The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1885-11-19

But Tise, seeming row ofsoine kind,
stood manfully to the ront. Tibet two
big brothers began to hallow at him,
but Tige would not bulge. Then the
little fellow walked up to the fence and
said:
cit isn't so. There was no fight. I
wouldn't let 'em fight. Your Bucth is
mean dog anyways, and q good deal
more likely to kill your sheep than
Tige."
ats a pack of lies. Now stand out
of the way. l amt going to allow no
fooling about here. That dog ofyours
is bound to be shetland am going
to kill him." cried the farmer.
Then the little boy called to Tige,
who for the first time minded the voice
of the one he loved best ane came and
stood behind his little master.
Now you must shoot me-" said the
little boy, "and then you will get hung
for a murderer" he added, cody, and
he stood there just as quiet as he could
be. More than that, he sat down, and
held Tige in his arms.
to enrage the farmer so much that he
lost all control OF himself. He put his
single barreled gun against the fence,
jumped over it and made for Tige and
his master. He was a rather fat old
fellow, and not so very active. The
little brother saw him coming. Then
he hallooed out to Tige, $50 home"
and Tige obediently scampered across
the field, but as all dogs will do, he
would stop occasionally to look after
his young master. Seeing the dog run
ming, the farmer bounced back over
the fence for his gun, and trained it
over the top rail of the fence so as to
shoot. Then quick as could be, the
little fellow jumped up too, and just as
the farmer thought he had sighted the
running Tige, the barrel o. the gun
was showed away up in he air, so that
when the old fowling piece did go off
the buckshot ratified in the leaves and
boughs of a neighboring tree. Then
the little fellow walked away quietly
enough towards home, though it must
be said that his big brothers ran just
as fast as they could.
That night when the family were as
sembled nobody SAID anything about
the incidents of the day, and OF course
Tige was silent, for he did not know
what a narrow escape he had had.
Presently one of the farm hands
said: cold Jones's back is up about
having had sheep killed. His Butch
is mighty mean dog. / know the
stock that dog comes from and some
OF that breed is always killing sheep,
it S natural to them"
The boys never let on a word.
That night, when the boys went to
bed, one of the big brothers said to the
younger one:
"You are pluck; We never are going
to call you Baby Or Sweetness,
again. You're bigger fellow than we
are. You wasn't a bit afraid
Then the other brother said: Cub,
you are grit. He's mighty rough
man, and if it hadn't been for you old
Tige's hide would have been riddled.
See here. I'm going to buy you the
best knife can find at the store, pro-
viding you don't tell anybody how we
ran away while you stood up and
faced a man with a loaded gun.
Two Or three days after that the
neighboring farmer came to the house
and asked to see the lads. Though he
was mighty gunpowdery kind Of an
old fellow, there was some spark of
justice in him.
"See here, boys" he said, II came
mighty near making fool of myself
the other day, all along about your
dog. Inever suspected Butch-but
me and one of my hands sot up the
other night and we heard the sheep
a-racing like mad, and we turned out,
and there was that Butch of ourn
just a-tearing at q sleeps throat.
There WASH nobody near to save that
ours life, and l don't miss dog twice.
The long and the short of it is, that
there amt no Butch just at present, lat
least to speak of. So, boys, Iaint too
proud to axe your pardons, but that
little chap is as brave a boy as | ever
came across, and if he don't make a
man we shall be proud about, I'm much
mistaken So they all shook hands
around, and that was the end OF it.
My story would be without point if
did not tell you something about the
little fellow in after life who, when he
vas small had been nicknamed ''Sweet
ness and Baby" 1t was quite GER
tain that he was made of somewhat
better material than his brothers. Ho
neither became a great general, nor a
leading clergyman, nor a brilliant poll
tician. He stuck to farming Hewas
so just. SO humane, so careful Of the
rights Of others, that he became the
most respected man in the county
where he lived-and that is saying
good deal.