Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-01-10
Animals MS Actors.

hlany ANIMALS have the dramatic in.
stinct; that is, they enjoy acting part
and making believe" as much rs some
children do. An English gcntleman,
who had once been in the cavalry ser
vice, used to tell me great many an
ccdOtes about horse that belonged to
his regiment
"Old Sal" "a she was called, had
innumerable tricks and devices of her
own, and was quite the practical Joker
of the company. A very common ono
with her was suddenly to nip with her
teeth the man who was grooming her;
and when he looked up angrily after
such an unprovoiled attack, he would
always find her gazing innocentiy into
the distance as If she never dreamed
of doing such thing She knew how
to turn her cleverncss to her own adj
vantage, too. The horses were fed
from long trough, with swinging.
bar between each two to keep them
apart and secure the proper division of
the oats Old Sal would quietly blow
her own oats into the fartherest cor
ner, and then putting her head over
the bar, blow her neighbours oats
within her reach, eat them, and then
return to her own share
Dogs are very fond of pretending.
| know little dog, the especial pet of
his mistress, who will assume five or
SIX different parts i'll the course of n
game. One of his favoritc plays is TO
rush at his mistress as if he was going
to make furious attack upon her with
his teeth and claws, but lie takes the
greatest care never to really hurt her.
Then he Will DC exceedingly mournfuI,
and in ali instant all life and fun,
changing quite as suddenly into an air
and attitude of rcsentful Indignation,
and all these with the same ease that
a comic actor on the stage might show.
, But the best acting I ever heard OF
was done by dog OF the kind called
"lurcher." He belonged to n famous
poacher, who is a man that steals par
trldges, hares, and pheasauts from his
rich neighbors. Many a fine lot OF
game did this dog help his master tc
secure. Tho laws in England arc very
severe against poaching or stealing
game; for the gentlemen wish to pre-
serve it for their own pleasure. So a
great effort was made to bring this
man to trial and convict him. Very
little proof could be brought against
hAhii tchC'CLs lIC lluu ucNcE ACTUALLY
been seen with the game in his DOS
session, although this dog had, when.
as the gamekeepers believed, he was
carrying it to his master, who had
trained him for this purpose.
He denied stoutly that the dog was
his, or that he knew anything about it.
So the Judge had the dog brought
into the room, thinking that he would
Immediately prove the falsehood of
this bya joyful recognition. But, to
evorybody's surprise, the dog did not
look at the man or notice him Mt all, Z,
nor would he even come near him. So
the man was discharged as innocent.
But the dog was his, and had only
been taught 10y his master to pretend
not to know him when anybody else
was present. If you have ever no.
ticed how instinctivcly dogs tail be-
gins to wag and his ears to witch with
pleasure when he hears his masters
voice, YOU will understand what q fine
piece of acting this was Tt is n pity
his clnvcrncss should have been used
for such bad purposes.