The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1863-12-31
A Faithful Dog.
BY UNCLE TOBY.

tensive jewelry establishment in one o
our large cities, and for the better sc
curity of their store against fire, ant
other casualties, they employed one 0
their clerks 10 sleep in it at night. Tn,
idea Of the store being attacked b,
robbers was not for a moment enter
tained, but it was for other objects
such as security from FIRE, and the like
that young Loring, the clerk, slep
there, tor he was not supplied with am
weapons to repel an attack of thieves
But one dark, dreary night, he wa
awakened by singular noise, which
'esemhled that which a party of burg
lars might produce an attempt to ente1
the building, and looking toward tn,
back windows he soon satisfied himself
that one or mere persons were endea
vorlng, as quietly as possible, to effec
an entrance at that quarter. They haG
already removed a part Of the sash and
shutters with their cunningly devised
instruments, and must have been a,
work some time before he was awak
ened.
New young Loring regretted that he
had no weapon, but not through fear
that was not characteristic Of the
young gentleman, but that he NIGH,
pepper the rogues little. At FIRST he
determined TO cry ont and arouse the
watch, but as they had advanced Sc
far before he was awake, he thought he
would drive them off by strategcm
lie slipped on his clothes quietly and
approached the spot where the thieves
were busy; he saw the hand Of one OF
them pass inside Of the shutter, into the
store, in its owners cndcavors to guide
small handsaw, with winch he was
cutting an aperture for his body to
pass through.
Young Loring felt inclined to chop
off the hand with a small hatchet that
lay hard by, but he refrained and be-
thought himself Of powerful prepara
tion of caustic vitriol, and other pene.
tratlng st.ffs. that were used in testing
the purity Of silver and other metals.
One drop of this would eat Instantly
into the flesh, and produce poisonous
sore in ten minutes time. lie cautions
ly dropped little upon the burglars
hand, and awaited the result.
"Bill," at length exclaimed the burg
lar to his comrade. sI've a cursed
burning on the back Of my hand. It..
50 sore | can hardly work the saw.
Phew !! how it smarts ! l guess I've cut
j, with the saw. Hold the dark lantern
here"
"Fudge!'' replied his companion,
"change hands then but don't stop"
"Take the saw yourself then can't
stand this pain -
And while the discomftted burglar
withdrew to groan over the supposed
cut, the other took his place with the
saw, and in a moment after received a
few drops Of the fiery liquid upon the
back of his hand, and was soon groan.
ing with agony.
''Cursc the saw !! it has cut me too T.
groaned the second thief.
And after sundry oaths, mutually cx-
changed until the first and worst attack
of pain was over, they renewed the
attempt to make an entrance.
The clerk permitted them TO go on
awhile uninterrupted, knowing that at
any time he could stop their efforts by
crying out, but he hoped to hear some
watchman passing the front OF the store
upon whom he could call to secure the
rogues, and he resolved to wait for this
until it would do to wait no longer.
But aoon the burglars had so much en-
larged the hole that they would shortly
be able to enter it themselves.
Seeing that he must do something to
stop them, the clerk crept into the dark
closet at one side Of the window, and
uttered low but fierce growl in imita.
ton Of dog. Both Of the rogucs stept
back at this unexpected interruption.
"Hang it, Bill, there's 4 cursed dog
in there. l didn't know that the Hub
berts kept one" said one to the other
"a dog? that's bad. Curse 'cm if
was man, why shot Or dirk stroke
would fix him; but dog is quite
another thing, for if we shoot him Il,
would he sure to half kill one Of MS y
'Bow, WOW, WOW" cried tho clerl