Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1852-02-26
The Newfoundland Doc.

One day last summer, took ny
place in a Grayesend steamer, anc
found considerable amusement il
watching the various characters. D.
Two persons in particular attracted
! my nptice-one was middle-aget
gentleman, stout, rather surly, taci
turn, who paid no attentionto any
living being on board, except a huge
Newfoundland dog, that was painting
or lolling out his tongue, roaming
among the passengers, showing then
out Of the way, or frightening chill
dren,by suddenly covering their faces
with one lick of his great tongue, and
convincing nervous ladies that he
was going mad, by the yigor with
which he stuck out his legs while
rolling upon the deck. His master
eyed these pranks with a sly smile,
and seemed q uietly to enjoy the ter
rors occasion ed by the antics of his
burly friend. The other person
whom | specially noticed, was a very
pretty and w4ll-dressed lady. Young
lady she would no doubt have been
called, but that she had with her a
little girl, about seven years old, who
called her mamma. She was evi-
IDENTIFY possessed with nerves; indeed,
she seemed to be possessed by them,
and their name was legion. Endless
we're the petty annoyances in which
they involved her. But her keenest
sut1erings, in the small way, were
caused by the unEieldy games Of
Lion, the Newfoundland dog; and her
incessant and puerfle exclamations
of terror, Indignation and spite,
against theIgood-nat atured brute, kept
up the sly, maliciou S smile, upon the
lips of his apparently unnoticed mas
ter. The little girl, on the contrary
had, to the increas led alarm of the
weak mother, made friends with the
monster, and for a long time amused
herself by throwing bits Of biscuit for
him to catch, which feat, notwith-
standing the incorrectness of her aim,
he managed to accomplish by making
a boisterous plunge to one side or
the other; and when, at last, she
tirhidly offered him a piece out of
her hand, and he acknowledged the
compliment by licking her face and
rubbing his side against her, until
he almost pushed her down, the little
creature fairly screamed with. delight
Her mother screamed too, but in one
of the small hysterieal screams in
which she was fond of indulging, and
which was followed by an=outburst Of
anger at Lions audacity.
"Good gracious!" she exclaimed,
''if that horrid creature should be
mad, he'll have killed my child
How dirty he is to- o! Look at your
pelisse, Adeline; see what a state it is
in! How dare yon play with that
animal?"
The transition from hydrophobia
to soiled dress, was too much for
Lions master, and he burst into a
loud and long laugh.
Il wish, sir, said the lady snap
pishly, "that you " would call away that
nasty dog, instead of setting him to
annoy everybody who is not accus-
toned to have such dirty animals
about them"
The gentleman said nothing, but
bowed and walked forward; and i
soon afte er saw him enjoying cigar,
while Lion played the agreeable, in
his own rough fashion, to people who
knew he ow to read the expression Of
his homes and intelligent physiogno-
my.
Little Adeline, deprived of the at
traction which had fixed herattention
to the inside of the boat, began to
see amusement in watching the foam
inc water as it rushed from the pad
dle-wheels, and danced in long lines
n
behind them. She knelt on a shawl
which a fellow passenger had lent as
a cushio n for her little knees, and
leaned d quietly over the side, watch |
ing the roaring water; SO her mother
was for a time relieved from the
thousand musquito-winged vexations
which had hitherto beset her. |
! We we're within few miles of
Gravesend. The tide was just at
the full, and the broad expanse OF the
riv ver lay around US in all its majesty; !
and to those who have beheld the
Hudson or Mississippi, old Father
Thames is majestic, ay, and If We