to run a dog 

 power churn at last grew tired and re- 

 sorted to various schemes to get out of 

 the work. Just after the churn had been 

 made ready one day the lady heard the 

 vigorous bawling of a calf and looking 

 out she saw the dog trying hard to get 

 a calf into position to do the churning. 

 After this it was necessary to tie his dog- 

 ship the night before if he was to be 

 used next day. 



An Iowa dog who had suffered much 

 from firecrackers on the Fourth always 

 disappeared, soon after midnight of the 

 third at the first shot of an anvil or can- 

 non cracker. He spent the day in the 

 country far from town and never re- 

 turned until the noise had ceased. 



A friend who was a photographer had 

 a large Newfoundland dog who had a 

 great deal of curiosity about his make- 

 up, as well as much sense. His face was 

 always the first to appear at the village 

 postoffice window when the mail was 

 opened. The master was an oldtime 

 photographer when stronger water am- 

 monia was much used in the preparation 

 of paper. There was an assistant in the 

 gallery who liked to tease the dog and 

 knowing the trait of desiring to investi- 

 gate every box or bottle that was opened, 

 played many tricks on him, but none 

 of them seemed to cure him or to lessen 

 this desire until he got a good full whifiF 

 of stronger ammonia, which laid him 



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