The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1885-11-19
FOR BOYS AND GIRLS.
Sweetness" and Baby"

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 sc
sensitive, and it was very foolish II
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 fol
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 | 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 a 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 We're almost victor
ious for him the two older boys would
invaria bly, b1ag over how ''Tige' had
laid out the other dogs. How much
never thought about. OF course the
younger brother would not have liked
to have had Tige whipped, bat when
/ the dog would come home limping and
cut up with big sears 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 q
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 il he were a dear
friend and comrade,
Now there is 2 kind of unwritten
law in the county, 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 dog
! that once he has chased 81 sheep ne
will try and kill it, and having killed
! one, he will keep on chasing and kill
ing other sheep. do not offer any
excuse for dogs of this kind. Though
they may be following out theirnatur-
/ al instincts. there is no cure for such
INSTINCTS but to get rid OF them. Dogs
that kill sheep seem to acquire a great
I deal of cunning. So rs to hide all
evidences of their crimes. ! do not
believe half the stories told OF these
sheep-killing dogs-such as of their
1 slipping their collars, then going after
/ sheep all night, then coming back again
and getting their collars on again, SO
that when their master saw them they
made believe that they had never
budged all night. | have read OF q
Newfoundland dog who, after killing
sheep all night, and covering himself
with blood and wool, used to come
homo as slick and clean as could be,
having always taken careful wash-of1
in a river before presenting himself to
his master.
Right NEXT to the farm where the
boys and their father lived, there was
a farmer who kept flock of sheep, and
he too had a dog. Butch-that was
the name OF the ther dog-was snar-
ing brute, and six pounds heavier
than Tige, and was Tige's es.
pecial enemy. There is a great deal
more of discretion about animals than
they are generally supposed to have.
Though Tige was as pllcky as a game
cock, and that's the brayest thing ]
know OF, Drawer for his size than a lion,
the boys dog generally gave Butch a
wide berth. There were, of course,
many openings in the fields, and the
dogs would often face one other, and
one and tho other would growl and
hurl insults at one another in canine
language, but they rarely came to
j blows, or rather bites.
Dragging SO much about their own
dog Tige had induced the big brothers
to believe that he could whip Butch,
and they had tried their best to get up
a fight, but to this the younger broth
er was violently opposed. Once when,
by egging 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
petticoat tied round your waist, y
cried the other brother.
Not long after that, the farmer that
had his place next to where the boys
lived found some of his sheep killed.
Now a man who owns a dog never will
acknowledge The possibility of his own
dog killing sheep, but it must be q
neighbours dog. He was close-fsted
farmer rather cross one, and he at
once made up his mind that it was
Tigs who had killed his sheep. Angry
and excited he took his gun and ran
to the fence, where he saw his neigh
boris boys.
"See here you fellows-I an going to
shoot your hound, you are always try.
ing to make him fight. Didn't
l see you the other day doine
your level best to make your Tige
fight my Butch, and Butch is
the best tempered dog in the town
ship? You boys are always up to mis-
chief, and making Tige SO hungry to
eat up other peoples dogs has got him
to Strengthening my poor sheep. Three
sheep, that's 500 out OF my pocket,
and / am going to take it out OF Tige
SO stand aside while Iput q load o.