The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1880-03-25
Uncle naYid,s Dog Tira.

Uncle David Dobbs, of Berwick, is
one of the leading men in the "hill
country" of Alabama. He has had
varied experience of life. and is re-
garded by his neighbors as an oracle.
The conversation turned on dogs the
other day and Uncle David had his lit
tie story to relate as follows:
"Gentlemeen," said he, with strong
emphasis on the last syllable, {" wish
you could have got acquainted with my
old dog Tige in his lifetime. He are
dead now, but he was the bravest dog |
ever knewed. He was perfectly re-
markable, and would fight anything
from bar to bull-engine. When l
moved out to this State from Car'lina,
l fotch Tige wi me, and you know rail
roads warn't common in those days
1t war in '49, and when we struck the
West Pint railroad. on the Georgy line,
us movers tuck the track while the
wagons tollered he dirtsroad. Wall,
Tige had never seed a ingine, and whi e
we uns was a walkin' down the track
a train came along goin' 'tother way. a
meetin' of us. Hit war the iust that
Tige ever seed, and he had TO idee ov
givin' the road. So he es planted his
self in the middle of the track and COM
menced to bark and scratch back wi
his him feet and his forepaws. ali
bristled up like rs how he was goin' to
fite, and ] honestly believe he would.
Well, the thing came al Ong all the same
and we 'uns let the track. But Tige he
wouldn't, but kept barlin' and scratch
ing an back bristlin' up. But the thing
wouldn't stop--came right along. only
blowin' two or three short whistles.
Wall, meetin' was about to take 0jlace
when / called Tige off, and jes' as he
lef it were n short time too late. The
thing run over his tail and sliced it OFT
in three inches OF his life. Tige didn't
like that. and started right back for
North Car'lina, Ieavin' his tail on the
road. But this wouldn't do; so we
cotch him and tied up his stump and
put him in the wagon and driv on west
ward till he got well and heeled up.
When wFgot to the Bigby (Tombigbee
river) thar war bridge over hit. When
Tige seed hit he looked at it kinder du.
bious, and bristled up and begun to
scratch back agin', for he thought it
war a railroad train. The first thing we
knowed he had turned tail and started
back to North Car'lina agin. But the
boys cotch him ard toek him in their
arms and carried him on to the bridge
half way. Thinking that were enough
they put him down, but jis at that juno
ture a wagon come lumberin' on tother
end o the bridge, and made monsus
racket, while my teams entered from our
eend. Tige looked both ways, and then,
would you believe it he jumped right
out of the winders of'the bridge into the
river, forty feet below, and swan out
on the wrong side. We couldn't do
without Tige, and sent back for him and
brought him over all right, and when
we settled down and made our clearin'
Tige war thar, and always stuck to me.
But, stronger, whenever we went bar
huntin' or coon huntin', eff anybody ever
footed like engine Tige left the woods,
sure. Whenever he went to sleep on
the hearth, eff one of the children ever
said 'toot! tootp he war sure to growl
in his sleep and bristle up. He war a
mighty brave dog. I'm sorry he's
dead"