The Placer herald., 1872-07-20
A KNOWING DOG.

There ID doS III this Guy tnat eau sH'S'
We state the fact unqualidedly, on the testi-
mony Of all the members Of the family Of the
gentleman who owns him. The animal in
question is large mouse colored gray hound
perhaps about six or seven years oil. His
attempts at singing. though they are GER
taimly not very musical, are unmistakeabe;
and they have been observed by the family
for the last two or three years. lie does
not sing alone, but when be hears certain
members Of the family singing. he joins in.
This is more particularly the case with one
lady Of the house, who if she begins 10 sing
when the dog is anywhere about the place,
is pretty sure to have canine accompani-
ment. If she is heard singing upstairs, and
the dog is shut ont below, he will raise
rumpns till he is admit ed to the room where
she is, when he will join in. keeping very
good time, and actual y keeping-so we are
assured-on the same key, rising with the
singer to the higher notes, i'll kind Of
Blended whine and howl, that is yet neither
Ike the voice of dog nor anything else, but
showing something of a musical ear. When
he reaches note too high for L:m, he will
stop and wait fer the cadence to reach the
lower notes again. In his rising notes he
lifts his head as well as his voice. When
his owner enters the room he will suddenly
stop, and not another note can be got out of
him while his master remains. In fact he
dslikes to have anybody present except the
one with whom he sings.
The dog has made it his practice, after the
family have gone upstairs for the evening, OF
getting into the st!ingrOom below and max
ing his bed on the sofa. lie knows this is a
forbidden thing, and seems to do it out Of
what the lIoosiers call "purc cnssedness,"
for he has much more comfortable bed of
his own in the rear of the kitchen His
practice was discovered by the disarranged
condition of the sofa pillow, and the marks
of muddy feet. Coming suddenly down
stairs at late hour, on purpose to see If
they could find him on the sofa, the master
or mistress of the dog have never been able
to catch him in the act The sofa would be
disarranged, and quite warm, where the
animal had laid upon it, but the dog himself
would invariably be found in his own bed,
his eyes shut, and he apparently fast asleep.
lie is only aroused as if from n sound slnm-
Der, and puts on all the stretching attitudes
and sleepy air of a dog newly aroused from
a sound nap. One night, determined to
catch the gentleman in the act, and at the
same time cure him of the trick, the owner of
this intelligent piece of property so fixed a
loaded pistol to a chair that was placed near
the sofa that by pulling string the weapon
could be discharged. Then hiding himself
in the Closet extinguishing the light, and
leaving the door open just far enough to en-
able him to see out, he waited. The room
was not so dark as to prevent him from see
ing all that occurred. After the sounds of
the family retiring, in the rooms above, had
all ceased, the door to the kitchen (Which
was always left unlatched) was slowly and
noselessly pushed open, and in came the dog.
He stopped and listened, long and attentvey.
Then he went to the parlor door and eau
tiousy looked into the parlor. Then turning
back. he stopped in the sitting room and
hearkened once more Hearing nothing he
suddenly dropped all his guarded and sneak
ing manner, and bounded boldly upon the
sofa, paved the pillow down to the spot
where he wanted it, and settled himself down
solidly and comfortably for the night, AT
this juncture the string was pulled from the
dogs head The frightened animal made
one leap, such a jump as grayhounds alone
can make, and landed at one bound in the
middle Of the parlor. There he stopped. and
stood with eager gaze aud pointed ears, look
ing back at the sofa in the sitting-r ON
Then his owner came out-and that dogs
demeanor underwent change. lie dropped
bis head, ears and tail, with an air that fairly
a,,I
sneaked off to his own bed.
Nor did he again 90 near that sofa for
many weeks. Gradually, however, he began
to resume his old tricks, and one night his
owner, curious to see how the dog always
managed to get away so quick whenever
anyone came down stairs, hid himself again
in the closet, having first arranged with one
of the family to start quietly down stairs af-
ter the house h d become still, so that he
could see If the dog heard him. The dog,
after waiting long to assure himself that the
family had gone TO bed, came in. In the
middle of the floor he stopped and listened.
In accordance with the arrangement, some of
the folks walked across the floor. The dog
dog did not move. The instant, however,
that the person upstairs took hold Of and
turned the knob of the upstairs door (ndi-
eating purpose to come down stairs) the
dog darted back to his own place. Hastily
procuring light his owner, whose presence
he had not suspected, followed him-and 10!
there lay the dog in his own bed, with his
ewes shut, pretending to be fast asleep
Hartford Times.
BRIDAL fans, containing the different terms
of endearment used by the husband during