Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1890-03-14
LITTLE STORIES oE ANIMALS.
a Dog THAT Died for Fool AIaster-Curi-
Death of Fox.

Death of n Fox.
81 have never let any of my dogs re-
trieve birds since an experience I had
with cruel sportsman over on the Della,
ware river late one fall, said Scranton
bird shooter the other day. THE man
owned splendid pointer that knew a
good deal more about some things than
MS master did. and we were both shoot
ing quails over him along the banks of
the river, lie was harsh with the dog,
and the poor creature was often COM
PEELED to do what he knew to be sense
less things, just because he felt certain
that he would be licked like the mischief
if he didn't obey. Each side of the river
was frozen over out to the main channel
where there was a strip about foot wide
that wasn't covered with ice. One of
the quail that | shot started to fly across
the river and dropped dead on the thin
ice within few inches of the open chan
mel. My companion ordered the pointer
TO go and get it, and the obedient dog
dashed out upon the ice till he got within
a couple of yards or so of the dead bird,
when he halted, for the ice had begun to
crack under him. Then he looked back
at his master and wagged his tail, and
bis actions told us as plain4 words that
he knew 1t would be dangerous for him
to proceed any further.
Il begged the man to Call tile dog back
and let the minks have the quail, but he
wouldn't listen to me. Again he ordered
the dog To fetch the quail in, and again
the dog made an effort to reach it, but
the ice cracked and he turned about,
whined pteously, and in every way that
he knew how beggeu ui5 master to call
him back. But the lieartless man was
determined to make the dog do as he
said, and he yelled savagely at the
pointer to get the dead bird. Then the
I dog sprahg forward and seized the quail.
The ice gave way under him, the cur
rent was swift, and out of sight the poor
thing went, with the bird in his mouth.
That wns the last the cruel man ever saw
of his o5edient dog. lie hunted down the
river for u long distance, but it was use
less, for the dog had perished under the
ice while faithfully performing his duty
The man was sorry, then, OF course, and
indeed the poor dogs death taught him
a lesson he never forgot"
While hunting parJridges near Round
Swamp, in Clifton township, last fall,
Aaron Bidgood saw a fox scrambling
around in Il mud puddle at Il great rate.
He was interested in the animals queer
antics, and after he had watched the
lively fox for awhile he came to the con
clusion that it was catching frogs, or at
least trying to catch them. Its tail was
covered with mud, and it was hopping
and jumping around in mud and water
upon its belly when BidgCod stole up
near enough to see chat The sly fellow
was really GobblinS up frog every few
seconds. Bidgood said lie didn't care to
molest it just then, and while he was
watching its capers from the midst of a
clump of bushes another fox, apparently
the first ones maze, aJraug into the mud
hole from the opposite side and went 70
catching the long legged occupants Of
the puddle on its own hook. When Bid
good had looked at the cunning frog eat
ers as long as he cared to, he yelled. and
the two mud covered foxes lloundercd
out of the puddle in liurry anl scam
pered directly toward the clump OF
bushes where the hunter was concealed.
They were very mu IA frightened, and
the mud on their bushy tails and in their
long fur kept their speed down cousid-
erably, and when they came along Bid
good killed each of item with charge
of bird shot.
a fox that had been chased by u hound
for ten hours lost its life in peculiar
way in the Lackawanna valley late on Il
day in January. Reynarl had been par
sued until he was pretty well tacSere /
out, and he ran down into the valley
from the Spring Brook side. He pointed
for the Lackawanna river, but near the
bank he changed his course, swung
around a large coal breaker, and ran up
the steep incline to the head house at the
top of the breaker. Through the head
house he dashed, and then ran along a
beam, sprang from the end of it to a
culm pile and scampercd up the refuse
railroad track to the summit, where Culm
was dumped. At the dump the fox
darted past boy and mule, and started
to slide down the steep pitch of loose
mine refuse toward the river. The base
of the culm pile has heen on fire for sew
eral years, the fire extending up the side
for forty or fifty feet. When the fox
had begun to slide down he couldn't stop
himself, and he Sid right into the mass
of glowing anthracite and was so badly
burned before he got through it that he
lay down and died close to the river
bank. The hound, inside of half an
hour, loped up the incline to the head
house. 1t nosed around and bayed for a
few seconds. lost the scent, and then
dashed down the slope to spot where it
had left the level ground. There it got
on the track again, and when it started
up the plane the second time one of the
men threw chunks of coal at it and ii
went yelping out of sight.
Letter in New York Sun.
Deputys Eccentricty.
NJ fIbi,.ri4r 3, Nl-ori.inpnan a1nptol aa