Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1886-08-14
My WIFE'S Pet.
BY NELSON HERSH.

to the same thing.
She fondl2d him as affectionately az
though she had owned the sole proprietary
right and title in him. She looked upon
him with undi 'guised pride. She put him
through all his little tricks with an en-
thusiasm that time could not abate For
repetition tire.
The truth is, my wife was fond of dogs.
She liked animals in general and dogs in
particular And the dogs liked her. The
tacit but mutually complete understanding
between her and them was somethi, abso-
lutely wonderful. In the nine years of our
married life l had never seen dog tina.
would not make friends with NV wife on
first sight, without waiting for formal in
troduc ion.
Hopkins, our II. ighbor across the street,
once bought a German mastitf for watch
dog. The German mastitf is by nature the
most ferocious and blood thirsty Of dogs
Hopkins was uncommonly savage. The
brute had mouth ike coal scuttle, and
his voice kept tramps at distance of many
blocks from the house, sumner and winter.
He was valuable dog in this /, spcct,
The Hopkinscs called him Cyclone, be-
cause desolation marked his path. He
would eat nothing but chunks of raw meat,
and 1t was o dane efous TO get wi hin range
of his rayenous NAV that they Lad to stand
off and feed him with ptchfork. OF
course they kept him chaine d all day, and
when he was loosed at night no one ever
ventur out of the house.
Well, one day my wife went over to the
Hopklnses', and "Cyclore" saw her. He
was fastened with a giant log chain,
but he broke away and. rushed toward my
wife. he Hopkins women fled into the
second story of the house and screamed.
They expected TO lave balcony view of
human sacrifice right ihers. But the bar
barrie spectacle did rot come Of as adver-
tised. When Cyclone" had given prac-
teal illustration of the second axiom in
Euclid by covering tho shortest possible
distance between his kennel and the spot
where my wife stood, he stopped. He looked
into my wifes face and my wife smiled.
From that moment the huge brute was a
changed dog. He rubbed up against my
wife. fawned ct her feet, and $50 she SOL
emily AYERS to this day. actually purred
like q kitten. That settled it. She and
"Cyclone" Iecame firm friends, but the big
German mastltf was never worth his keep
as a watch dog afterward. His ferocity of
disposition entirely disappeared, and old
man Hopkins gave him to a butcher in Mil
waukee.
Since the Milwaukee butcher took him
Cyclone" never has been seen alive.
mention this merely as an instance. II
is only one of many. Ihe history of our
family is full CT just such cases. Time and
again have | seen my wife followed in the
street by procession of dogs that would
have reached more than block, single file:
orphaned dogs, vagrant dogs, dogs of high
and low degree. from the nce-pampered
greyhound thrown by some sad and sudden
reverse in fortune from home of luxury
infn AVID 10, h.,
ginger colored mongrel that never had
home.
But dieress.
Notwithstanding my wife's remarkable
fondness for dogs, she never had dog
which she could call her own until she got
the one 1 started TO speak of. AS l said
before, the dog in question was really not
her dog, but she thought he was, and when
my wife makes up her mind on point Of
that kind the matter is settled to all prac-
ical intents and purposes. Just here, it
may be proper for me to explain how my
wife came by the dog. 1t happened like
this:
My wife has for many years been a lead
ing member of well-known humane
society. She has also been President of an
association Tor The prevention of cruelty to
angle-worms. This associat on has &C
complished great work, net only in pro-
tecting the worms hut i'll restricting the
ruthless slaughter Of fish owing to scarcity
of bait. In view of its successful work in
this direction, the association recently
passed a set of resolutions declaring tho
belief of lis members that the gratifying
decrease noted in tishermens lies thi
season is due principally, i'll an indirect
way, to the asso ciation's far-reaching
efforts.
She has also taken an active part in the
work Of an organization devoted exclusively
10 the amelioration of the condition of the
canine. race. 1t has made phenomenal
strides the last Two seasons. Year be- ore
last 1t devised scheme, now in successful
operation, for washing white poodles with
out getting soap in their eyes; and last year
1t devoted the greater part of its time to the
consideration of a painless process of re-
moving Seas fr9m dogs without killing the
fieas. The organization is still busy with
this work.
From her connection with these societies
my wife's fondness for the brute creation in
general and dogs in particular became
known to all our friends. Among others
were the boys in the Office. They at once
began to manifest great interest i'll animal
life. They attended several meetings, ut
which my wife delivered addresses, and
after she had been down to the office and
talked to them two CT three times they
joined the Association for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Angl worms and the Society
for the Amelioration of the Condition OF
the Canine lace, in body.
After this thing had been going on some
ime the head clerk in the office came in
ne evening, with smi e on his face and
dog at his heels. He said the dog was for
my wife. He thought she would like it,
and he wanted me to take the dog home. 1
objected a, first, but the clerk insisted. j
nm the senior partner in the firm. but when
The head clerk insists he generally carries
his point. would repel with scorn and in
disnation an insinuation that am afraid of
that man, yet he rarely requests anything
that is not granted. He is valuable man
around the office, and it is his way.
So took the dog home.
He was good looking dog of the cocker
spaniel variety. He had unusually long
silken ears, and eyes that spoke with silent
eloquence. His tail was handsome enough
TO have made the rest of the dog jealous.
There was no trace Of guile in his face, yet
that dog was capable OF the basest insrati-
tude.
But anticipate.
l got home with tho dog about eleven
o'clock that night. My wife had retired
before We reached the house. She is not in
the habit OF rising TO greet me, under ordi-
nary circumstances, Lut as soon as she be-
came aware of the dogs presence she got
mp. In fact she devoted the greater part of
The night to welcoming him into the family
circle. The head clerk had shown me how
The dog could sit up, carry thinos hack and