The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1875-04-17


-
THOMPSoE'S Doe JERRY.
Abous one hundred miles from Mo
bile, on the banks of the Tombigbe
river, there lived an old PLANTER namet
Thompson. Mr.. Tk0mpson was grea
lover of horses and dogs, particularl,
the latter. and his plantation was head
quarters for the lovers of the canin,
race for miles around. Mr.. Thompson
had . son named William We will cal
him Bill, because everybody called hin
by that name
Bill was about fourteen years of age
when the war broke ont, and it inter
fersa.with his fathsfT plans concernins
bis education. However, the val
end, and he Was sent to finish hi
stedies at the University of Virginia
Bill remained at the university fol-
about four years, and ut the expiration
OF that time returned to his home
The old gentleman was very proud OF
Bll-indeed he had reason to be. he
had grown to be tall. elegantly formed
man, of graceful manners and genteel
appearance.
In his joy at his sons return, Mr..
Thompsen had provided an elegant re-
past. and the eltee of society were in
vited to welcome Bill home. The
entertainment was numerously at
tended, and the occasion promised to
be the one of the season, for the old
gentleman and Bill were really great
favoritee. The old mansion was
thronged with youth and beauty, and
hours ghded swiftly away.
but the many copgratulatiops, he re-
cei1e4 occasIDnedthe drinking Of more
whiskv than he could cary, and his
PAN Of the reception was brought to a
close by his getting helplessly drunk,
in which condition he was found by bis
father, under one Of the tables.
The old gentleman. hevever. smooth
cred his resentment, taking into con-
sideration that this might lave been an
accident, and that il would not again
occur !; Int hin hope was destined soon
to be dispslled, for as other fetes fol-
lowed at other places, il was found that
Bill was too fond of whisky and that he
regularly came to grief at each enter
tainment.
Mr.. Thompson was not q man to
very long tolerate such action on his
sons part and one morning, after one
OF Bills excuses, he spoke to him con-
cerniog the matter. Bill could net
deny it. and there was q poor chance
for an apology. The old gentleman
became enraged at Bills silence, and
thus addressed him: "Bill, I have
raised you up as carefully as ever a
child was raised. You have diseraced
me and my name had fondly hoped
You would be an honor to me and it.
I'll have no more of this. You can re-
main here if you want to, and this NAV
be your home. You can have Q horse
to ride and I viii clothe you decently !;
but, he added with great emphasis,
<'you shall not hereafter get drunk.
You shalt either earn your money or
steal it.
It was In vain that Bill tried to apollo
gize. The old gentleman would take
no apology. The fat had gone forth,
and however dry his throat might be.
Bill knew there would be no retrac-
tion of his fathers words. So he
concluded to be a temperance man. bat
as Is usual in such cases, though "the
spirit was willing, the flesh was weak"
Bills throat soon became very dry
and annoying, and at last he made up
bis mind that he must calculate upcn
some plan whereby he could get a drink
of whisky.
In some Of his readings Bll remem-
bered the fable Of "The Wise DOGS"
and determined to profit by it. Meet
ing ms father one evening, about a
month after he had received the pre-
ceding lecture, he thus addressed him:
Father, do you know ANYTHING about
this colony of Yankees down here at
the mouth of the river ?"
"No, don't !" was the replv. and q
gruff one too, for the old man didn't
like the Yankees and didn't care to
hear anything about them.
We'll, father, they must be a oueer
lot. They have got schools down
there"
yes" Numbered his father, s'sohools
well" replied Bill, "lets rive the
devil his due; they teach white children
Eyes. said the old man. 10 thew teach
ieslthey teach them ies.y
Wei, suppose they do" replied
Bill, "but what was going to sneak
OF IS that they have got Z school for
dogsl" ''-
"A school for what ?"
"A. a school for sossf Th>v teach dog.
Gone now, BlI, ,6f you are foo,
to make as big fool of nef Teach
dogs to talk They may teoch Them to
steal-I shonldnt 4 aonder e they did.
but don't tell me about this teschine
dogs to talk <s.ss.-I
"welI. now. father, I respect every
VOID you say" replied Bill, "but am
aa q -
gentlemen say ; aud I have heard eev-
eaal talking about it. Really, I know
nothing Of the facts; but, :: / aid. I
heard several speaking about Il. ma /
believe it. I was ds~n town the other
day and your dog J&iy vss With me.
and gentleman from Tennessee
noticedehim a9 We wRe speaking of Che
school. asked him how long L would
take for q dog like Jerry 70 learn to
talk, and he said dog Is MOVING A.
Jerry would learn in two months
Some dogs will learn in three months
and he said good many never would
learn"
Bills praises of Jerry did not 20 un
noticed. If there was any one thing
that the old gentleman fully believed,
it was that there was never another dog
that knew as much a. Jerry.
The conversation for this time ter.
minated, but Bill somehow felt that his
father would mention the subject again.
and he was not mistaken.
A few days after the above dialogue
the old gentleman met Bill and thus
addressed him Bill, do you really
believe that Jerry could learn to talk?"
81 certainly believe it," Bill re-
piled.
"Do you know how much they
charge down there ?"
"Well," replied Bill, 81 believe
they charge twenty five dollars admis-
sion, and then ten dollars q month for
board and tuition for whatever time it
kakaa f"