Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1881-10-06
Dickens Dogs.

ter tells us, was inexhaustible, and he
welcomed with delight any newly-dis-
| covered trait in their characters. The
society of his own dogs he ardently en-
joyed He invariably kept two or more
mastifls to guard his house against the
undesirable wayfarers who haunted the
high road hard by.
Ofall these, his special favorite was
Turk, "a noble animal, full of affection
and intelligence" who had as his CO.
mate Linda, "superbly beautiful
| creature" the scion of st. Bernard,
brought over by Albert Smith. These
two dogs happened to be with him WI en-
he fell lame, ami, boisterous compan-
ions as they always were, the sudden
change in their masters gait brought
| them ut once to stand-still. As he
| limped home, three miles through the
snow, they crept at his side at the same
slow pace, and never once turned away
| from him.
Dickens was greatly moved at the
time by their solicitous behavior, and
often afterward spoke Of Turks up
turned tace as full of sympathy mingled
with fear. and of Linda's inconsolable
| detection. A railway accident brought
death to Turk and sorrow to his master
and then came Sultan, a cross between
St. Bernard and bloodhound, built
| like lioness, but of such indomitably
aggressive propensities that, after break
ing loose and well nigh devouring a
small sister of one of the servants, he
was first hogged, and then sentenced to
be shot at seven the next morning
Gle went out" says Dickens, Every
cheerfully with the half-dozen men told
off for the purpose, evidently thinking
they were going to be the death of
somebody unknown. But, observing in
the procession an empty wheelbarrow
and double-barrelled gun, he became
medtative, and fixed the bearer of the
gun with his eyes. A stone deity
thrown across him by the village black
guard ne chief mourner--caused him
to look around for an instant, and he
then fell dead, shot through the heart.
Two posthumous children are at this
moment rolling on the lawn; one will
evidently inherit his ferocity, and will
probably inherit the gun
The description of Dickens welcome
by his dogs on his return from America
how they lifted their heads to have
their ears pulled, an attention received
from him alone; how Linda, weeping
profusely, threw herself on her back
that she might caress his foot with her
large fore-paws; and how the terrier
Mrs. Bouncer. barking furiously, ''tore
round him ike the dog in the Faust
outline" -will show at once the tender
relations that existed between the great
novelist and his canine friends.
Dickens, sympathy with dogs, and
especially with their humor, was illus
trated by his story Of the very comical
dog thai caught his eye in the middle
of a reading, and, after intently looking
at him for some time, bounced into the |
cen cr aisle and tried the effect of n |
bark upon the proceedings, when Dick
ems burst into such paroxysm of Taught |
ter that the audience roared again and
agar with him. The dog came the
next night also, but met with very
different reception; for, having given
warning of his presence to an attend
ant near the door by suppressed bark
and touch on the leg, he was caught
IN faqraute deHcto, when with bis eye
upon Dickens he was just about to give
louder tongue, and was whirled with
both hands over the attendants head
into the entrance behind, whence he
was promptly kicked by the check tax
ers into the street.-Next night he
came again, and with another dog,
whom he had evidently promised to
pass in free but the check takers we're
prepared.