The Davenport daily gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1869, 1856-08-14
THE DAILY GAZETTE.
From the New York Independent.
THE DOG NOBLE AND THE EMPTY
HOLE.
Hy HENRY WARD BgEcHEg.

81 6l4zl 4
4 gy HENRY WARD BgECHER.
The first summer which we spent in
Lenox, we had along very intelligent
dog named Noble. He was learned
in many things, and by his
doglore excited the undying admi.
ration Of the children. But there are
some things which Noble could never
learn. Having on one occasion seen
a red squirrel run into hole in stone
| wall, lie could not be persuaded that
he was not there forevermore.
4 Several red squirrels lived close to
the house and became familiar but not
tame. They kept up a regular romp
with Noble. They would come down
from the maple trees with provoking
GOODNESS; they would run along the
fence almost within reach; they would
cock their tails and sail across the road
to the barn; and yet there was such
well timed calculation under this ap-
parent rashness, that Noble invariably
arrived at the critical spot just as the
squirrel left it.
On one occasion, Noble was soclose
upon his red backed friend, that, IN
able to get up the maple tree, he dodg
ed into a hole in the wall, ran through
the chinks, emerged little distance,
and Sprang intotiie free. Theintense
enthusiasm Of the dog at that hole,
can hardly be described He filled ii
fifl ofbarking. lcpawed and scratch
cd az il undermining q bastion.
Standing off a ittledistance. he would
pierce the hole with gaze rs intense
and fixed as ifhe were trying magnet
ism Oh it. Then, with tail extended,
AMI every hair thereon electrified, he
wonld rush at the empty hole with q
prodigious onslaught. cazl
This imaginary squirrel haunted
Iotae night and day. The verysquir-
rel himself would run up before his
face into the tree, and, crouched in
crotch, would sit silently Watching the
| whole process of bombarding the
empty hole, with great sobriety and
relish. But Noble would allow Of no
doubts. His conviction that the hole
had squirrel in, contiauei mistaken
for six weeks. When all other occu-
pations failed, this hole remained to
him. When there were no more chick
ems TO harry, no pigs to bite, no cattle
to chase, no children TO romp WITH,
noexpeditions tomake withthe grown
folks. and when he had slept all that
his dog skin would hold. he would
walk ont of the yard, yawn andstretch
himself, and then look wistfnlly at the
hole, as if thinking to himself, "Well.
as there is nothing else to do, may
as well try that hole again. ss sHri
We had almost forgotten this little
trait, until the conduct OF the New
York Express, in respect to Col. Ere
nont's religion, brought it ludicrous-'
| ly to mind again. Col. Fremont is,
and always has been, as sound Pro-
testant as John Knox ever was. He
was bred in the Protestant faith. and
has never changed. He is nnacquain.y
ed with the doctrines and ceremonies
Of the Catholic Church, and has never
attended the services of that church,
with two or three exceptions, when
curiosity, or some other extrinsic rca
son, led him rs a witness. We do not
state this upon vague belief. We
know what we say. We say it upon
our OWE personal honor and proper
knowledge. Col. Fremont never was
and..is not now, a Roman Catholic
He has never been wont to attend that
church. Nor has he in any way, di-
reetly or indirectly, given occasion for
this report. 5t
1t is a gratuitous falsehood, utter,
barren, absolute and unqualified. The
story has been got up for political ef-
feet. Iii still circulated for that rea.
son, and like otheripolitical1ies, itsisa
sheer, INSCRIPTIONS falsehood from q
top to bottom, from the core to the
skin, and from the skin cack to the Z
core again. In all its parts, pulp,
tegument, rind, cell and seed, it isa
thorough and total untruth, and they Z
who spread it bear false witness.
And as to all the stories oftLe Fulmer,
etc. as to supposed conversations with
Fremont, in which he defended the
mass, and what not, they are pure fic-
tions They never happened. The
authors Of them are slandsrers; the
men to believe them are dnpes; the
men who spread them become endors.
ers of wiliul and corrupt libelers.
But the Express, Ike Noble, has
opened on this hole in the wall, and
can never be done barking att Day
after day it resorts TO this empty hole.
When every thing else fails, this re
course remains. They are, indefatiga
bic the Express and NoJte--a church
withent Fremont. and a hole with
ont a squirrel in it! ioset
i'm some respects, however, the dog
had the advantage. Sometimes we ;
thought that he really believed that
there was squirrel there. But at
other times he apparently had an ink
ling of the righteousness of his con-
duct, for he would drop his tail and
walk towards us with his tongue ont
and his eyes ! little aslant, seemingto
say, my dear sir, you don't under
stand dogs feelings, ! should OF
course much prefer a squirrel, bat if 1
can't have that, an empty hole is bet.
ter than nothing. ! imagine how l
would catch him if he aoas there
Besides, people who. pass by do not
know the facts. They think that I
have got something. 1t is needful to
keep up my reputation for sagacity.--
Besides, to tell the truth, | have look
ed into that hole so long, that l have
half persuaded myself that there is a
squirrel there, or viii be, i'll keep on"
Well, every dog must have his day,
and every dog must have his way
No doubt if we were to bring back
NsWe now, after two summers alb.
sence, lie would make straight for that
hole in the wall with just as much
| zeal as ever.
We mover read the E'rDyess now-a