Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-11-05
"uNsER FRITZ"
True Story of One of the Truest an
Most Faithful of Friends.


Most Faithful of Friends.
I dare say my young readers will
| think am going to tell them something
about the Crown Prince of Germany.
| whom all the people of the German
Empire love Familiarity to call ''Unser
Fritz" Fritz.
But the Fritz I'm about to speak OF
| was Crown Prince among dogs. He
| was St. Bernard of the most magnif-
cent proportions, with strain of the
bloodhound, which made people at
times little afraid of him. But he
| never troubled them unless there was
| something suspicious-looking about
| them. of which he took it upon himself
to be the Judge. He was as black as a
coal from head to foot, with the excep-
ton of white star upon his breast
| He was most superb Watchdog; NO
| regiment of the old Kaissr's grenadiers
| could have guarded our premises more
| vigilantly than did he, and if the Ger
| man Fritz looks after the affairs of his
| Empire, when he comes to govern it, as
| we'll as our Fritz did after his charge,
his subjects will be admirably taken
care of.
Fritz was 8 dog of very lofty bearing,
very exclusive in his associations, and
the soul of dignity and pride He was
superior to al1 the ordinary little mean
nesses of dog-hood; he was never
! known to take anything he was forbid
! den to touch, for his obedience was alb
| solute.
I have, from my friend Rose Kings
ley, an anecdote of dog belonging to
her father, Charles Kingsley, who once
| so far forgot his principles (though
reared in the Eversley Rectory) as to
steal beefsteak while the family was
at church. Mr.. Kingsley called up the
dog, and in a grave manner reproached
! him with what he had done. From
that day forth, till the day Of his death,
/ the word .beefsteak' was never ut
tered in the dogs presence without his
dropping his head and skulking away,
with his tail between his legs Our
Fritz was higher bred, and had more
honorable principles than Mr.. Kings
ley's dog; he never stole a beefsteak!
His devotion to his master was exclu-
sive and extreme. I believe he would
have let his ears be cut off if his master
had wished to do it. and would have
/
| his master everywhere except to church;
/ and as he always knew when Sunday
came, he had never to be told to stay
at home that day. He was not allowed
i-4<,-a., <--.l.A 1; h,aru xsfLara hia master
usually sat, unless on special occasions;
and a motion of the finger was then
sufficient to beckon him in or to, ordea
him out. Yet he would lie with his
muzzle on the rug, at the biLrary door,
with mathematical precision, bringing
it to line with the door holdings, bui
not intruding a half inch beyond-so
strict was he to the ietterin his ODE
dience. He would bound to the, cham
Der and bring down his, masters slip
| pers when he saw his master come in,
and if hc heard an order given for the
riding horse to be got out, he just as
eagerly hunted up and brought the
riding-boots.
His devotion to his master was OF
such watohful character that if any
stranger approached him, he always
managed to stand between his master
i and the newcomer, keeping a. steady
| eye on the latter.
The way he would kiss-an caress his
| master, and the horse his mastar rode,
| was pathetic to see; he never seemed
| perfectly happy unless he had in sight
the face and form that were dearer to
him than his own life.
Il shall mover forget a.touching scene
that occurred last October of our poor
Fritz's life. Our. Virgins gentlemen
have every autumn what they call the
fall hunt; when about twenty of them
form an encampment in the mountains,
some twenty or thirty miles distant,
where they remain fortnight for deer
shooting They carry. several tents
with them, beds and bedding, cooking
stove, a colored hancock, and all the
utensils and arrangements. for fort
nights comfortable living All the
packs of hounds in the neighborhood
are gathered together ins leash.
On the morning of which. speak, the
whole cavalcade, hunters, horses, bag
gage-wagons. servants and many packs
of hounds, were gathered together in
our stable-yard, awaiting the signal for
starting Horns were sounding, dogs
were baying, guns were gathering,
eager hunters were laughing and talk
ing, and a general excit9ment was over
all the establishments
Fritz'ss spirits were extremely high.
He sprang up dozen times and kissed
his masters riding horse, brought his
master his whip and boots, and seemed
fairly beside himself with Joy.
But Fritz was NOT TO be of the hunt
party. On the mountains he was.
out of his element. and only marred
the sport; so he was TO be left at home
BuA his master could not bear to ten
him this. and determined not to start
with the party, but make deto,1r and
Zip away impoverished. Consequently
he had his horse led round to the front
cato of the house, intending to mAunt
there, but Fritz was so alert and vigi-
sant that it was impossible to elu2o his
watchfulness So his master took him
aside and said, in low but impressive
lone Of voica
Fritz, yea are not to go with met,
If the dog had been shot, think he
,ould scarcely have fallen to the ground
lt was at the end of a long hall, that
commanded the front door and front
gate, where the dog had dropped. His
master patted him afTectionatoly, passed
on and mounted his horse, but Fritz no
more moved than if he were dead.
His master called to him: s.Good-b ye.
Fritzr' but he lay motionless. The
household gathered about him and tried
to comfort him.
Look up, Fritz!'' 1 said. See! your
master is speaking to you," but he
buried his face between his DAVIS and
seemed not to hear.
When some one said: Papa is gone"
low moan burst from the dog. and
this finally became a sobb:n - cr-v urb;rL