The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1865-12-07

VI Ihos hiuNf, % IVY uSSu w glDe De
two or three hundred yards start, ant
then pass her under way; but aIwayl
! at the fag-end of the race she'd get ex
cited and desperate,liAe, and como ca
yorting and spraddling up, and scat
1 tering her legs aronnd timber, some
times in the air, and sometimes out Il
one sidc amongst the fences, and kick
ing up more dust and raising m o r.,
racket with her coughing and sneeziI
and blowing her nose-and always
fetch up at the stand just about necl
ahead, as near as yon could cypher j
down. ,...f.,. d ... .. .r, ~
And he had a little small bull-pup
that to look at him you'd think b,
warn't worth cent, but to set AROUND
and look ornery, and lay for a chance
to steal something. But as soon ai
money was up on him he was differ
ent dog-his under.jaw' begin tc
stick ont like the for'castle of steam
boat, and his teeth would uncover, and
shine savage like the furnaces. And
q dog might tackle him, and bully-rae
him, and bite him, and throw him over
his shoulder two or three times, and
Andrew Jackson--which was the name
of the pup--Andrew Jackson would
never let on but he was satisfied, and
hadn't expected nothing else the
bets being doubled and doubled on the
other side all the time, till the money
was all up-and then all of sudden
he would grab that other. dog just by
the joint Of his hind legs and freeze to
it, not chaw, you understand, but only
just grip and hang on till they throw
ed up the sponge, ifit was a year.
Smiley always came out winner on
that pup till he harnassed dog or ce
that didn't have no hind legs, because
they'd been. sawed off in circular
saw, and whom the thing had gone a.
long far enough. and the money was
all up, and he came to make snatch
for his pet holt, he saw in q minute
how he'd been imposed on, and how
the other dog had him in the door, so
to speak, and he peared surprised, and
then he looked sorter discouraged like,
and didn't try no more TO win the fight
and SO he got shucked out bad, He
gave Smiley look as much as to say
his heart was broke, and it was his
fault, for pntting up dog that hadn't
no hind legs for him 10 take hold of,
which was his main dependence in a
fight, and then he limped off q piece,
and laid down and died. 1t was q
good pup, was that Andrew jackson,
and would have made a name for him
selfif he'd lived, for the stuff was in
him, and he had genius-I knowit be-
cause he hadn't had no opportunities
to speak of, and it don't stand to rea.
son that dog could make such a fight
as he could under them circumstances,
if he hadn't no talent. 1t always makes
me feel sorry when [ think Of that last
night of his'on, and the way it turned
out. ...'.Hf .,t,. g, .,..... t ..s
Well, thish-yer Smiley had rat-ter-
ricrs and chicken cocks, and tom. cats,
and all them kind of things, till you
couldn't rest, and you couldn't fetch
nothing torihim 10 bet on but he'd
match you. He ketched frog one
day and took him home and said he
cal'lated to educate him; and 80 he
never done nothing for three months
but sit in his back yard and learn that
frog to jump. And you bet you he
did learn him, too. Ho'd give him a
little hunch behind, and the next min
ute you'd see that frog whirling in tho
air like a doughnut--sco him turn one
summerset, CT maybe couple, if he
got good start, and come down fiat,
footed and all right, like a cat He
got him up so in the matter Of lletch-
ing flies, and kept him in practice so
constant, that he'd nail fly every
time so far as lie could see him. Smi-
ley said all a frog wanted was educa-
tion, and he could do most anything
and / believe him. Why, I've seen
him set Dan'l Webster down here on
the foor-Dan'l Webster was the name
of the frog--and sing out. "Flies! Dan'l,
flies, and quickor'n you could wink,
he'd spring straightup, and snake
fly off'n the counter there, and flop
down on the floor again as q COB Of
mud, and fall TO scratching the side of
his head with his hind foot as indiff-
erent az if he hadn't no idea he'd done
any more'n any frog might do. You
never see frog so modest and straight
forard as he was, for all he was SO
gifted. And when il come to fair and
square jumping on dead level, he
could get over moro ground at one
straddle than any animal of his breed
you ever see. Jumping on dead lcv.
el was his strong suit, you understand,
and when it, come to that, Smiley
would ante up money to him as long
as bo had red. Smiley was mon.
strous proud of his frog, and we'll he
might be, for fellers that had travelled
and been everywhercs all said he laid
over any frog that ever they see. IT,
We'll, Smiley kept the beast in q lit
Tie lattice box, ard he used to fetch it
down town sometimes and lay for
bet. One day q feller-a stranger in
the camp, he was--come across him
with his box. and says; L ,5,
What might it be that you've got
in the box2" ,,. n.
And Smiley says, sorter indifferent
like, at might be parrot, or it might
be canary, maybe, but it ain't-lt's
only just o frog" .,,,
And the feller took it, and looked at
it careful, and turned it round this
,.,... -, Il thot n ~ so,-e ,tIIo,, 90 it;s