Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1885-10-08

Dogs.
! was strolling down Montgomery
street one day last week with Jack
Wetherall, when seedy-looking indi-
vidual, leading a bullteuier Of the most
pronounced type, approached us and
asked that question which Schuyler has
made so famous: Don't you want to
buy dorgP" As neither Of us cared
about investing in dog-fesh just then.
we moved on to escape the mans i'm
portunities As we did Jack remarked:
Course those bull terriers, One of the
accursed brutes cost me fortune"
''How was that jack" l inquired.
the more anxiously because Jack was
known to have experienced some great
disappointment in money matters,
though he was most reticent upon the
subject
well, it's pretty.longish yarn, but
II l shan't bore you, just let's slip into
Cs back-room, and I'll unburden my
soul on the subject of rich uncles and
bull-terriers.
SOwe lit our cigars, ordered some
fluid comfort and Jack Wetherall gave
the following graphic account of his
troubles:
"When was at Cambridge, in '63.
bull-terriers were the fashion among a
certain somewhat fast clique. Not
great, ungainly mongrels like that brute
we saw just now, but high-bred, hand
some little fellows, weighing from eight
cen to twenty pounds, and bred in such
manner as to contain as much force
as possible in the smallest amount Of
space. OF course was bound to have
one, and as money in those days was
not much OF an object l determined to
get good one. 1t was some time be-
fore could find just the dog l wanted,
but at-last succeeded in buying, for
twenty pounds, the most incarnate lit
tie iiend in the shape of dog that man
ever owned. 1t was milk-whte, with
handy legs, a round bullet head, tail
fine as black-and-tan's, and ears that
had been most artistically trimmed. II
weighed only fourteen pounds and
some odd ounces. When / took it to
the stables, where kept my horse, the
ostler, upon whose authority had the
greatest confidence, assured me that il
was d 'puffect leetle booty My col
lege chums all went into ecstasies over
Snap (for that was the name Of the i'll
omened brute). and felt quite sense Of
added grandeur in being the owner of
so fine dog. The man from whom
had bought Snap had not by any means
exaggerated when he said that there
dog Il face Old Nick. He would. He
was immense on rats, but the vast
amount Of bull in him made him hang
on too long to his game ever to make q
fast rattcr. He was game, however, to
the backbone. I've put him in a pit
with twenty-five big old sewer-rats,
and, although all bitten to pieces, he d
not quit until he had killed every one.
Cats he detested. and whenever oppor.
tunity offered took no pains to disguise
his feelings He had, however, one
very bad trait in his character; he was
quarrelsome to degree. The old
lady's fat, wheezy pet-spaniel was hi:
pet aversion. and many are the awk.
ward predicaments into which he got
me. One incident | shall never forget
1t was summer vacation, and my people
were stopping in Cumberland Terrace
Regents Park. " course / had Sna,
home with me, for we had be
come inseparable. Well, opposit,
the terrace Is garden (publit
to the terrace folks, where nurse
maids were wont to air thei
babies, and where the old ladies of thu
terrace used to exercise their dogs
One summer morning, just as I wa
quietly smoking my matutinal pipe
with Snap beside me on the garden
seat, stout lady passed, followed b,
the latest Of fat spanicls. In a sec
q ond, before had time to think or act
Snap had that wretched, obese brut,
BY the throat Take it off! Take j
D oil twill kill my Fido,' screame,
the stout old lady. as she belaboret
both dogs indiscriminately with he
parasol. Tragic though the affair was
no doubt to the old lady, l could no
help almost bursting with smothere,
laughter. The spaniel must hav,
weighed quite forty pounds. and Their
was little Snap tugging at ii with al
his might while 1t squealed like
stuck pig. l lost no time. however. i
choking Snap of, and apologized mos
humbly to the irate old lady. She wa
like Rachael weeping for her children
only a good deal more wrathy, an,
would not be comforted. She left m
with this parting shot; Only coster
mongers snd rat-catchers should g
about with such dogs as that At tn
time felt offended and hurt; now
think she was right But here, In
getting away from the chief and mos
expensive Of Snaps misdeeds:
II had certain rich uncle, crust
old bachelor. who lived in Warwick
shire. The same vacation in which tn
old lady episode occurred, about whicl
I've Just told you, had an invitation t
spend week with him at his Lowell
place near Guys Gulf. Knowing tina
the old gentleman was fond of animals
had no hesitation about taking Sna
with me. The old boy met me at tn
railroad station with his carriage A
Jumped into the barouche, with Sns
at nv heels, the old gentleman shrun
back and exclaimed: Surely, Jack. tbs
communicating dog can't belong
youP' But Snap had most winnin
way about him. and soon he and m
uncle were on the best of terms ID
looks like fighting dog, Jack. and
hardly the deg for a gentleman to own