The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1880-12-30

OF course his name was Rover.
He come from Pete Steers folks,
over to Ratlam; they he'd more'n they
wanted, Pete said. / come acrost him
down street a-sellin' pea-brush, and this
here pup a-yaupin' along behind him,
so thinks me, that's Jest the dog for
Hepsy. He's real young, and you can
kind of eddicate him up, ye know, train
him up on chickens, SO to speak; bend
the twig jest as the trees inclined to
grow, as the copy-book ses."
"My land! l guess 1 sha'n't never
let him go the way he's inclined to! not
onless it's my way" answered Hepsy,
who was accustomed, indeed, to have
her way to an extent she hardly under
stood herself.
However, she was kind-hearted under
all her snap and sparkle, and Rover be-
ing little touched with the wisdom his
foxy aspect betokened, soon found her
weak side. Like manv another woman
and most men, for that matter-she
could be coaXed into anything.
A few whines and ways and affection
ate rubs of that sharp yellow head
against her gown beguiled her ont of
many a dainty morsel his doggish soul
longed for, and as for chickens, he soon
sent terror into all their timid spirits:
not only did he keep them well Oft the
Tucker premises, but alack! he hunted
them into the enemy's country, and laid
about him so sharply there that more
than one squawking and kicking fowl
strewed his path.
These outcries, of course, brought
out the Biissets in force, and Rover had
to run for dear life into the swamp.
where amid tangles of clethra, bilberry
and alder-bushes, woven in and out
with cat-brier aud clematis. he was safe
from human enemies, till darkness shut
down, when he sneaked home the back
way, and ate his supper with the eager
ness of n dog. and heard many questions
as to his absence, which fortunately for
him he could not answer.
Meanwhile, the Blissets grew furious.
Rover had not been a month in his new
home before a crested Poland hen had
her lag broken by those sharp white
teeth, black Spanish ROSTERS back
was permanently twisted. and n big
Brahma lost the use o. one wing, while
at least a dozen of the short and yellow
legged barn door breed--best of all for
eating. nameless though they be-were
choked or plucked or trampled on till
their usefulness was quite extinct.
Then came one luckless day when
Rover, in a fit of terror at the gun old
Blissct, lying in wait foy him, exploded
so near his ears that one of them was
singed. made his way straight for the
Tucker kitchen instead of the swamp,
his tail curled tight in between his legs,
pitiful and piercing description pro-
aanIn1 frA.,, fb. ac
adorned with chicken feathers like a
moustache.
Ncighbor Blisset pursued him home,
saw the welcome he received. and burst
in with certain pungent remarks.
That's your dog, is it? Well you'd
better keep him to hum, Mis- Tucker,
or I'll let drive through that ere yaller
snort o his'n pretty quick next time. l
Amt a-goin' to hev all my hens killed by
that beast, now | tell ver'
"Why didn't you keep your old hens
to hum. then? They begun it. Hain't
we he'd to buy dog to keep 'em off
cur garding? We shouldn't a had no
sass at all eff they KEEP at itr'
OF course this provoked retort, and a
sturdy ueighborly quarrel set in then
and there, tho first work of the yellow
uOS. anu uCSS.ucu lO Oulldsl his uIJlc
term of life.
Pa Tucker came home to find Hepsy
crying with rage. and Rover. full of his
supper, doing before the stove, not
even rousing himself Mt the repeated
men ion of his name rs the story of the
hens was told in full.
"Well, WE'LL" said Ephraim. when
the tale was done "Ye must look at
both sides of a thing, Hepsy; 'tain't
real agreeable, expect, to have our
faowls killed jest as they're a-turnin'
into money. so to speak. l dono as l
altogether blame Blisset for bein' riled
now"
"Well, dono rs he'd oughter have
spoke the way he did. ain t a-goin to
be insulted by no livin' man rs know
of. l won't never speak to them Bis
sets no more; they'd ought to have KEEP
their old hens to home, and il you got
mite of proper sperrit you d jest go
over and tell 'em so; SO therer'
"Sho, Hepsy! 'tain't no use talkin'
about it now; he's riled and so be you;
let things settle spell, and then wei
kinder clear up. L guess III get a
muzzle for that there dog; he'll bark
Jest as good, but he can't bite things
II amt a-goin' to hev the poor cretur
tormented with no muzzle, Ephraim
Tucker! it's cruelty to dumb beasts"
"Well, well, well, kinder calm down
a mite, Hepsy; mabbe somethin' else'l
do Jest as well. Come to think ont,
have heard or read somewhere ol
mother that a-tyin' of dead her
round n dogs neck will sort o. sicker
'em of that work. guess I'll get one
o. Blissets faowls and try it on to-mor.
ror" g.
But Ephraim encountered storm a
Neighbor Blisset's, and was at las
obliged to pay for all the chickens Ro
yer had killed, or incur a lawsuit. Be
ing wise man, he paid the demand
before it was carried to law, and went
home rather crestfallen, with the last
of Rover's victims in one hand, the 9th.
er thrust into his empty pocket.
'.He's goi1' to be a amazin' dear bar
gain, I'm afeard. Hepsy- I've he'd tc
pay out that five dollars I'd promised VI
for new bunnet to make up for then
chickens
"My landr gasped Hepsy, "Inever'd q
ha' done it in creationr'
"Well, it's done; twas fair enough
heaps better'n goin' to law, now L tel
ye" said Ephraim, with severe decis
ion, for though he was mild and SLOW
man ordinarily, there was in his char
acter a reserve of obstinacy. or per
hapS it should be called tirmness, tha
Hepsy discovered early in her married
life could not be evaded. She did not
either, feel quite as tenderly towart
Rover, when she thought of her three
year-Old Sunday bonnet that must bt
/ oil Ia
The next morning the dead hen, witt
much objection on the dogs part, wa
tied securely about Rover's neck. Ill
felt the disgrace-or the Inconvenience
.-and witha short, angry yelp, lied int
the yard as soon as he was free of re
straining hands; yet, when his anxiou
| mistress souuht him out an hour after