The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-09-20
Ghildren's Column.
Dear Old Jack.

patriotic because he dreaded the Fourth
of July. The trouble was he had once
been shot; and he ever after associated
the noise of all guns, and even of thun-
der, with that sad hurt.
Oh, how sorry / was for him when he
came home that day with his side all
torn and bleeding from the effect of the
shot that some hard-hearted fellow had
fired into him We tried to make bed
for him of some old clothes, but he
would not touch them. Then his young
master took off his coat and laid it down
for him and can now seem to see the
look of gratitude in his suffering face as
he slowly crawled to his bed
Do you think it a weakness in our old
friend that he was ever after afraid of
gun? If only every one was afraid of
that which hurts him If men and boys
would use the law of association and their
reason to as much advantage
Suppose every one should associate
suffering and disgrace and hunger and
misery and death with the wine-cup and
grog-shop so as to be afraid to touch or
to come near the poison that wounds so
sorely, would not the world be better for
such weakness
Perhaps Jack was foolish to fear the
thunder; but then he had never been
taught to read the Bible, and no one had
told him the lightnings are the arrows OF
Gods culver, and that he who loves God
need not fear. Well, this fear of a gun
rather interfered with his usefulness as a
hunter. He was ready to hunt only you
must not take gun along
Now, boys, here is one thing about my
old friend Jack that has given me much
thought: that is a0hy need he fear such a
friend as II Didn't he know that
loved him
This puzzled me not little. Would
you like to know how I have solved it
When tell you, you will see that if l
have rightly solved the mystery, even
this weakness reflects credit upon the
dogs character.
[ have come to the conclusion that he
supposed his being shot was either mis-
take or an accident, not believing that
any person could be so cruel as to hurt
him on purpose. So he seemed to think
that the same mistake might occur again,
even among his friends, and the safe
thing for him to do would be to keep
away from that which might cause mis-
chief
1 may not be right in this conclusion,
but the theory seems most in keeping
with the known character of this faithful
fellow; and am going to give his mem
DRY the benefit of it.
You think it must have been a great
drawback not to have Jacks help in
hunting? Oh, no; not much, at least for
me and tor several reasons
In the first place, I had no gun and
very little ammunition. The only gun
that I could borrow took SO much powder
that could not afford to load it very
often, and such shot as peas and beans,
cherry stones, and old nails cut up, were
not very effective. Fourthly there was
not much to shoot in the place where |
lived, and with pretty good bow and a
few arrows Jack and l could hunt Just
as we'll as with gun, and shoot about as
much.
1t is true I never shot much, so that
we never brought home any game taken
in that way, but we could Hauat there
was nothing to interfere with that. Still,
| ought to tell you that we did now and
then trap something; and then we had
our sport. Such events were much
talked over and it seemed as if my play
mate understood what was said, and en-
ioyed the conversation as much as some
Of those to whom the event was told.
once referred to his good habit of
not telling what he ought not but 1 for
got to say that when we took one certain
kind of an animal in our trap, he never
kept the secret of that fact from any one
in the house. perhaps ought to add
that it was not his fault so do not think
hard of his memory on that account.
Good Jack was fond of going with me
when went on errands, or after the
COWS, or the horse, or when went bath
ing in the river or pond and, as I said,
was exceedingly fond of hunting with
me; but there was one game at which he
was very expert, and Of which ne was
very fond and this l think he enjoyed
most of all. He had quite reputation
for this, and played it 50 well that it was
not an unusual thing for the boys in the
neighborhood to come there to have a
game with us. This favorite game we
called "hide and whoop."
You have played it? Well, then you
know that it has lots of innocent fun in
it, specially if you have a good thick
grove to play it in big trees and clumps
Of bushes around which one can walk
like a cat when he is being hunted and