Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1868-09-01
A Couple of Dog Stones.

about to narrate, says AH The Year Round.
was so graphically and simply told rs short
time ago by the owner of the dog, y Bavarian-
gentleman resident in England, that, with
hiskind permission, we give it to the public
| We had been speaking Of the wonderful
manner in which instinct in all animals ap-
pears to develop from constant and intimate
association with man, and had mentioned
case of dog belonging to a friend of the
gallant General Sir George Napier, who has
been taught by his master to refuse oil food
presented to him with the left hand
On one occasion, when Sir George Napier
| (who had lost his right arm at the storming
of Ciudad Rodrigo dipsd at his friends
house, the guests were amusing themselves
by tempting this well bred dog to lower his
high standing of etiquette. All in vain
Not one of seven gentlemen present could
tempt him 10 accept any dainty, however
savory, from the left hand, though he eagerly
ate food presented with the right hand On
Sir George Napier's offering food with his
left aud only hand, however, the dog glanced
at the Generals empty sleeve, and without
further hesitation accepted the gift. The
experiment was tried again and again, but the
animals discrimination was never at fault
Now comes the Bavarian gentleman's
anecdote On Wednesday. the 9th of
June, 1866, Mr.. Otto Striendinger, gentle-
man connected with the Royal Victoria Hos
pital at Nctley, went with two friends to a
croquet party at Westend, about FIVE miles
from Netley. He was accompanied, as.usual,
by his favorite dog Worry-a magnificent
black retriever. The weather being extremely
hot, the croquet did not begin before four
o'clock, and was followed by supper; so that
it was ten o'clock before the party broke up.
The three gentlemen then walked back to
Netley in the dusk. The footpath by which
they returned led through private park, and
across common overgrown with heather.
When about mile from Netley the walkers
passed reservoir which supplies the hospital
with water. The night being hot and close,
Mr.. Striediager wished to give his dog swim.
He whistled again and again, but no Worry
came so he made up his mind that the dog
had been hunting for his own private amuse-
ment and had lost his track, as there was very
little scent on the ground, Worry's master
did not trouble himself about his whereabouts,
as he bad been for years very Independent
dog, quite up to taking care of himself, and
would doubtless find his way home.
Mr.. Striedinger arrived at the hospital, and
vas preparing to go to bed, when he remem-
bered that he had to answer two letters which
he had received by that afternoons post just
as he was starting with his friends for Vest
end. These letters were of great Importance,
and when Mr.. Striedinger had looked for
them without success, he felt extremely un-
comfortable He instituted search all over
his rooms, turned his writing desk topsy
turvey, looked through his desk, but all in
vain. He then took light and had hunt
in every nook and corner of his office, but
came back empty handed. Thoroughly tired
and discomposed, he went to bed Unable
to sleep, he got up in the middle of the night
and made another aud equally fruitless search.
At last the morning sun began to light up
the rooms, which was a signal for fresh inves-
tigatioD, with the same result. Then, and
not before the idea struck him that the letters,
having been delivered as he was starting for
the croquet party, he must have put them in
his coat pocket; but when he thrust his hand
into the pocket and drew it back empty, he
felt convinced that the letters were lost be-
yoned all chance of recovery. Hoping against
hope, however, he resolved to make one more
effort.
He rushed off, unshaven and unkempt, to
retrace bis steps of the previous day, looking
right and left, turning over every scrap Of
paper he saw lying on the road, stopping
wherever he reeollected that be and his
companions had stopped the day before,
mistakipg every object that vas conspiclously
light in the distance for the papers, and grow
ing more and more despairing every minute.
After walking on for about three miles he
espied black object lying close to the foot
path. Itwas Worry's black head. Reproach.
ing himself for having in his great uneasiness
forgotten his favorite, he whistled to Worry,
who, however, instead of showing his usual
alacrity, remained lying motionless on the
ground. His owner supposed him to be
caught in one of the snarcs with which he
knew the common to be thickly studded but,
on his approaching Worry, up jumped the
dog, leaving exposed to Mr.. Striedinger's
delighted view, the missing letters, together
with number of other loose papers. There
had been veEy heavy dew that night, and
Worry's curly coat was wet as if he had had
an hours swim in the neighboring reservoir
but the papers were as dry, hot and crisp as
a breakfast roll out of bakers oven.
There were marks of teeth on one or two
of them, shoging either that before having
had recourse to his subsequent and successful
expedient for preserving his masters property,
Worry had endeavored to collect and carry
the scattered manuscripts, or, which is more
probable, that he had-inding them too
numerous to allow of bis acting on his retriev-
ing instincts-brought all the outlying letters
within reach of the shelter of his outstretched
body 1t was now eight o clock. This devoted
dog had been on guard over these papers for
sixteen hours, ever since the friends went to
Westend, at about four oclock on Wednesday
afternoon.
1t'must have been then, and not on the
return to Netley, that Mr.. StriediDger dropped
his letters. For they fell out of breast
pocket of the coat, which he hung over his
arm when walking in the sultry heat of the
afternoon but which he wore on his Ray home
at night, when it would be impossible for the
contents of the pockets SO to escape The
gentlemen, in returning, must have made
some slight deviation from the path by which
they had gone, and in this manner must have
missed the sentinel Wo-ry