The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1873-04-23
SIMMS' DOG.
BY MAX ADELER.

We did not want to take SimEs'
dog home for him but Simms in
sisted upon it. He wanted to so
somewhere to meet man and so
he placed one end of the chain in
our hand, and left before We had
time to remonstate. So as it was
absolutely necessary to 10 some
! thing with the dog, We concluded
that it would be better to do as
Simms suggested, and take him
! home. He was large dog, and
his temper was not OF an angelic
sweetness. When we started
! home with him, he seemed disin-
clined to go. lie appeared to en-
tcrtain Il preference for lying
down and thinking-probabIy a
bout the Succulence and juiciness
Of the bites he had taken out Of
human legs during his career.
When we pulled at the chain he
growIed. When we whistled he
rose and shook up the hair on his
spine and showed his teeth. When
we attempted to drag him along
by force he few at our legs and at
temptedto help himself to mouh-
ful, so that he could in future have
another cheerful recollection upon
which to muse and ponder. We
lodged and seized 4 cane, one end
of which was inserted in his COL
lar, so that he could be kept at a
respectable distance. Then he
was suddenly seized with an in
tense yearning to reach Slmms'
house at once, and he startod with
i jump. For three or four hun
drcd yards the procession went on
smoothly enough but we should,
perhaps, have gone more rapidly
towards Simns' if fthe dog had not
been possessed Of an irresistible
desire to be sociable with every
other dog that came within a
square Of him.
Once Simms' dog obtained too
much sociability. There was a big
gerdog, whichseemed more anxious
to commune with Simms' dog than
the latter with him. The brietinter-
view ended with a fight. We
were so much inter ested that when
hostilities began we climbed i'm
pctuously over a fence, in order,
as it were, to obtain better stand
point from which to view the con-
fict. We watched tie fray from
the other side, while we passed the
chain between the panels and en-
deavored TO soothe the excited
passions Of the parties. Simms'
dog, we regret to say, whipped.
Then we concluded tovary the ex-
ercises a little by starting for home
again. But the blood Of Slmms'
dog was up. AS soon as we began
TO cross the fence he made such q
savage demonstration at us that
we thought it would be a suicide
TO get down among him. We had
determined to remain where we
were. But Simms' animal was
animated by aggressive zeal. If
we would not 80 to him he would
20 to US. So he began to crawl
through the fence at the panel
through which his chain went.
Just as he completed the task we
adjourned with singular prompt.
ness to the other side. Simms'
dog looked surprised and greived,
but he emitted a savage growl
and began TO crawl back again. 1t
seemed then sis considerations of
a strictly personal, but very ur-
gent nature required that we
should return to the previous side
of the fence; and when We did,
Simms' dog seemed to regard it as
a sacred duty to climb back at
once. We like a dog to have per
severance and determination, and
Simms' dog had. AS these gym
nastics were fast becoming mono
tonous, we concluded to vary
them; so we let the dog 60 and
repaired to aneighboring tree. AS
soon as the dog arrived he gazed
upward for a while and drank IN
the scene. Then he seemed salts
fed, and lay down at the foot OF
the tree to wait till we descended.
He stayed there four hours and so
did we. We couldn't desert such
faithful dog as that. At the end
Of that time Simms hove in sight,
and standing there beneath the
outspreading branches Of that no.
Bile old monarch Of the forest, turned
his face upward aud abused US
scurrilously for not bringing home
his dog, as we had promised 70 uo'
intimating at the same time his
belief that we cherished an inten-
tion to steal the brute. We should
have dropped on Simms' head and
crushed him to the earth, if his
dog hadn't been there. AS it was,
we overlooked the insult, and he
went home with his menagerle.
The next time we have a dog to
take home We shall kill him be-
fore we start.
An elderly lady who was hand
ling q set of false teeth in dental
office, and admiring the fuency