The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-06-11
PAINTED PUPS



A curious looking individual presen.
ted himself at the Bank of California
aud demanded to see Mr.. Ralston.
From the dress and appearance of the
man one would scarcely be led to sup.
pose that he came in for the purpose OF
engineering a financial negotiation. On
his right arm, however, was lire bas
ket of remarkably fine and small spot
ted pups, whose heads stuck out in all
directions from the edges of the basket.
He advanced with a quick step ard
moved within the sacred and charmed
circle where thousands and thousands
of clinking sold twenties iostle and
make music with their fellows. But
the noise Occasioned by the clink OF
wealth did not seem to attract his atten-
ton, and without seeming to think that
the place on which he stood was holy
ground" he walked into the private Of
flee of the millionaire and deposited his
basket of spotted bull pups on the floor
with the remark "There's them pups.
Ralston." At the sight of the canine
beauties the eyes of the banker glis-
tened with pleasure, and he leaned over
to inspect them. Then the pup-fancier
turned the basket upside down, and In
an instant the whole litter were run
ming over the soft carpet and gamboling
with delight.
Now, just look at 'em," remarked
the man, waving his hand over the
group; the finest strain, barrin' nun,
that iver yelpeI in this town, you betch-
er. Now, I want to sell We the whole
lot, and KNOWN that you're little hard
up, and strugglin' to keep large fam
lily runnin', I'll put 'em down where you
can reach 'em without straightenin
your elbow. How much for the lot,
the whole of 'em, just as they are ?"
Well, Jack" replied the money
king, you know how I'm situated now
times mighty hard stock down /;
money market depressed, and this new
issue of greenbacks, you know, takes
the underpinning out of things, you
know"
g Yes" replied the dog-seller, with
considerable deliberation, "I took all
'em things into consideration, We see,
and concluded I wouldn't put the
screws on ye very heavy on that ac-
count. I'll slam the price down and
chuck ye the whole lot for, say, a.
b" Here the man paused and hesi-
tated, while he looked the banker in
the eye and seemed to wait for him to
say something. There was an unpleas-
ant pause.
Well, " said Ralston, "I guess the
price you named is about the thing,
don't you ?" turning to Chronicle re-
porter on his right, who had been wait
ing for some time to negotiate trihing
loan of 500, 900. The reporter thought
so too.
"Well, all right, so that the whole
lot of these bull pups go for the
low bedrock price of S75."
Seventy-five dollars Why man,
such sum, in these tin, es, for six spot
ted pups Amt you joking?"
" Now, look here, " pleaded the dog
trader. If you can get any such as
pay for 'em and eat um raw; yes, eat
um raw"
"But dogs, my man, amt in the de-
mand they used to be. Dogs are quite
common now, you know, and getting
cheaper every year"
That's SO, for the common breed o.
pups; but for this yer kind of spotted
pups, not snatched up on every bush
the finest strain, as I said before, barrin'
nun, that ever wagged his trotter in the
town, for coin-all the coin you can put
up, roared the man, quite excited
'f I know; but these spots are not
regular spots are they? But it strikes
me there is something of an artificial
cast about these Spots" and with re-
markable deIiberation the banker lifted
one on his knee and began TO examine
it with great deliberation with a magni-
fying-glass, such as are generally used as
a counterfeit detsctor. "It strikes me,
Jack, these spots are dyed-put on with
q brush"
The dog-fancier did not remain after
this announcement, but got down on
the floor and began to scramble about
under the chairs after his spotted pups,
which he caught, aud replacing them in
his basket, started Off ''Hold on,
jack" yelled the banker, laughing
heartily. "you go over and sell these
pups to Sam Butterworth, and I'll pay
you all he does for 'em." ''Sam But
terworth Do you s'pose Sam Butter
worth don't know a painted pup the
minute he sees one? I tried him about
half an hour ago, and he sent me round
to you."
In another instant the man had van
ished, taking the painted dogs with
him.