The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1880-12-30

SOU O00IC0r O0tW00u C00 Ul3CK000O 00Q0o
q that astonishing slit in his head.
OF course his name was Rover.
He come from Pete Steers folks,
over to Ratlam; they he'd more'n they
wanted, Pete said. I come acrost him
down street a-sellin' pea-brush, and this
here pup a-yaupin' along behind hira,
50 thinks mo, that's Jest the dog Tor
Hepsy. He's real young, and you can
kind OF eddicate him up, We know, train
him up on chickens, so to sneak: bend
the twig jest as the trees inclined to
grow: IS the copy-book ses.''
,"My land! l guess 1 sha'n't never
let hs'n 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 many another woman
and most men, for that matter-she
could be coaxed into anything.
A few whines and wags and affection
ate rubs of that sharp. yellow head
against her gown beguiled her out of
many 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 we'll OFT the
Tucker premises. but alackl 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 Blissets in force, and Rover had
to run for dear life into the swamp,
where amid tangles of clethra, bilberry
and alder-bushes, woven Ia 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 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 q month in his new
home before a crested Poland hen had
her leg broken by those sharp white
teeth. black Spanish ROSTERS back
was permanently twisted. and q big
Brahma lost the use of 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
Blisset, lying in wait for 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,
his ears limp. and yowls of the most
pitiful and piercing description pro-
ceeded from the great mouth that was
adorned with chicken feathers like a
moustache.
Neighbor 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
snout O. his'n pretty quick next time.
amt a-goin' to hev all my hens killed by
that beast, now l tell yep
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 of
our garding? We shouldn't a had no
sass at all eff they KEEP at itr'
or course this provoked retort, and q
sturdy neighborly quarrel set in then
and there, the first work of the yellow
dog. and destined TO outlast his little
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 at the repeated
mention of his name as 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, l expect, to have our
faowls killed jest as they're a-turnin
into money. so to speak. l dono as
altogether blame Blisset for bein' rile,l
nOw.'
''Well, l dono as he'd oughter have
spoke the way he did. ain t a-goin to
be insulted by no Twin man as know
OF. won't never speak to them Bis
sets no more; they d ought to have KEEP
their old hens to home, and if you'd got
a mite OF proper sperrit you d jest 90
over and tell 'em so: so therer'
"Sho, Hepsy! faint no use talkin'
about it now; he's riIed and so be YOU;
let things settle spell, and then we Ii
kinder clear up. guess Ill get a
muzale for that there dog: he'll bark
jest as good, but he can't bite things. :"
Il 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
q mite, Hepsy; mabbe somethin' else II
do jest as we'll. Come to think ont, 1
have heard or read somewhere or
mother that a-tyin' of a dead hen
round dogs neck will sort o. sicken
'em of that work. l guess I'll get one
o Blisset's faowls and try it on to-mor-
ror."
But Ephraim encountered storm al
Neighbor Blisset's, and was at last
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 Rovers 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 to
pay out that five dollars I'd promised We
for new bunnet to make up for them
chickens"
.'My landr gasped Hepsy, .Inever'd
ha done it in creatiOn!'
''Well, it's done; twas fair enough;
heaps better goin' to law. now 1 tell
We" 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 firmness, that
Hepsy discovered early in her married
life could not be evaded. She did not.
either, feel quite as tenderIy toward
Rover, when she thought of her three.