The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-01-09
carry him than to be running after him

l put nAS uc iOuHu HIS Cuopos oAI
rolled his wicked-looking eyes at me a.
if he thought it good joke. My arm
soon began to ache from his weight, ant
Eobody could imagine how extremely
| awkward it is to have to discuss impor
| tant business matters with fat pug
I dog under ones arm.
If continued to hold him there,
felt that he gave ME an air of frivolous
| ness which did not by any means tend
| to success in my proposals to the gen.
tleman with whom had business. If
put him down, he went shifting in cor
ners, and exhibited such impertinent
curiosity as completely to distract my
attention and effectually check the flow
of my discourse. Indeed, am satisfied
that lost from this cause several I'M
portant orders.
When l retired for the night, took
Mingo, for safe-keeping. into my bed
room and put him comfortably to bed
on the hearth-rug. In the middle OF
the night was awakened by something
heavy on my feet. 1t was Mingo. He
had deserted his own couch and was
sharing mine. ] kicked him off. But
he again aroused me at the most drowsy
hour of the morning, by his scratching
vigorously at the door to be let out, as
if he had suddenly recollected some inn
portant appointment.
By throwing everything within reach
at him, and using as strong language as
strict regard for the commandments
would allow, l induced him to return
to his place on the rug, in which he
forthwith proceeded to scratch a large
hole. l thrashed him soundly.
Determined not to repeat nv expert
ence of the day before. l left him in
charge of shoots" ut the hotel, who
promised, for consideration, to look
after him. On returning in the evening,
l found that, having been let out for
air and exercise into yard at the back,
he had improved the occasion by chas-
ing and killing a brood of young chick
ems. 1t was sport to him, but not to me,
for it cost me fifteen shilling to make
good the damage.
Irelated my misfortunes in the COM
mercial room in the evening. There
got no sympathy. The vagabonds pelt-
ed the dog and laughed at me. They
crammed him with biscuits, and even
offered him gin and water. If he had
accepted the liquor. l should hardly
have been surprised; but he did draw
the line at that, his sole remaining vir-
tue being, apparently, adherence to total
abstinence principles. When / came to
pay the bill on departure, L found that
my personal expenses amounted to
twenty-seven shillings, and Mingo's to
two pounds, which was hardly fair
proportion.
On returning home, I was so full of
my grievances that had hardly kissed
my wife before | began to relieve my
mind on the subject
'.How in the world came YOU to let
Mingo follow me?h | said. You can
not imagine what a nuisance he has
been!"
''Mingo" exclaimed my wife.
"Mingo! What do you mean9 Why,
Mingo is here, and has been here the
whole time. Isuppose he is in the gar
den now, or he would have rushed to
meet you as usual. All! here he is!
But mercy on us! there are two of
themr'
And. sure enough, there were two
Mingos, both frisking round me.
'Then it was true, after air. I ex-
claimed. 81 have stolen somebody
else's dog. And that horrid ruffian
knew it, and offered himself as my ac-
compiler
''Horatio said my wife, "what arc
you talking about? What horrible ruff
fan have you been sorsorting with. and
why have you brought home another
dog?"
As soon as 1 could collect myself a
little / told her what had occurred.
There's the whole story" / said. land
what on earth am l to do? l can't keep
a dog that doesn't belong to me-"
''Do?" said my wife, who prides her.
self on her strong common sense.
''Why, find the owner and send the
creature back to her, of course. I'm
sure we don't want her nasty dog. The
one we have already is bother enough"
(My wife is a charming woman, but she
doesn't appreciate dogs.)
Il hope she'll accept my. explana-
tionn' said. nervously.
"Accept your explanation!' was her
reply. ''She'l II be only too glad to get
her dog. I'm sure 1t was mere mis-
take, though how You could have been
so stupid as not to know strange dog
from our own, can't think!''
The two dogs had been fraternizing
around my legs, and now glanced
down at them. A tantalizing thought
struck me.
"Graciousr' 1 exclaimed. How
are we to return her dog? They've got
miXedr'
1t was true. We had not been pay
ing attention to the wretched animals,
and now it was impossible to say which
was which. There they were. exactly
alike in every particular. | defy any
human being to have distinguished
them.
At first my wife was incredulous.
NONSENSE she SAID. '.I'H soon find
out which is which,"
Accordingly she retired to little dis
lance, and called, "Mingo! Mingor'
Both dogs bounded toward her at the
call. She took out biscuit.
s"Begr, she said, this being the real
Mingos special accomplishment.
Both dogs tipped up on end stimuli
taneously, both hanging their paws and
gibbering with the same idiotic ex-
preston. Every other test failed in like
manner. If the two had been one dog
in two volumes, or one rolled into two.
as conjurors do with rabbits, they could
not have been more exactly alike.
So matters went on for 4 week. The
two Mingos scampered up and down the
house and over the garden together.
turning up, in company, to claim their