The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1875-12-24
A Dog Story.
| Told By Mr., Richard Grant White, in tie
GaiaFy for December.

| Told By Mr.. Richard Grant White, IN tie
Gala1yJor DecemJer.
Dogs cannot laugh except with their tails
and then they laugh for joy. | doubt the ex-
stence of doggish sense of humor. But
scorn and contempt they undoubtedly dc
feel-they show it to other dogs and believe
that they must feel it for some men. At least
| should not like to run the risk of losing the
respect of dog of any character, | should
certainly see it in the contemptuous whisk
of his tail and in the sidelong glance of his
eye. The most supreme expression of con-
tempt that | ever saw was from q dog of
mine. He was a noble beast, large and
beautiful. His sire was an English blood
hound, his dam a St. Bernard mastif, He
was fawn-colored, brinded, and his ears
were softer than the finest silk. He was so
big that he could stand on all-fours and take
a roll with his mouth from the dining table,
and that he could spring up, put his paws
on my shoulders and look me in the face
And yet | had little black-and-tan terrier
that would bully dear old Thor-for so /
named hm--out of everything; everything,
that is, but bones, meatless bones for that
is a subject upon which no dog of any deli
cate sense of what is due to himself will al
low the least outside interference. But Thor
loved Puck and would let the little rascal do
almost what lie liked and when his teasing
and impudence reached point that was in
tolerable, the grand old fellow, instead of
taking his tormentOr by the back of the neck
and quietly dropping him somewhere out of
the way, would meekly come and put up his
great paw on my knee to beg me to go out
and set matters straight, And yet for Puck
he would fight any thing; and many was the
row into which he got by standing up for
his quarrelsome little playfellow.
One day | took Thor with me on new
walk, in the course of which we passed the
gate of a farmer who had two large pointer
dogs who were very cross and quarrelsome
both with man and beast even so much so
that they attacked men who came to the gate
As we approached the gate, there they lay
together butslut vi IL ulloll tIlc ClOsc SIctI-
swarth that stretched into the road. At the
sight of Thor they pricked up their ears, rose
to their feet and began to growl. Thor trot-
ting on ahead of me, turned his head mo-
ment, but kept on his rrot As we drew near
they crOuched together upon their bellies,
and began to move thus toward the middle
of the road and when we were opposite the
gate, with one vel ing bark they made a 81
mutaneous rush upon the stranger Oh,
Thor, Thor, did the spirit of Shakespeare en-
ter into thee, that without even turning thy
head again, thou heavedSt up thy leg, like
Crabs dog, and served those dogs as he
served the gentewoman's farthingale, and
then jOggeGst on as if nothing had happened,
leaving them to sneak back to their lair, with
their tails between their legs, less in fear
than in astonishment, and thy master to
oleave the sky with laughter? Verify, |
think there must be some human ours, who
like to spring yelping upon man merely
because he is a stranger, whom it would be
we'll if some big human mastif would treat
after the same fashion. They de-
serve no more respectful consideration.