The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-09-16
MY LucKY RcH
A Little Midnight Adventure in Cana

me, and, so, or the impulse of the moment,
I stepped into a shop and bought one.
Why, / hardly knew, as I had half-a-
dozen at home, and had no idea that l
should want one before my return. The
one | now purchased was an ordinary,
ivory handled, three bladed knife, the
largest blade being three inches long
That same knife, after a lapse OF more
than thirteen years, is in my pocket while
| write. Ihave never once lost it during
all that time.
/ arrived III Barrie on tie five p. m.
train and, after taking tea at a very good
hotel, walked out about half a mile from
town to call upon a cousin whom [ had
not seen fol a great many years.
This cousin (now dead) was a wealthy
lumberer, or rather square-timber manu-
facturer and dealer He had, and was
well known to have, the habit, very
unusual in a business man, of always car
rying in his pocket a "wad" of five or
six hundred dollars in bank bills; ard
although often reasoned with on the sub
ject, nothing could induce him to abandon
this curious custom 1t the amount OF
his I" wad ever got below five hundred
dollars, he would Immediately replenish
it. He said he always fel better with
money in his pocket. Most anybody
would. I spent a very pleasant evening
with him, talking over old times, etc, and
did not get away until midnight. Now
this gentleman's house was on the crest
Of a hill, with garden and orchard extend
ing down the slope towad the town.
Just at the corner of the orchard there
was hollow or depression in the ground,
and, while the sidewalks on either side
of the road were built on the original
surface, the causeway or road itself had
been raised to the extent of FIVE feet
or so.
As, quietly smoking a cigar, I slowly
walked along on one of these sidewalks,
some one, apparently half drunk, sitting
in the deep shade of a large tree on the
other side of the road hailed me in a grutf,
unsteady voice:
"S-s-say, mate, will you give a fellow
a match?'
Thinking this was probably some in
toxicated laborer, who was really suff, ring
for a smoke, l replied
"Yes, come across ard I'll give you
one"
"No, mate, I can-can can't git up.
You fetch it to me; that's a goo-goo-
good man."
To this cool request l answered rather
sharply: eff you want a light come and
get it, or go without"
Seeing that "Mohammed must go to
the mountain" the fellow did get up and
came toward me. So soon as he gained
the elevated causeway, and was thus
between me and the ~star-lit sky, | saw
that he was a big, burly English navy,
and not at all drunk. Still, [ suspected
nothing of evil intent; and it was only
IN ~unaccountable impulse which led me
to take out my knife and hold it open in
my right hand. When the man came
down the slope on my side of the road,
and was within three feet of me, | held
out some matches in my left hand, and
said Here's a match if you want
One."
Even as I spoke, a medium sized white
bulldog, hitherto unseen, crept noise
lessly from behind the fellow, and sprang
straight at my throat. In an instant l
saw the whole murderOus scheme, and
realized my own imminent danger. If
the four-legged brute, of a breed which
never lets go with life, should fasten
upon me, the two-legged one could then
pound me into the earth, and rob or
murder me at his leasuIe. He had doubt
less mistaken me for my cousin, of whose
strange habit as to carrying money about
with him he had probably heard. How
ever, thanks to a lifelong familiarity
with dangers of every kind, I did not feel
at all afraid or "rattled," although the
thought did not cross my mind that it
would be a pity if this brute should sue
coed in trampling out my life, after 1 had
safely passed through so many risky ad-
ventures. I met the first spring of the
| dog by driving the knife into his left
cheek and throwing him off but he came
at me again like lightning, and was again
foiled in the same way. His third spring
was so exceedingly swift that I nearly
missed him, the knife-blade merely slit
ting one of his ears, and he succeeded in
getting a hold on my right sleeve, and
slightly wounding my arm. Fortunately
the loose cloth gave way as I threw him
off once more, with a motion so violent
that he rolled over and over on touching
the ground. But he was evidently a pure
bred animal, and "game" to the back
bone. Once again he dashed at me, al
ways aiming for my face; and this time
the knife entered his open mouth, and the
back of my hand, coming into contact
with his upper tusks, received two deer
cuts. This last thrust was so severe that
he could not close his jaws on my hand.
and he dropped off, uttering, for the. first
time, a low whine of pain.
Since the beginning of the fight, and ur
to this moment, not a sound had beer
uttered by the dog, the owner or myself
If the situation had not been so serious
it would have been re lily comical. The
brawny rufian stood in grim silence
watching the effects of his less ignoblt
companion, while I as silently repealed his
attacks. I was too busy to speak or cal
out, and at that hour no one could have
heard me had I done sc. This man evi.
IDENTIFY saw the flashing Of the bright
knife-blade in the dim light, and was
afraid to close in on me; but now, seeing
his dog vince, he seemed to be moved by
pity for the brute, and, STOPPING down
| fNOk him - L. NIL -2, C ~ -