, 1860-05-03
TEE DOG DETECTIVE.


Starke the richest man in It. Now have said
Woodcastle was tOpR, but do not imagine row
Of cottages fronting the only street, q rickety,
tumble-down tavern, q blacksmith shop, and
forty cur dogs. No; it was Q busting, active
place, where brisk business was pushed. many
stores were thriving, and two good-siEed actories
three miles back, were running with profit to
their owners, and to the satisfaction Of their num-
erous hands. f aN9
But am forgetting William Starke He was
Q leather dealer, and supplied the whole country
for miles with the article. He had two branch
stores at Ryeslope, forty miles back from Wood
castle, and was interested in large tannery at
the former place, to which village he made fire.
quent journeys, in attending to his large and
growing business His family consisted Of his
wife, thrifty woman Of forty, who had aided
him greatly by her industry and frugality in
amassing his handsome property, and an only
son, now about twenty.three years Of age, who
assisted his father in his business and took charge
Of the whole concern when he was absent at Rye
slope at the "tannery;" and not n smarter nor
handsOmer lad than George StaTke was there
at WOodcastle. ...s. .sa1
One day William Starke drove around to the front
Of the large store and, calling out bis son, said
George, come a.nigh forgetting Ryes'ope 10.
day. Thee knows 'tis seventeenth o. December
30, yes" was Georges reply. What the
Manchester folks were send thee over for G kip
and raw hides" - .v1
"Surely- the same. will go and fetch It.
and twill be rough drive for me to reach it by
sun.down. have no time to go back and bid thy
mother good.by, Cor | ntst hasten ava, Send
Spear out till ! ha' him hooked under the wagon"
"Ay, ayl" was Georges answer; and in q
moment the great rough, burly dog was chained
underneath the masters wagon, and after few
parting directions to his son, William Starke gave
his spirited hors the rein and soon ratified through
the village out on to the Ryeslope road.
Il was long drive he had before him, but he
was one Of those hardy men, so totally engrOSsed
with business that he never thought of the drive
or weather, which was intensely disagreeable.
II was a chilly cold December day, drizzlng
rain falling which froze as fast as Il reached the
ground, making the horse slide to and fro in
many places, although he had heavy corks, and
pointed tots TO his shoes, which aided him much
TO 90 Ovvr the s!eyty ground; and so steadily did
the horse travel that Ryeslope was reached Just
as night was setting in, and the lights began TO
dance in the windows Of the neat cottages. Both
horse aud man seemed atigued with the journey,
but when the great dog, Spear, was unclaimed
from under the wagon, he seemed the freshest Of
the party; for although he had painted some, he
rimand him for his actions soiling his great coat
with his dirty paws) and irsked around the stable
yard joyinlly. D, he was q noble dog, was Spear.
Well, on the seventeenth day Of December,
William Starke had received his expected four
hundred and sixty pounds, visited his two stores
aud seen that everything was going on right,
had suggested some improvements in the vals Of
the tannery, ordered some more raw hides sent
of to the Manchester folks. and by noon Of the
day was ready TO start for W0Odeastle again.
He had tied the money he had received all up
in great leathern bag, and placed i under the
seat Of his wagon. which was covered over with
q lid which locked, wrapped his mutiler closer
around his throat, tied Spear again under the ve-
hice, and started out into the snow and slect for
home. When he lelt Ryeslope, it was about an
hour past noon, and he calculated that even were
his horse TO travel his usual gait he could not
reach home before about seven O'Clock that even
ing, about two hours after DARK. When he had
made this calculation, he was about taree miles
from Ryeslope, and had arrived at Q +" Willow
Cross Roads" He knew, II he kept the let
hand road, he could cut through the woods about
ten miles further on, and thereby save slice
Of good Eve miles; and although the track was
narrow through the woods, he determined to try
il to save time, if possible; so the horses head
was turned to the LETT at the Willow Cross"
and although Spear barked under the wagon
long and loudly, and the horse rcbelled against
dis unusual direction, still William Starke per-
sisted and maintained the new road.
1t was furionsiy stormy day, that seventeenth
Of December. The wind howled and whistled
through tile trees like the waillng Of thousands
Of unQuiet spirits The branches Of tue old
trees cracked and snapped and fell across the
path Of William Stafke as be iouTneyed on. But
the iron mahOfnO bus ness only thought Of the
cargo Of hides he had just imported from South
America, and Of his contemplated journey to
Liverpool 70 inspect them; and while the snow
beat in.ulon him, forming a-bed Of Ice upon the
floor Of bis carriage, and his rough coat and boots
and breeches were stiH with The accumulated
sleet and the icicles hung in large numbers upon
his beard, he but thought Of "caliskIns," "kip,"
"harness," "russctt," and eOrdovam" So
they logged on, on, the ground now nearly GOV.
cred with snow, and the man Of business only
aroused TO his surroundings when the horse
broke through gully here aud there which had
been bridged with ice, and the moment his weight
came upon il there was crash, slush, then cry
from the man monentariy aroused, Hoo,
Prince-Hsw Come alongi' aud they logged
on the same as eVer--on towards WoodeGstle.
William StArke perceived they were about to
enter the woods, and he seemed 70 rouse himself
FROM his apathy in order to fnd the proper path
for him 70 travel, which be now discovered to be
work Of some difficulty, for the snow had en-
tirely changed the aspect Of the country, aud
the paths whlch be would have experienced no
difficulty in selecting with the ground clear and
clean, he found himself in much peFplexity now
10 drierinine which was his proper coarse. How
ever, he soon hit upon the road which he believed
the correct one, and proceeded as before.
But now his way was impeded considerably,
Cor his horse was stumbling repeatedly from the
heavy branches lying hidden in the road, and
every ie3 minutes his wagon top would come
In contact with the overhangiug branches, send.
ing tie loose snow in binding eload down upon
horse, wagon and driver. These frequent acci-
dents made Stafke wonder IL be was on the right