Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1872-07-26
A Dog Story.

THE writer once owned dog He was
a spurious pointer which a wicked wag
palmed off upon us as full-blooded and
well-bred descendant of a well known
hunter, noted for his intelligence and his
discriminating nose. | called him Ponte
in his puppyhood, but, as he grew Older,
and the fraud developed, l changed his
name to Knave. He was a good hunter
for sheep-but his nose could not be de-
pended ON for feathered game. He would
come to dead point on a grasshopper,
and run headlong over covey of quail
the next moment Knave's best hold,
however was in the circus line. He had
a very extensive circle of low-bred ac-
quaintances, and was ring master of
canine hiPpodrome, which met every
night in the flower garden. Knave had
been having deal of fun at my expense,
so one day | concluded to have little at
his. Itook him out about half mile
away from home, tied an oyster-can to
his tail, gave him stimulating kick, and
turned him adrift. | never suspected
the speed there was in that dog. He looked
like awhile and liver colored comet whiz-
zing through space. | have observed that
nothing encourages n dog so much, or
tends more to the development of his
speed, than to make him a medium for
the rapid transit of tinware between given
points. Knave having yielded such
splendid sport, | tried him again and
again, until he began to take an interest
in the proceedings. He would bark, and
stand quietly while the oyster can was be
ing attached to his thick, plebeian tail,
and then at word he would start at his
highest speed as if shot from a cannon.
His affectation of fright was the best
I
seized upon opportunities of adding to the
sensational features of the display. His
favorite run of Saturday afternoon was
around the circular track surrounding the
courthouse grounds, to which from one
to two hundred rural horses were gener-
ally hitched, all of which would take
fright, break their halters and start for
home at lively canter. That noble dog
also delighted in scudding down a side
walk crowded with people, upsetting the
men by running between their legs, and
frightening the women into convulsions.
Once he grew impatient at the long de-
lay in lashing his freight to his tail, and
started prematurely, running a hundred
yards at a slapping pace before he discov-
cred that he was dying light. He sneaked
back, looking sheepishly apologize, back
ed up again, and waited until a bunch of
tin clippings was securely fastened. By
and-by these dog races became an old
thing with us boys, but the appetite grew
upon Knave, until he didn't feel in good
health if he missed his diurnal "spurt."
Then he got to collecting all the tinwaFe
he found lying around loose, and storing
it up for future use. If, by chance, we
forgot to exercise him, he would go to
his tin pile, select promising oyster-can,
or section of stove.pipe, carry it in
his mouth to one of his biped
friends, and beg piteously to have it
tied on. Knave's enthusiasm for the turf
finally led him on to his death. As he
grew older his taste grew more fastidious.
He came to prefer new tinware to that
which was tarnished by atmospheric OK
idation, and, having little respect fer
either moral or statute laws, he stole
abundantly from the village shop, FL
nally, an apprentice detected him in the
act of getting off with a string of pint
cups fresh from the mint, and gave him a
fatal clip with the hammer, which caused
him to yield up his frisky ghost. We
buried him on the hill with htc jdcet
head-board, bearing an inscription to the
effect that we could have better spared a
better dog,
If any one doubts the truth of this
story, can show him the place where
Knave is buried.-& Louis Democrat.