The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1885-12-25
FOR BOYS AND GIRLS.

ssSweetness'' and 'fBaby.'
They were not exactly bad, but
they were not what you would call
nice brothers. They werefond enough
of him in their rough way, but they
used to bother him, calling him Baby
and Sweetness" and they delighted
in teasing him. Maybe the little
brother ought not to have been SO
sensitive, and it was very foolish In
him to cry, when they laughed at him.
He wasn't afraid of them, but then
the little brother used to wonder and
wonder why they were not like the
good brothers in the story books, and
the big brothers kind OF felt sorry for
him, because when they were about he
was not sociable with them, but used
to get out of their way.
You see the family lived in the coun-
try, pretty nearly alone, and the lit
tie brother had not any chance to
play with other fellows. Sickly chill
dren are sometimes not very playful
but the small boy l am writing about
had nothing the matter with him, the
only thing was that the ways of his
brothers were not his ways. Maybe
they did not understand him, and
perhaps the youngest brother did not
want to be understood.
All the brothers were fond of ami
mails in their particular way, but
can't say that the taste of the eldest
boys, for there were three brothers,
was a nice one In kind of joint
copartnership they owned big bull
terrier, who was, as a dog, pretty
much of bully. His fights with neigh
bors' dogs were constant. AS the bull
terriers battles were almost victor
ious for him the two older boys would
invariably bIag over how '"Tige" had
laid out the other dogs. How much
Tige had been bitten or cut up they
never thought about. OF course the
younger brother would not have liked
to have had Tige whipped, but when
the dog would come home elimping and
cut up with big scars all over him, it
was the youngest brother who always
cared for him. The boy would do his
best to make the dog comfortable,
watching him for days, and keeping
him in his kennel, for Tige was so
plucky that the very next day after a
bad fight he would have tried his level
best to get into another scrimmage.
1t was quite plain to see who Tige
liked best. He would come, being an
.obedient dog, to the eldest brothers
whenever they called him, but rather
like an humble slave; but when the
youngest boy said, "Here, Tige," the
dog would spring up with a bound,
wagging his tail as if he were O. dear
friend and comrade,
Now there is kind of 'unwritten
law in the country, which, though
cruel in appearance, is, however, just
enough, and that is, that all dogs
found worrying sheep must be killed.
1t is one of the bad traits of a dog
that once he has chased q sheep he
will try and kill it, and having killed
'one, he will keep on chasing and kill
ling other sheep. do not offer any
excuse for dogs of this kind. Though
they may be followingout their natur-
al instincts, there is no cure for such
instincts but to get rid OF them. Dogs
MIL SliCCp SSOAi1 W cDSdSt z Ccbl
deal of cunning, SO as to hide all
evidences of their crinaes. I do not
believe half the stories told of these
sheep-killing dogs-such ;as of their
slipping their collars, then going after
sheep all night, then comingibacI again
and getting their collars on again, SO
that when their master saw them they
made believe that they had never
Ill -, II -,
Newfoundland dog who, after killing
sheep all night, and covering himself
with blood and wool, used to come
hhome as slick and clean as,could be-
having always taken acareful wash-of
in q river before presenting himself tc
his master.
Right next to the fara where the
boys and their father lived, there was
a farmer who kept afiock OF sheep, and
he too had a dog. Buteh-tha6 was
tle name of the other dog aesnar
ing brute, and six pounds heavier
than Tige, and was Tige's es
pecsal enemy. There is a great .aea,
none of discretion about animals than
they. are generally supposed to have
ThoWgh Tige was as plucky as a game.
cock, .and that's the brayest thing
know .of, Drawer for his size than lion
the boys dog generally gave Butch g
wide berth. There were, of course
many openings IN the fields, and the
dogs would often face one other, and
one and the other would growl and
hurl insults at ONE another in canine
language, but they rarely came to
blows, or rather bites.
Dragging so much about their OWL
dog Tige had induced the big brothers
to believe that he could whip Butch,
and they had tried their best to get up
fight, but to this the younger broth
er was violently opposed. Once when,
by yegging on, Tige and Butch faced one
another in a. gap in hedge, the
younger brother had thrown himself
between them, at the risk of being bit
ten by Butch.
"Spoiled fight, you baby" said one
of the big brothers.
Sweetness, you ought to have a