Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-06-05
A Dog Story.

LAST week a performing dog named
| aGreenbax" strayed from sldesho" con |,
nectcd with the Great Eastern circus, anu
became lost dog. A boy was sent from
Terre Haute to hunt up the lost dog, and
he mt an advertisement into the Her0td,
promising reward of $40 for the dellv-
erv of Greenbax to Fred Thompson, OF the
| Cjinner Saloon. The Herald came out
about halfpast one O'Clock on Saturday
| afternoon. and in couple of hours the
| information was diffused from the furthest
| Oak Hill addition on the northeast to the
Sellers Farm, that dog had been lost, and
money could be made by refunding him.
By four O'Clock dogs began to arrive
| freely in front of the Clipper. The news
! bows who usually sell the evening papers
! had all taken the chances and gone dog
hunting. Three thousand appren-
tees had put in their Saturday
afternoon halfholiday III dog hunt
| ing, and each one reported at the
Clipper some time during the afternoon or
night, with dog which he was sure was
the veritable "Greenbax." There were all
sorts of black -and-tan dogs, in various
stages of dilution, all answering to the
name of "Greenbax."
Mr.. Thompson adiudicated the claims
and decided adversely. But still the dogs
came in, and being turned loose, and hay-
ing no place to go, most of them hung
about the establishment There were
dogs in the back yard, dogs behind barrels
and casks, and dogs shifting about the
heels of customers trying to scrape an &C
quaintance Mr.. Thompson began to get
a little frantic He mathematical the en-
tire canine race in vigorous English with
slight Irish accent, and registered a sol
emn oath that he would never again try
to help Snowman to recover his lost dog.
Some wags rather enjoyed Mr.. ThOmp-
sons rage, and concluded to keep it up.
After Mr.. Thompson had turned in for
the night, and was passing through the
delightful neutral ground which lies be-
tween wakefulness and the domains of
the drowsy god, there came knock at the
front door Mr. Thompson awoke, but
thinking it merely some hummer he turned
over and resumed somnolent pursuits.
There came more knocks, and finally q
piece of scantling, operated after the fash
ion of a ram was brought to bear on the
door with tremendous conclusion. A
front window raised, and Mr. Thompson S
head was poked out:
what do you want?" he inquired.
"Come down, Fred; we've got Green
bax'-the dog"
ooh, get out" said Mr.. Thompson.
ooh, but we've got him, sure enough"
was the reply. Come and take him in"
Mr. Thompson came down, opened the
door an inch or two, and peered out He
saw two men, with yaller dog about the
size of walrus.
The door shut to with a vicious bang,
and as Mr. Thompson's retreating foot
steps re-echoed along the corridor, sup
pressed laughter was heard outside.
Many times that night was the battering
ram brought into play, and other dogs
rendered until finally the discharge of a
double barreled shotgun warned the jOk-
ers that the thing was getting dangerous.
Mr. Thompson got an hours sleep just be
fore daylight, and awoke with a nervous
start. He thought he heard dog bark.
Looking out of a window, a most eXtraor-
binary sight met his eXasperated vision.
Up and down Illinois street on both sides,
from Miller's Block to the Bates House,
every awning post and shade tree and
every door knob had a dog tied to it.
There was every variety of canine turpi-
tude and decrepitude, from DR.. Newcom-
er's eighty year-Old ginger colored veteran
to the lop-eared hound Canine loaferdom
seemed to be assembled in mass conven-
ton. Mr.. Thompson gazed for a moment
in speeches. wonder, and then shouted
"GreenbaX." Each one Of the three hun
dred and forty-seven dogs pricked up his
ears, or all that was left of them, at the
sound, and set up a howl Of gratified rec
ognition.-IHdiandp0 Herald.