Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-08-08
PECULIAR FRIENDSHIP.
The Affection of Rarus, the Trotter, for 9
Terrier Pup.

The Affection of Rarus, the Trotter, for .
Terrier Pup.
No sketch of Rarus would be COM
plete without some mention of his re-
markable friendship for dog. When
the horse was in California a fireman
gave to Splan wiry-haired Scotch
terrier pup, who was then two months
old, and weighed when full grown only
two pounds. Splan in turn gave the
pup to Dave, the groom of Rarus, with
the caution not to let the horse hurt
him, for on several occasions Rarus
had bitten dogs that ventured into his
stall. But to this terrier who is de-
scribed as possessing almost human
intelligence" the trotter took a great
fancy, which the dog fully returned.
They became fast and inseparable
friends.
Not only" says Mr.. Splan, ''were
they extremely fond of each other. but
they showed their affection plainly as
did ever a man for a woman. We
never took any pains to teach the dog
any thing about the horse. Every
thing he knew came to him by his own
patience. From the time l took him
to the stable pup until sold Rarus,
they were never separated an hour.
We once left the dog in the stall while
we took the horse to the blacksmith
shop, and when we came back we
found he had made havoc with every
thing there was in there trying to get
out, while the horse, during the en-
tire journey, was uneasy, restless, and
in general acted as badly as the
dog did. Dave remarked that he
thought that we had better keep
the horse and dog together after
that. When Rarus went to the
track for exercise or to trot race the
dog would follow Dave around and sit
by the gate by his side watching Rarus
with as much interest as Dave did.
When the horse returned to the stable
after a heat and was unchecked, the
dog would walk up and climb up on
his forward legs and kiss him, the
horse always bending his head down to
receive the caress. In the stable after
work was over Jim and the horse would
often frolic like two boys. If the horse
lay down Jim would climb on his back,
and in that way soon learned to ride
him; and whenever l led Rarus out to
show him to the public Jim invariably
knew what it meant, and it enhanced
the value of the performance by the
manner in which he would get on the
horses back. On these occasions the
horse was shown the halter, and
Jimmy, who learned to distinguish
such events from those in which the
sulky was used, would follow Dave and
Rarus out on the quarter-stretch, and
then when the halt was made in front
of the grand-stand Dave would stoop
down and in flash Jimmy would jump
on his back, run up his shoulder, from
there leap on the horses back, and
there he would stand, his head high in
the air and his tail out stiff behind,
barking furiously at the people"
When Rarus was sold to Mr.. Bonner
Splan sent Jimmy with the horse,
rightly judging that it would be cruel
to separate them. But in Mr.. Bonner's
stable there was bull-terrier in charge,
and one day when, for some real or
fancied affront, the small dog attacked
the larger one the latter took Jimmy
by the neck and was fast killing him;
but Rarus heard his outcries, and per-
ceiving that his little friend was in
danger and distress pulled back on the
halter till it broke, rushed out of lis
stall, and would have made short work
with the bull-terrier had he not been
restrained by the grooms.-Atlantic
Monthly.
l. = A.