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


Dir Tucker looked up from the rake-tail
ne was wedging in, quite astonished.
"For the lands sake, Hepsy L thought
YOU despised dogs above all things"
''Well, so L do; but We know the Scripter
Z. SAYS there's a time for all things. and l eX-
pect now's our time for dog. We shall be
1 clean eat up with Blissett's chickens eli
there amt somebody to skeer 'em off;
they're a-raisln' of 'em for the hotel folks,
and l can't spend my days happin' my
apern ut chickens"
where's Sary2"
SO. Sary. Ny sakesl Her heads too full
4 of algebry and Biography and sech things to
mind chickens; she could fgger EN- off on
slate. l expect, but they'd eat up the let
tuce right under her nose
swell, WE'LL What sort of dog do you
want?"
Il want WALLER dog, they do look SO
awful spry. | mistrust black ereturs of all
sorts and kinds, and white dogs just like
a sheep. l could put up with a twO-c9lored
one but sorter banker after ysller one"
"Well. III see. Mebbe Strong's folks
} can tell where they got their'n. I'll see the
Squire
$50 do, pa askin' breath amt no loss"
With which astute remark Mrs. Tucker
went in TO her churn, and pa got up
from the log on which he sat with the
creak and jerk of rheumatic people when
they
|, ..Change the place, but keep the pain
y ss good DR. Watts says.
Ephraim Tucker was man of his word;
y If he was slow he was sure, too, and Hepsy
was delighted, but not surprised, when he
came in just before supper, leading by a
string half-grown dog of q dirty yellow
Il IL hnr,
the muzzle and paws.
The dogs head was long and AS sharp
nosed as fox's; his ears were clipped TO
alert brevity, and his mouth opened back to
the roots of those ears, suggesting that the
shears had also been used to enlarge the
Opening begun by nature
1t was like pair of shears opening and
shutting when Rover snapped at fly, with
no further result than to display the red
gums, strong young teeth, and lolling
tongue, that had ample room and shelter be-
tween the blackened edges of that astonish-
ing slit in the head.
Of course his name was Rover.
ssHe come from Pete Steel's folks over to
Rattan; they he'd more'n they wanted, Pete
said. | come acrost him down street a-sell
in 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 edicate him up, We know,
train him up on chickens, so to speak;
bend the twig Jest as the trees inclined to
grow, as the copy book SEES"
"My land guess 1 shan't never let him
20 the way he's inclined to not onless its
:. nv way" answered Hepsy, who was &C
customed, indeed to have her own way to al
: extent she hardly understood herself
However, she was kInd-hearted under all
her snap and sparkle, and Rover being d
! little touched with the wisdom his foxy AS
pect 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 afectionate
rubs of that sharp yellow head against her
gown begUiled her out of many a dainty
morsei his dOggish soul longed for, and as
for chickens, he soon sent terror into all
their timid spirits; not only did ne keep
them of 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
Blissets in force, and Rover had to run fOI
dear life into the swamp, where, amid tan
woven in end out with cat-briers and elena.
4 tbs, he was safe from human enemies, till
darkness shut down, when he sneaked home
the back way, and ate his supper with the
eagerness Of dog, and heard many ques-
lions to his absence, which, fortunately
for him, he could not answer.
Meanwhile the Blissets grew furious.
Rover had not been month in his new
home before q crested Poland hen had her
= leg broken by those sharp white teeth, a
black Spanish ROSTERS back was perma-
nently twisted, and big Brahma lost the
use of one wing, while at least dozen of the
: short and yellow-legged barn-door breed
4 best of all Tor 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.
ir 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
pitifdl and piercing description proceeded
from the great mouth that was adorned with
chicken feathers like q moustache.
Neighbor Blisset pursued him home, saw
the welcome he received, and burst with
certain puRgent remarks.
That's your dog, is it? Well you'd better