The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1876-09-28

Hall uOZcn reporters from different
cities; but from economic motives the
Professor neglected to deposit the stake,
and hauled in his rope and departed. The
veloclpede season was thus closed with
single exhibition.
The Story Of an italian Gray hound.
In your issue of to-day august 24) your
clipping from st. Nicholas headed GA
Horse that Knew 1t Was Sunday" re-
minded me of a story told by gentle
man residing in this city concerning an
Italian greyhound now in his possession.
l admired his beautiful hound, and, be-
ing a lover of blooded dogs, desired him
to name the price he would take for her;
he smilingly asked what l would give.
Thinking to strike quick bargain, I Of
fcrcd him seventy five dollars, not doubt
ing that he would take that sum, but he
very quietly remarked, No doubt you
think you have offered me large amount,
but only curiosity to know what you csti-
mated her value at caused me to permit
you to make an offer, but she can not be
bartcrcd for money, and if you will step
into my house | will show you what she
knows and tell you why she is not for
sale" l gladly accepted his invitation,
and, accompanied by my little daughter,
with the following story:
"About five years ago | married my
present wife, and the only thing that 1
dreaded was that to please her / would
have to get rid Of my grayhounds, of
which owned pair, the one you now
see and the dog to match her. | had
owned these hounds for four years previ-
GUS to my marriage, and quite naturally
became very much attached to them, in
fact they reigned supreme in my bache-
lors quarters. | knew the lady did not
like dogs, for she had often told me so,
but we compromised by arranging that the
dogs should cease to occupy portion of
my bedroom, and accordingly they were
transferred to other quarters; they seemed
to understand the cause of their discom-
fort, and especially did the dog take quite
an antipathy to my wife, which took
long while to overcome. By dint of kind
ness, however, they learned to love her
and soon came under perfect control. In
the course of events we had daughter
born to rs, and the female 0he one you
now see) at once took quite fancy to the
baby, and in very short time constituted
herself the baby's guardian. Wcwerc re-
siding in the South at this time and re-
manned there till our baby was fourteen
months old. During all this time the dog
may be said never to have left the baby
for an hour at IA time; she was her play
mate, and, though handled very roughly
at times, seemed only delighted to be in
her company. When baby got old enough
to walk, it was amusing to see her peram-
bulating around the house with the hound
i'll her wake, and l have often looked at
the chrome "Nip and Tuck" and
thought of similar scenes i'll my own
house. They were inseparablc; did the
girl take baby out in her little carriage the
hound must accompany her, and most of
the time lay at her feet. Did she go to
bed, SO did the hound in fact, to see one
unaccompanicd by the other was rare
thing. If a stranger took the baby there
was a row, and he or she must look out
! for their heels. She was as Jealous as she
| could be, for on one occasion that [ re-
member, a neighbor called and brought a
little poodle with her, and baby just put
her hand on its head, when that poodle
thought there was no place like home.
''At the age of fourteen months our
| little one died of dipththeria, and was
| buried on the Sabbath. In our grief we
took very little or no notice of the dog.
| My wife's health being very poor, con-
cluded to take her to New York by steam
er, and made arrangements to do so two
weeks after our Bereavement. Among
such articles as we would not wish to be
burdened with, and which | concluded to
dispose of in one way and another, were
the hounds, and l accordingly made them
a present to a friend of ours, who also had
!, little girl, and who we knew would take
good care of them, it being understood
that he should come every day and see
them, SO as to become acquainted. He
did so, and occasionally would take them
to his house and keep them as long as
they would stay, so that when they were
missed at home we surmiscd that they
were getting acquainted at their new home.
The two weeks rolled rapidly away, and
in the interim l had given orders for a
railing to be put around the grave and a
stone put over it. Being very rainy sea-
son, l had not visited the spot, and con-
cluded to do so the day before weleft; so,
on Sunday, just two weeks from the day
we buried our darling, took my wife
resting place. On arriving at the Gem
etcry, the sexton, an old negro, who
knew me very we'll, opened the gate for
me, and at the same time asked me if
owned white greyhound, to which re-
piled in the affirmative, and inquired
why. He said, to use his own language: :
81 tink it was your dog, sir, or else kill
him. He dcre over by de grave, and he
cum dere cherry day sence yer baby buried,
and when l drive him away he bite me
two or tree times and tear my trousers;'
and he showed me where he was bitten.
Sure enough, when we arrived at the grave
there lay our hound in a hole that she had
dug in the earth, and, when she saw us,
came bounding toward us, and then ran
back to the grave and commenced dig
ging and whining. petted her and took
her with us in the buggy, and my wife
made me stop at our friends house on the
way home to tell him that we would have
to keep the dog, we could not give her
up, and here she is. We have had her
ever since, and we mean to keep her till
she dies. I have been offered very large
sums for her-much larger than what you
have Just offered mc-but money is no in
ducement to part with her. Recently my
wife has taught her a number of tricks,
and if it will not tire you, she will show
you what she knows"
We declared ourselves anxious to see
her perform, and we were very much en-
tertained by seeing her go into the next
room and bring any one of the following
articles as they were called by name at my
dictation: Fork, teaspoon, tablespoon,
cup, saucer, napkin, knife, butter-knife,
scissors; and in no one instance did she
make mistake. But the best thing that
she did was to select numbers as they
were ordered, as follows: The lady had
ten cards about five inches square, with a
figure plainly printed on each, from to
O; they were laid down on the carpet in
regular order, and we were requested to
name any number in the hundreds that
we wished her to make: 1 selected
999; the lady then marked very plainly
on slate the selected number and
laid the slate against the partition
opposite where the cards were laid,
and, after petting the hound, babe
her go and fetch the numbers. Talk to
ME about animal instinct as much as you
please, l know that more than instinct
was displayed in the actions of that ami.
NAL. She walked up to the slate, looked
- III ~