The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1864-05-14
VOL. XXlY-.-NO. 80.
Short atervor Raj


The rat dog question is one Of absorb.
ing interest with thos. of our readers Who
happen to be tho propretors Of those ins
ngnIheant little 'purps' known n rat
terriers. This species of the canine il
cultivated with good deal Of Interest by
quite q number of our most enterprisine
and public spirited citizens A CORES.
Pondent OF enc of our exchanges gives in
MS experience with one Of these famous
lat dogs a. follows He bought one 1T .
lali hSure. took him home, and then had
some olihculty In procuring q ra, upun
which 70 operate. there being nothing OF
the sort about his premises, lie SAYS
However, the mex. day ! was 70 fsrtu.
nate as to secure from q boy IN the mar.
ket nm" old line bab-tail rat, whose fur
sase essss ssss f. s q ecroans' .pclt Sc is
Nip. Took the rat home, called my dog
and told my wife if she wanted to see the
way that terriers did rate, to come down
III the basement, She came down and
shut the door. just in time. too; for as
soon as Mp saw the rat, he, Nip my rat.
ter, for which | paid the old gent Eve
collars, made most nninistakable and
cowaraIy movement towards the hall
Wife, on q chair, said the dog did not ap.
pear TO see the rat
Io!d wife TO keep her breath Thought
would not give Nip any rsa.os for not
seeing the rat again, so tied the string
that held the rat to the dogs hind leg
he saw the rat that time. aad Jumped on
the chair by wife Wife laughed and
showed him eff Tried the stove next
dot OIL the stove without being showed
The rat however, being an old stscsr, and
net being used to such treatment made a
demon ttation on Nip's rear, and don't
believe Little Flora Temple ever made bet
ter tinal In the same linaits than dog and
rat did around the room.
rirst heat, dog had the lead, closely fol-
lowed by rat who, Oh striking the half
mile pole. foot stool in the corner), broke
badly, Ia fact Eearly broke his back, and
before he could be brought down, Che was
sliding on his back } dog led him by whole
length OF the string. Didn't stop for usd,
but started of on the second heat Go.
Oft well together ftied) and went f.aIly
around neck and tail, until they reached
the jud se.s stand, wife standing on chair)
against which the dog brought up solid,
bringing the judge down in a style pre-.
eniineniiy sudden, if not djgnifed. Tha.
heat was decided against dog, you may
bet, and 1t was only after much persuasion
that the Judge would again take her stand.
The thira heat may be aptly termed 4
dead beat. They got oT as well apart as
the dog conveniently could, and sailed
lively until just as they struck the last
quarter, when the rat, which ran about a.
well on his back as on his legs, SHE'D the
track, and got rather queeriy wound
around the table leg. Dog KEEP, en- as fss.
as the string ana length of his hind leg
would let him. On raising the rat he was
found noncompo,, totally defunct, in fact,
dead Mp Nas much better Of.
Wife said that hot dog couldn't kill
,,ice Tod her that he hsd certainly
killed that rat; hut 90 viewing the feat
in scientlfc light ! must confess that
did not feel quite Satisfied with the per-
fS'' t-s.usrs of .IIJ per. aua .ue IexI IGoih~
in 2 gave him away to q mllkman, who
wanted ratter to free his stable from, the
deprsda atisns Of the vernin. | hsve not
been able TO ascerteia which left him 6rss
the rats or the dog