Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-02-20
Our Dog Jerry.

sc"S AAAAA SAOVS PNpuS VA1CO
Ned: Good dog, Jerry! But Liz
Me' lNed's sister, "helped to make
him fetch the sticks"
swell, but" said I, rather amused,
"if you teach him all this, Ned, does
he never teach you anything in re-
turn2"
"He, indeed! Come, now, papa,
what can dog teach me2 And am
very glad, dear old jerry" blending
down and clasping Jerry, who returned
the salute by licking the boys face)
lyon at any rate don't come the
schoOl.master over one it is enough
to have old Goggles" (this was Ned's
dreadfully irreverent name for his mas
ter, who wore spectacles) bothering
ono from morning to nj ght with his
Ky z's and his Greeks, isn'tit9 What
do you think, papa9 old Goggles pos
itively makes us learn half a page OF
irregular Greek verbs every morning
now but We always slip them when
We can."
"Ah, we'll, my dear boy" was my
mild answer, eve have all of us had to
60 through the same hard experience,
l suppose. But as to Jerry, do you
know / think he tries to teach you a
good deal. If you have only the wit to
learn7 Only Jerry is wiser than most
masters he teaches chiefly by exam
ple."
Now this, as I thought it would,
Piqued Ned, whose great failing was to
think himself immensely clever.
Indeed, papa!" he cried, rather
scornfully, "And pray what ia he
teaching me now, as he is jumping
about like that?" For since we had
goi out of the house, Jerry was rum
ming about like mad dog, now bound
ing dozen yards forward, now run.
ming back to us aud leaping up, bark
ing all the time and wagging his tail
till ! though it would come off"
"Oh, can'tyo see, Ned 2" I replied
coolly. cts his way of giving you II
lesson against cruelty to animals"
II don't see it Bit"
"WLy, he is barking ont as loud as
he can. See how delighted am at
getting out of doors-just as you are,
Ned, when you rush out of school !!
You see there is not as much differ
ence as You thought, between you and
me; l, and all other animals can feel
pleasure and pain as keenly Us your.
self; SO remember that, the next time
You pull poor little Ay's wings ''otf. ::
"Well, come, papa, am not cruel
to animals, whatever else I may be, >
protested Ned.
"1don't think You are, Ned, inten
tionally," answered. 'sBy the way,
how is the last of those little bulltinches
Won and Tom Ducie brought home q
few days ago?"
"Oh, it tuabled into pan of boil.
ing water yesterday, papa, so we were
obliged to kill it" said the boy.
"Ah, then, that makes up the six,
does it not9 Let me see; there was
this; and one you said fell out of the
nest: two the cat got; aud two wouldn',
eat, You told me, because you could not
feed them as we'll as the old bird did
So the whole six are disposed of nov.
On, no, Ned; you are not cruel inten.
tionally."
Ned began to see that was pokinp
fun at MIN, SO he did not answer but
walked on sulkily, kicking down the
thisties which happened to be rank
along the lane side. By and by we got
to the river, where Jerry bounded in
after the sticks and stones Ned kept
throwing for him into the water. We
had amused ourselves for sometime
with watching him paving for the
stones or snatching the stick in his
mouth, and after shaking himself when
he got back to land, bringing us the
recovered treasure.
At last Ned, who never sulked for a
long time at once, laughed and cried
out to me "There papa, now what
lesson is Jerry giving me now9 10
fetch sticks out OF of the river, I SUM-
pose but you surely don't want me to
learn to do that Z"
No, Ned, I do not. But Jerrv is
trying you now ON quite q different
tack, because he sees you have already
forgot his last lesson to you about
cruelty to animals"
Well, how am cruel now2"
by not remembering. Ned. that II
Is cold day for him to be SO long in
the water. The sport was very we'll at
first both for us and the dog but You
never noticed that for the last i've
minutes poor Jerry has been shiveriuo
violently with cold every time he came
out OF the water. did notice it. but
thought would see how long Won
would go on" ''
"Ob, papa, did not think Of f.
Poor Jerry!" said Ned, blushing, and
then caressing his dog, who gaIloped
oil hundred yards a moment after.
wards and soon raced himself warm.
$50 you see that Jerry, observing
you did not mind his first lesson, was
trying to give you another of quite q
different kind" went on.
What was that, papas"
Why, think he must have heard
you you when you were talking about Mr..
WILSON," (this was the name by which,
'Old Goggles was known to all the
world except his pupils) "and SAVING
how much you hated learning those
uTeek verbs. So Jerry said to himself
NOW, LII just show Ned practically
what ne ought to do about these verbs
and--'" avs
fast?" '''on'"s
"Not at all. sIT give him. saw,
Jerry, a right good example once 70,
all OF obedience, and cheerful obe,1;
ence, too-to show him he ought to DE-
things he does not like, when he knows
1t is right So Jerry plunged in tim.
after time because you were his mastc,
and told him. And though he hated tn.
business, and it made him as cold anG
miserable as was possible, still he wen!
on as long as you thought proper, and
never ever murmured. But I've ~
doubt he said to himself, as he pavt
himself that last shake, There if Me-
doesn't see what he ought to do abou
those verbs after all this, he is a dulie,
Ned than I take him to be. He Wi
urely never let himself be beaten NV
dog"
We'll, papa, I won't either" sal,
Ned, hanging down his head. {:
promise yon I won't slip there again.
Bravo, Jerry!" I cried, pattinp th
poor dog head. "You will be Ned
best master yet, can see. But hal
loa, what is this? Oh, Jerry, I did no
expect this from you," said minut
afterwards, as Jerry rushed up to
beggar he saw, and began barkin
furiously at him, and swapping at III
heels. "Come away, Jerry, 10 yo
hear? Bad dcg!" and Jerry cam
back, looking very miserable and wit
his tail between his legs, while Ne
began dancing about in glee an