Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-09-02
Intelligence of Dogs.

A friend and admirer Of the canine race
contributes the following TO London So
ciety:
| A few feet from me at this moment is a
curious specimen Of the long-backed
short-legged German hound, yclept turn.
spit, which came To the establishment q
silent, reserved, even dull being. But on
fair encouragement his faculties became
developed He showed signs of a humor
Gus disposition--as though he could relish
a jest--and began 70 utter mysteriously
uncouth and cayernous sounds, as though
laboring to find an utterance. These be
gan gradually to take the shape of expos
tulation angry remonstrance, piteous en-"
treaty, WEAKNESS, to say nothing of literal
yawns when he was bored. They are
wonderful creatures, even In London, with
curious puzzling ways of their own.
Thus, lately, one dark night the writer,
entering hanson cab, Was duly incased
within the glass and shutters. As the We
hicle shot oil on its course something
white appeared to flash on the footboard
front, which by and by resolved itselfinto
the outline Of grayish-white cur dog, who
had leaped up in NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. way,
much as the little tigers of an.
other generation used 10 skip up
behind the cabriolet. There this curl
Gus creature remained, posing itself at
the edge, like some spectral dog, and bal
ancing itself with ease, as "a circus rider
would. When the cab stopped he was
gone as suddenly as he came. "Oh! he
were there, were he?" the driver merely
exclaimed Ii turned out that this lean
and unkempt pariah had drawn near the
cab a few nights before, had received less
churlish greeting than what he was nc
customed to, and had attached himself 10
the cab In this mysterious way and was
now actually TO be seen lowering In the
shadow afar off There was something
ghostly in the fashion In which he came
out Of the night and appeared upon the
footboartl. Again: was once acquainted
with dog that had no less singular
penchant for seeing a train pass under AN
arch ut particular hour each day. Punct-
ually nj five O'Clock he would rouse him.
self and set off at full speed 10 keep his
appointment, using cunning devices when
he suspected he might be detained. Hay
ing seen his train 60 by, and looked down
with wary and critical air TO see that the
passage was performed properly, he
logged home with conientcd mind.
How did he know the hour 50 exactlyr
Again; Every morning there comes
TO the door one Of the nentest,
lightest, Disappointed little traps con-
ceivabIc In the service Of our butter
man. II is drawn by risky, waggish lit
tie pony, evidently pet, and on the pony's
back rides yivacious little terrier, who,
from practice, can balance himself in a
secure and dashing style Both pony and
terrier understand each other, though the
terrier capers about the ponys neck IN I'm
inconyenicnt fashion. On cold days pony
has his cloth, while terrier has miniature
covering Of the same kind, securely fitted
To his person. When the butter man
comes I'D the area the sly pair are watch
ing. him, and if, in his hurry, lac incau'
tiously slams the back door OF his cart, a
pretense II made OF accepting the noise as
signal, and off starts pony galloping,
terrier barking and almost erect on pony's
neck, while the driver Is running along
frantically striving 10 climb into his yehi.
Gle as ii goes. Another dog, red Irish
retriever, whose acquaintance was made
lately, was sent down forty miles into
Kent, shut up In dog box. On his first
DAVIS sport he took offense at the keeper
using whip TO him, a freedom he per
haps thought was not justified by so shorl
an acquaintance. The following morning
he was al the door OF his house In Victo-
ria street, How was this accomplished
He must have come straight across the
country, guided by some faculty that his
two-legged superiors have not.