The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-12-14

finds enough Precipitation IN his collar to
build small boy with. We were chatting
pleasantly, and, as usual, using so many per-
sonal pronouns in the first person singular
that we had to have man with gravel
crusher walk ahead to smooth the path,
when we heard great commotion behind
us and saw shouting crowd pursuing a
bulldog. who, with blazing eyes and froth-
ing mouth, was coming straight toward u.s.
We thought of hydrophobia at once, and
started along the river at breakneck speed,
the dog short distance behind US. Ny
whole thought was for my friends They
were both married and was single land
happy.
The maddened animal kept gaining on US
every moment, while we were slowly but
surely becoming exhausted. Suddenly it
flashed across my mind that dog afflicted
with rabies would always shrink from the
water. Catching my friends in my arms /
dashed them into the river. But my ideas
on that subject were all wrong, for the dog
dashed in after us. The sequel is tragic
one, land is the only dark cloud hanging over
my life.
My two friends were drowned, but l
saved the dog. Clasping him in my arms
swan ashore. AS laid him on the bank
heard something rattle and saw tied to his
tail large tin can labeled: 1.-TWO quarts of
BrownScquard Elixir" II l had only
known that-my two best friends-but let
them rest
He took great liking to me at once, and
when discovered that he had dramatic
instinct, my joy knew no bounds. used to
read my plays to him, while he sat on the
best char in the house, and when he didn't
ilyo bo1J
critic than any animal l have ever encoun-
tered. Mind you, don't claim the dis
tinguished honor of being the first to try
play on a dog. 1 believe the idea origi-
mated with the late lamented Nine. Hub
bard. History tells US that:
Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard
To get the poor dog bone;
When she got there
She had great scare,
For she found 1t full of Wagner's operas.
She took up the cornet to play him "Renzl;'
He frothed at the mouth in o horrible frenzy.
She took IN the trombone to blow him "Walk
uere."
Which made every hair on him bristle with
fury.
She caught up the flute and whlstled Tam
hauser,"
He then made q spring and tried to capsize her.
':Nibelungen" she gave him then all in o
group,
And he gave one short gasp and fell into the
soup.
Finding he possessed such love for the
drama, thought I'd give him broader
view Of it. So one night took him to the
theater with me. There was large sofa in
my dressing-room, and, while was disrob-
ing, he crept under it and fell asleep /
proceeded to sink my personal identity into
that of fierce, fat Chinese Mandarin, the
father of ''The Pearl of Pekin.n Just as l
mad given the finishing touch to my make
up'' the dog crept from under the sofa, and
thinking strange man was in the room,
gave a howl, and, making pass at me, took
about two ounces Of dramatic ability out of
my starboard arm. In two minutes the
lressing-room looked like cyclorama of
the battle of Gettysburg, with real blood
escaped at last through the transom, leav-
ing enough of myself with Fab to make
paper-weights for the Equitable Building
I was glad it happened, because it mani
tested that he had my interest at heart.
The question that bothers me is: Did he real
y think there was q strange man in the
rooml At times think he merely adopted
that mode Of c0nplimenting me on my do
yuise.