Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1885-10-28
SPOTS Savings Bank.

we are all lanllluT WIN lne uapiI
peculiar to dogs of burying and hiding
bones for future dinners and lunches,
making, as it were, savings-Ianks OF
our flower bols and strawberry
patches. / once lived in farmhouse
where there also resided dog which
was particularly given to this thrifty
practice, and The boys used to play
practical Jokes ON him on account of
the miserIy habit.
One day, having watched him hide
a sleeps humerus Cor shoulder-of-
mutton bone) in this manner, they
dug it up and buried in its place one
of those toy jack-in-the-boxes, with
big, furry whiskers and large, staring
eyes, which hy up with a spring as
soon as you unfasten the lid. This
they 50 arranged that the moment
Spot touched it with his paw it should
60 off, so to speak.
For several days Spot was as closely
watched as a suspected Nihillst would
be by tho police in Russia, but he
showed no sign of drawing on his
bank account. At last it was sug-
gested by shrewd little fellow that
they cut off his rations, and so starye
him into doing what they wanted.
This soon had the desired effect, and
Spot was seen slyly creeping along
under the shadow Of the fence toward
his safe-deposit vault, where, after
casting a cautious glance around to
see that he was not watched, he began
a lazy and deliberate scratching.
All of a sudden the grim and grizzly
Jack flew out of the earth, looking
none the less awful from having his
hair and whiskers filled with parti-
cles of earth and gravel.
Spot glared with dumb terror at the
appartion for the siXtieth part OF
second, and then gave one great bound
backward, and, uttering howl Of
agony. wheeled off. with his tail be-
tween his legs, till he was brought up
standing in one of those vegetable por-
cupines known as a gooseberry bush.
Then he pricked up his ears, frightened
his tail more firmly between his legs,
stared wildly to the right left, be-
walled, W-o-o-o.o-o-o oo-ow-wow-
ow-wow After this he took two
bars rest, looked all round again, and
once more gave vent to a "Wow-wow-
wow-wow !" but this time rather
more deGantIy. Receiving no re-
sponse to this challenge, he ventured
to take few steps cautiously toward
jack -in-the-box, paused a while, and
gave another bark; and so with barks
and pauses, he at last reached the fear
full object.
1t would take too long to describe
all his maneuvers and his many snaps
before he ventured to seize the thief
who had stolen his bone, but when he
did so it was very amusing to watch
the manner in which he worried that
unlucky toy.
The spiral spring, which we all
know is the backbone of jack-in-the-
box, was the only thing which baffled
MIN, the end of it getting into his
eyes, up his nose, in his ears, and
everywhere. For weeks after, when
that spiral wire had become covered
with rust, Spot used always to give it
timid nibble, followed by "a contemp-
tuous sniff as he passed it by.
For long time after this Spot was
very cautious about digging up his
buried treasures, and when at last the
boys tried another trick upon him Gin
which gunpowder played an important
part), and his savings bank burst
up," as other banks sometimes do, he
lost his faith in banks of deposit, and
never buried any bones thereafter
Harpers Young People.