The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1881-11-03
HIGHLAND COUNTY, OHIO, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1881
A Cold Dav for Dogs.


Flint River, and climbed up the long
stairs to the sanctUm, emptied a chair
load Of exchanges on to the floor, and
sat down.
"Say," the old man said, chewing his
morsel Of navy plug with the rapid IN
tOnatiOn of a man who was In earnest.
Say, you know that spotted cOach-dOg
Of mine that bit his leg with a rattle
snake nigh onto three weeks agO?"
Yes, the editor said he remembered II.
"Dog dead?"
"Dead I" said the old man, "no; live
as you are, and oil right, only he's tryin'
to coil himself up all the time, and has
eleven rattles grown out on the end Of
his tail. Has, for a gospel fact. Nights,
when he runs around the house, sounds
like a drum corps goin' by. I Ideclare to
goodness I wish I'd brung him In to
let you see him.
Yes, the editor wished he had.
"Nero, the dogs name is, the old
man said, gazing earnestly at the editors
face. Nero, six years old this spring.
Raised him myself; Flint River dog /;
you've seen him hundreds Of times under
my wagon"
Yes, the editor thought be had seen
him, before he grew rattles.
Eyes" the old man said with O con.
frmatory sigh. Then he added, q" You
know that shaggy, rOugh-haired SeOth
terrier Of Ben Martins? Well, sir, Ben
he sent to Philadelphy and got a couple
dozen sIkwOrms and fed 'em to the dog
n'-ye hain't seen the terrier since LAST
Saturday, have ye ?"
No, the editor hadn't seen the dog,
nor Martin himself, since April.
"Well, sir, I hope may die some
time, if that dogs hair hain't come Out
the sOftest, finest silk fringe ye ever saw
In your life Silk fringe, with braid
two inches deep along his back, an 3
ball Of chenille hanging from the end d
each ear. Ben's going to buy up .
couple O hundred cheap, lOng-haired
dogs, feed 'em silkwOrms and shear EN-
every spring"
The editor thought there would be
money In it
Better'n q gold mine, the old man
said, can do you know, while ne was
feedin' Of him, Ben forgot to take off the
dogs collar, big leather collar.
And what happened to the collar ?"
the editor asked a little YEARLY.
"Velvet, said the old man enthusias-
tically, Lyons velvet, with a cellulOid
buckle. You remember the dog. don't
yer Used to come TO town with Ben
regularly three OF four times a month.
1 declare, I wisht I'd asst Ben to let me
bring him in to show you this morning.
Ben was too busy to come In himself.
'Snarley,' Ben calls him. Flint River
dog; bred and raised right here on Ben's
farm"
The editor thought he would like to
see the dog some time, when Ben had
time to bring him in. And he plunged
his pen into the ink two or three times,
as though he would write something.
eyes" the old man sighed again, and
once more Frightening up, he resumed :
''I say, he exclaimed, 'yOU remember
that long-legged, Ornary-lOohin' meat
hound Of Dick Rodgers, don't ye, that
killed Lem Crandalls sheep last Febru-
ary?"
The editor expressed a faint, a very
faintrecOllection Of Dick Rodgers dog,
and Mr.. ThistlepOd went on
"Wen, the boys had a little target
shoot over to Mary Stringer's place on
the Fourth Of July, and while they was
Bhootin', if that blamed, hungry starve-
lin Of dog didn't get at the box an eat
up more'n twenty cartridges On my
life, if he didn't Make him sick? Not
a hair of him he Just frisked around
and seemed to feel better for it. Well,
sir, about eleven o'clock that night the
dog went OFF,
"No p' exclaimed the editor, with
more interest than he had yet displayed.
'By George ! Did he make a big
noise? Did he, though? Hurt any
body?
"No, " the old man said, raising to go,
"reckon not; he Just went off with Bill
Hockenbury, that come to see Rodgers
big red-haired girl. Re come back next
mornin'."
And the editor returned to the bust
ness on the speakers table, while the
heavy tread Of the honest old farmer
faded away down the distant stairs, amid
the heartless, mock;ng laughter Of the
younger men on the staf.-BltTLiHgtOH