The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1881-03-09

hev all my hens killed by that beast, now
tell ye?"
"Why didn't you keep your old hens to
hum, then2 They begun it. Hain't we he'd
20 buy dog to keep 'em off our gardingP
We shouldn't had no sass at all of they
KEEP at it,
of course this provoked retort, and a
sturdy neighborly quarrel set in then and
there, the first work of the yellow dog and
destined to outlsst his little term of life.
Pa Tucker came home to find Hepsy cry
ing 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, WELL" said Ephraim, when the tale
was done; aye must look at both sides of
thing. Hepsy; faint real agreeable, l eX-
pect to have our faowls killed jest as they're
a-turnin' into money, so to speak. l donno
as / altogether blame Blisset for bein' riled
now"
"Well, donno as he oughter have spoke
the way he did, / ain Z a-goin' to be insulted
/ by no Twin man as l know of. 1 won't
never speak to them Blissets 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 go over and tell 'em so. SO
/ there"
"Sho, Hepsyl faint no use talkin' about
it now; he's riled and so be you; let things
settle a spell, and then we'll kinder clear up.
1 guess III get muzzlesfor that there dog;
he'll bark jest as good, but he can't bite
things"
81 amt a'goin' to hev the poor eretur
tormented with no muzzle, Ephraim Tucker!
It's cruelty to dumb beasts"
"Well, well, well, kinder calm down a
- 40
Jest as we'll Come to think ont have
heard or read somewhere or mother that
a-tyin' of dead hen round dogs neck will
sort o. sicken 'em of that work. l guess III
get one o. Blisse.'s faowls and try it on to-
morror."
But Ephraim encountered storm at
neighbor B;sset's and was at last obliged
to pay for all the chickens Rover had killed,
or incur lawsuit Being wise man he
paid the demand before it carried to
law, and went home rather crestfallen, with
the last of Rover's victims in one hand, the
other thrust into his empty pocket
'.He's goin' to be a amazin' dear bargain,
I'm afeard. Hepsy. I've had to pay out
that S. I'd promised ye for a new bunnet
to make up for them chickens"
my lsndr' gasped Hepsy, 81 never'd
ha' done it in creation"
"Well. it's dOne twas fair enough; heaps
better'n goin' TO law now, L tell yel" said
Ephraim, with severe decision, for though
he was a mild and slow man ordinarily,
there was in his character a reserve of OBJ
stinacy-or perhaps it should be called firm
ness-that Hepsy discovered early in her
married life could not be evaded. She did
not, either, feel quite "a tenderly toward
Rover, when she thought of the three-years-
old Sunday bonnet that must be worn all
tbs coming summer.
The next morning the dead hen, with
much objection on the dogs part, was tied
securely about ROvers neck. He felt the
/ disgrace-or the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS with a
short, angry yelp, fled into the yard as soon
as he was free from restraining hands: yet,
when mis- anxious mistress sought HIM out
an hour afterward, anxious TO see if the
punishment had been effected or not, she
found he had paved and rubbed at the string
till it was broken, and now the feathers of
the hen lay scattered ali about him, and its
last leg was in the process of crunching be-
tween those white teeth. lie had discovered
that hens were good to eat.
AT sight of Hepsy he fed and made a
straight wake for Blisset's yard; but that
astute and wary man had strung couple of
wires above the picket fence, and Rover fell
back ANONYMOUSLY instead of bounding over
into the midst of the fat fowls whose taste
he had found so agreeable.
Hepsy, in full pursuit, taking little more
direct track than Rover, and wholly intent
on his capture, did not see the pail of soap
grease which Mrs. Blisset had set out in
readiness for the weekly visit of the ash
man. 1t was too unsavory to be put beside
the gate in the road. and it had been ar
ranged to leave it just by the fence corner,
where it abutted on the Tucker lot, but
the fence ON Ephraim's ground had
given way lately, and through
this gap Hepsy went while Rover
made his forced march out of her. gate by
the road, and the short cut brought the poor
woman over the soap grease pail. This
tipped her up, and streamed with its
ill-smelling contents, all over her best cal
leo gown. But she did catch Rover as he
fell back from the wires, and dripping,
scolding and crying she carried him to the
barn, shut him up in the corn room, and
fed to the wood-house herself, where
she stripped off her shoes, dress and stock
ings, and stole upstairs for fresh clothing,
thankful that Sarah was at school and her
husband hoeing corn.
But she had to buy Mrs. Blisset gallon
OF sou sOdp; anu nef OWN gown was nope
lessly faded in the severe process of cleans
ing it from all that grease. SO she con-
sented that muzzle should be purchased
for Rover.
But he revenged himself on the family in
countless ways. He howled all night till
Hepsy was nearly wild between sleepless-
ness and superstition.
"0h, Ephriaml" she said over and over,
with tears in her eyes. and a voice of deep
woe. ado you hear that creature2 AS sure
as you're born, there's a-goin TO be a death
amongst US; it's a sure sign"
"Do go to sleep. mother2" growled the
weary man, cor else let me. We're all
a-goin TO die fust or last, but dono as we're
a-goin to sooner becos yaller dog keeps
\ up yelpin'. Let him haowl He's all
fired ugly cos of that .nuzzle. 'Taint no
sign but that"
Hepsy sighed over her husbands unbelief
but felt as sure as she did before that ROver's
wall was warning of the grave.
By day he was evaporation enough to
make life burden, if he did prophesy its
extinction at night Not COW passed the
/ premises but he flew at its heels with a fury
of barking that drove the animal down or up
street in disturbed canter; and many a
meek old creature became fractions under
this discipline who had never before shown
temper, and many another turned into the
/ familiar barn ward pantinO and SWEATING