Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-07-10
The MRrinerA Dog.

1t does not make any difference whethsl
| your name is Keyser or not, if you want to
buy dog, there is one for sale cheap on {
canalboat now Drawing the pillows some
where east of Frankfort. The captain Of
the boat is an OswegO man, and it is but
one short week since be spliced his main.
brace and let out the reefs in his driver,
and got three sheets in the wind, and made
all necessary preparations for q
prosperous voyage. Ills wife sung,
"Write me Letter, Love-" in
the cabin; his children played on deck; his
steeds aired their frames on the toW-pate,
his hand was on the rUdder, and his mate
was Just recovering from bis farewell attack
of delirlum tremens IN the forward cabin.
The captain gazed proudly around him, and
could think of nothing necessary to COM
plete bis happiness; but his wife, wiser than
he, thought they needed dog-a nice New
foundlsnd-to play with the children, fish
Them out when they fell into the canal, and
watch the deck hands when the captain was
off after groceries.
Coming through west Utica Saturday,
the captain bought a nice Newfoundland
dog. He got him at bargain; in fact, he
got him for nothing, 80 to speak, because
the man who owned the dog was not
around at the time the bargain was made.
The captain had the dog, but still he was
not happy. The dog had way of barking
a. passing crafts, and so drew upon his cap
tain's boat frequent showers of coal and
wood, and he would dive down the steep
steps into the cabin suddenly and upset the
captains wife. Once he Lit right on the table
and spoiled pound of butter, and hs was
altogether too playful.
Yesterday the captain, who is a pious
man, tied up, and put out his plank just east
of the city, aud started with his children to
90 to the park and to observe the day after
the manner of this vicinity. The dog start
ed too, and as soon as he got on shore he
began to csper and wag his tail, and so wag-
ged one of the children fat on its blessed
back. The baby yelled, aud the captain
made some tender remarks as he set it OLE
bis pious feet; ard some other remarks as
he shook his fist at the dog. The dog mis-
understood the man, and came running
back, full of fun, ard made jump TO lick
his face. He missed the man, but he knock
ed the other child into the canal, and the
father, without wailinI TO make any re-
marks, jumped in after it. The dog, being
to the water born, knew Just what TO do,
and he went cavorting otto get a good head
way, barking to himself at every Jump, and,
Just IS the man got to the top of the water
with his darling child, the dog took flying
leap of about twenty feet and struck on top
of the man. Well, the water that man
spllrted around was boiling hot with the
oaths he sputtered with it, and his wife
pranced around on the deck of the boat,
10 10 10 oil
dog promptly dragged and pulled ashore,
and that esptsin was nearly drowned be-
fore he trOd the sod again.
The dog is an intelligent animal-very
intelligent, indeed; and just as soon as he
saw that mariners face he knew that come
thing was wrong; so be Sunk up the plank
on board. The captain gathered what loose
granite and lumber he could in a hurried
but earnes. search, and marched up the
plank, the grummess figure of Neptune
ever done in Mohawk Valley mud. As
soon SIS he got on board be opened a hot
fire on the dog, and that sagacious brute
went yelping through the forward hatch |
and struck IL the b4nk, where the mate !
lay musing about the devil. When the mate
saw the dog, he thought the evil ono had |
come for him sure enough, and he braced |
himself for one last fight, so that, when the |
captain jumped down in pursuit of the dog,
there was a mutual misunderstanding all |
around. The captains wife looked down |
and tried 10 explain, but there was a con-
fused whirlpool of hunk boards, and hair,
and bedding, and legs, and arms, with an
occasional Infusion of dog, that it seemed
idle TO waste her breath in taking such q
circus.
To-day the bow of that fated craft cuts
tbs waters solemnly, and the helm stands
the wreck of that captain, fastened together
with strips Of plaster, snd smelling OF lni-
ment, and ever and anon he surrenders the |
rudder to bis wife, while he goes forward to
hammer a detected dog, which is for sale, or
20 listen to the rawlings Of the maniac con-
fined under the forward hatch.-U Utica
Herald.