The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1859-02-05
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FoUR-AND-TIllRTY years ago Bob
Ains!ie and | were coming up lnfrmary
street from the High School, our heads
together, and our arms intertwistcd, as
only lovers and boys know how, or why.
When we got to the top of the street,
and turned north, we cSpicd crowd at.
the Iron Church. "a dog fight ~
shouted Bob, and was off and so was |,
both of US all but praying that it might
not be over before we got up and is
not this boy-nature ! and human nature,
too and don't we all wish a house on
fire not to be out before we see it =
Dogs like fighting; old Isaac says they
delight =" i'll it, and for the best of all
reasons and boys are not cruel because
they like to see the fight. They see
three Of the great cardinal virtues of dog
or man-courage, endurance and skill
in intense action. This is very different
from love of making dogs fight, and
enjoying, and aggravating, and making
gain by their pluck. A boy-bc he ever
so fond himself of fighting, if he be a
good boy, hates and dcspises all this,
but he would have run off with Bob and
me fast enough it is a natural, and not
a wicked interest, that all boys and men
have in witnessing intense energy in
action.
Docs any curious and fncly-ignorant
woman wish to know how Bob's eye at a
glance announced dog fight to his
brain 2 lie did not, he could not see
the dogs fighting; it was flash of an
inference, rapid induction. The crowd
round couple of dogs fighting, is a
crowd, masculine mainly, with an occa-
sional active, compassionate woman, fut-
tcrng wildly round the outside, and
using her tongue and her hands freely
upon the men, as so many i" brutcs - it
is crowd annular, compact and mobile !;
crowd centripetal, having its eyes and
its heads all bent downward and inward
to one common focus.
Well, Bob and | are up, and find it is
not over: a small, thoroughbred, white
bull-terrier, is busy throttling a large
shepherds dog, unaccustomed to war,
but not to be trihed with. They are
hard at it; the scientific little fellow
doing his work in great style, his pastoral
enemy fighting wildly, but with the
sharpest of teeth and great courage
Science and breeding, however, soon
took their own; the Game Chicken, as
the premature Bob called him, working
his way up, took his final grip of poor
Yarrow's throat-and he lay gasping
and done for. His master, brown,
handsome, big young shepherd from
Tweedsmuir, would have liked to have
knocked down any man, " drunk up
Esil, or eaten crocodile" for that part,
if he had chance it was no use kick
ing the little dog; that would only make
him hold the closer. Many were the
means shouted out in mouthfuls, of the
best possible ways offending it. 'Watern.
but there was none near, and many
shouted for it who might have got it
from the well at Blackfriars Wynd.-
4" Bite the tail ~ and a large, vague,
benevolent, mddle-aged man, more anx-
ious than wise, with some struggle got
the bushy end of Yarrow's tail into his
ample mouth, and bit it with all his
might. This was more than enough for
the much-enduring, much perspirine
shepherd, who, with q CLEAN of joy over
his broad visage, delivered terrific
tacer upon our large, vague, benevolent,
mlddle-aged friend, who went down like
shot.
Still the Chicken holds death not far
off. "Snuff a pinch of snuff" OBJ
served sharply a calm, highly dressed
young buck, with an eye-glass in bis
hand. Snuff, indeed !" growled the
angry crowd, affronted and glaring.-