The Portland daily press., 1866-01-22
STORY OF OUR DOGS.
By John Brown.


Peter died very young,-very quick and
soon that bright thing came to confusion
He died OF excess of life: his vivacity slew him.
Piucky and silent under punishment, or any
pain from without, pain from within, in his
own precious, brisk, enjoying body, was an
insuferable offence, affront and mystery AN
astonishment not to be borne,-he disdained
to. live under such conditions. One day he
came in bowling with pain. There was no In
jury, no visible cause, but he was wildly i'll,
and in his eyes the end of all things had come.
He nut so many questions to us at each pane
-vIkt is this? what the-can it e?-did
you ever Pas each paroxysm doubled him up,
he gave sharp cry, more of rage and utter ex-
aspe4ation than of suffering; he got up to run
away from iD--why should he die2 Why
should he be shut up in darkness and obstruc-
ton at that hour OF his opening morn,-his
sweet hour OF prime? And SO raging, and ut
terly put out, the honest, dear little fellow
went of in an ecstacy Of fury at death, at It's
absurdity in his case.
We never could explain his death it was
not poison or injury; he actually expired
when careering round the green at full speed,
as if to outrun his enemy, or shake him off,
We have not yet got over his loss, and all the
possibilities that lie buried in his grave, in the
the ruddy-cheeked, fat, and cordial coachman,
(wno of old. In the grand old reform days, used
to drive his master, Mr.. Speaker Abercromby,
down to the blouse" with much stateliness
and bouquet and dug it for him,--that park
In which Peter had often disported himself,
ductef1ng the cocks and hens, and putting to
fight the squadron of Gleneagles wedders.
go DICK.
He too Is dead--he who, never having been
born we had hoped never would die; not that
he did, like Rab, "exatly" die; he was slain.--l
He was fourteen, and getting deaf and bind,
aud a big bully of a retriever fell on him one
Sunday morning when the bells were ringing.
Dick, who always fought at any odds, gave
battle; a Sabbatarian cab turned the corner,
the big dog fed and Dick was run over-there
in his own street, as all his many friends were
going to church. His back was broken, and
he died on Monday night with us all about
him; dear for his own sake, dearer for anoth-
er's, whose name-sine qua noh-is now more
than ever true, now that she is gone. i was
greatly pleased when DR.. Getting of Roxbury,
came in yesterday and introduced himself to
me by asking, "Where is Dick ?' To think of
our Dick being known in Massachusetts,.
BOB. 81
FPeter was the incarnation of yivacity.
Bob Was that OF energy. He should have
been called Thalaba the destroyer. He rejoic-
ed in acknowledgements from ill temper, but
from the sheer delight OF energizing. When I
first knew him he was at Blinkbonny TOLL
The tollman and his wife were old and the
house lonely, and Bob was too terrific for
any burglar. he was tall and heavy as a fox
hound, butin every other respect a pure old
fashioned, why, short-haIred Scotch terrier
red DIS Rob Roys beard Having indeed other
qualities OF Robs than his hair.-choleric, un-
scrupulvus, afectionate, staunch, mot in the
least magnanimous,-asr ready to-worry lit
tie dog as big one. - 70 "a
Fighting was his .chief end" and he omit
ted no opportunity of accomplishing his end.
Rab liked fighting for its own sake, too, but
scorned to fight anything under his own
weight; indeed, was long suffering to public
meanaess with quarelsome lesser dogs Bob
had no such weakness. After much difficulty
and change ofmasters, bought him, / am
ashamed to say for five pounds, and brought
him home. He had been chained for months.
was in high health and spirits, and the surplus
power and activity of this great creature, as he
dragged me and my son along the road, giving
battle to every dog he met, was somewhat APP
palling. = $50. EsCR
very soon found I could not keep him. He
worried the pet dogs all around, and got me
into trouble. So gave him as night watch.
man TO goldsmith in Princess street. This
work he did famously. I once in passing at
midnight stopped at the shop and peered
in at the little slip of glass, and by the gas
light saw where he lay. made noise and
out came he with roar and bang as of
sledse hammer. / then called his name. and
In an instant all was still except quick tap
ping within that intimated the waeging of the
tail. He is still there,-has settled down into
a reputable, pacific citizen.-a good deal ow-
in IN (lioarS 4 -.l
sundry of his teeth. As he lies in the sun be- |
fore the shop door he looks somewhat like the
old Fighting Temeraire. ~ Is $500 orr
j new r saw a dog of the same breed: he is
sort of rough cob of a dog-a huge quantity
of terrier in one skin; for he has all the fun
and briskness and railings and ways OF small
dog, begging and hopping as only it does
Once hisimaster took him to North Berwick.
His first day he spent in careering about the
sands and rocks and in the sea, for he is no.
bic swimmer. His next he devoted to worry-
ing all the dogs of the town, beginning, for
convenience, with the biggest. This aroused
the citizens, and their fury was brought to a
focus on the third day by its being renorted
that he had torn a child's ear off.
or torn and actually eaten it. Up rose the
town as one man, and the women each AZ twn
and, headed by Matthew Cathie, the one-eved
and excellent shoemaker, with tall, raw diyin-
lty student, kslock-kneed and six feet two. |
who was his ledger, and was of course callad
young Dominic Sampson, they bore down mn
on Bob and his master, who were walkipc
calmly on the shore. e
Bob was for making stand, after the man.
ner Of Coriolanus, and banishing by instant
assault the common cry of ours - but hi. |
master saw sundry guns and pistols. not tn
speak of an old harpoon, and took to his heels
as the only way OF getting Bob to take to his.
Aurifex, with much nous, made for the police
station, and, with the assistance of the consta-
Bile and hall crown, got Thalaba locked IN
tor the night, safe and sulky. Next morning.
Sunday, when Cathie and his student Law nm
ca ily asleep, dreaming of vengeance, and the
early dawn was beautiful upon the Bass, with
its snowy cloud OF sea-birds "broeding on the
char led waye," Bob was hurried up 10 the
station, locked into horse-box,-him never
shall that ancient burgh forget or see.
have notion that dogs have humor, and
are preceptive of a joke. In the North shep-
ard, having sold his sheep at market, was
asked by the buyer to lend him his dog to take
them home. Spy a. manner o, means take
Birkie, and when yer dune VII him inst NAV
so" (making a movement with his arml aand
he'll be hame In a ji6y." Birkie was 90 clevar
and useful and gay that the borrower coveted
him; and on getting to his farm shut him nm
intending to keep him. Blrkie escaped dnrnpn,
the night, and took the entire hirsel IfoclS