Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-12-07
cold Day for Doys.

Burlington Hawkeye.l
Old MIR. Thistlepod cam in from
Flint river, and climbed up the long
stairs to the sanetum, emptied a chair
load Of exchanges on the floor, and sat
down.
Say" the old man said, chewing
his morsel of navy plug with the rapid
intonation of a man who was in ear.
nest, Say, you know that spotted
coach dog Of mine that bit his leg with
a rattlesnake nigh onto three weeks
ago.
Yes" the editor said he remem-
bered it. Dog dead p
Dead" said the old man, mo; live
as you are, and all right, only he's try
ing 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. | declare to goodness | wish
Ida brung him in TO let yousee him"
YES, the editor wished he had.
Nero, the dogs name is" the old
man said, gazing earnestly at the edi-
tors face. Nero, is 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 he had seen
him before he grew rattlcs.
Yes" the old man said with a con-
frmatory sigh. Then he added, You
know that shaggy, rough haired Scotch
terrier oil Ben Martin's2 Well, sir,
Ben he sent to philadelphia and got
a couple dozen silkworms and fed EN-
to the dog, an'-yer hain't Beer the
.errier since last Saturday, have YEP
No, tie editor had not seen the dog,
nor Martin himself, since April.
well, sir, | hops / may die some
time, il hat dogs hair bain't come
out the s%Oftest, finest silk fringe We
ever saw in your life Silk fringe,
with a braid two inches deep along his
back, an a ball Of chenille hanging
from the end Of each ear. Ben's goini
- buy up a couple O. hundred cheap,
l9ng-haired dogs, feed EN- silkvorms
and sheer EN- every spring"
The editor thought there would be
money in it
"Bettern'n a gold mine the old
man said, AN do you know, while he
was feediR' Of him, Ben forgot TO take
of the dogs collar, bigleather collar?"
And what happened 10 the collar?n
the editor asked a little YEARLY.
Velvet" said the old man enthusi-
gstically. Lyons velvet with a eel
luloid buckle. You remember the
dog. don't YEP Used TO come to town
with Ben regularly three or four times
a month. ! declare, ] visit I'd asst
Ben to let me bring him in to show
yeu this morning. Ben was too busy
to come in himself. 'Snarly,' BeI
calls him. Flint River dog; bred anC
raised right here on Ben's farm"
The editor thought he would like t
see The dog some time, when Ben haC
time TO bring him in. And be plung
ed his pen into the ink two or tire
times, as though he would write some
thing.
Yes" the old man sighed again
and once more Frightening up, b
resumed: Il say. be exclaimed, yol
remember that long legged, onary
lookin' meat hound of Dick Rogers
don't ye. that killed Lem Crandlll'
sheep last February
The editor expressed a faint,
very fair recollection Of Dick Roger
dog, anu Mr.. Thistlepod went On
well, the boys had a little targ,
shoot over to Mary Stringer's place o
the Fourth Of July, and while the
was shootin', if that blamed, hung
starvelin' of a dog didn't get at Il
box aud eat up more'n twenty car
ridgesl On my life, if he didn't Nal
him sick? Not a hair of him; he ju
frisked around aud seemed to feel be
ter for it. Well, sir, about II o'cloc
that night he went off,"
NO" exclaimed the editor, wi
more interest than he had yet di
played. by Georgel Did he make
big noise? Did he though? Hu
a~nybody2'
mo" the old man said, rising to 2
"reckou not; be just went off with B.
Hockenbury, that comes TO see 70
ers' big red haired girl lie can
back next mornin'."
And the editor returned to bis bus
ness on the Speakers table, while d
heavy tread Of the honest old fatm.
faded away down the distant stain
amid the heartless hooking laughtl
Of the younger staff.
To the Trade.