New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1890-04-16
a REMARkABLE ANIMAL.
Ho Was Only Dog but He Knew . Thing
or Two About Human Flirtatfon.

~ 4 s "a 4
REMARKABLE ANIMAL
He Was Only Dog but He Knew . Thing
or Two About Human, Flirtatfon.
Is contributor to the, prize-dog story
department of the New York Morning
Journal tells this instance of sagacity
of = Newfoundland dog:
1.-Two or three years ago friend of
mine, a very pretty young wife, was the
happy possessor of fine Newfound-
land dog called Druid. The commons
tricks of fetching. carrying and seek
ing for hidden articles were as child's.
play to the magnificent brute, and it
was not by such every day canine
tricks he had won his name for great
intelligence.
Every now and then he would dis
play such wonderful reasoning power
by the performance of some act I'M
taught or unsuggested by any outside
influence that wonder as well as admira-
tion was excited
There was one performance OF
Druid's which, unfortunately from, the
nature of it, could not be boasted of by
my friend Mrs. A. accept among her
most intimate lady friends, and the Cir,
cumstances of which are certainly
without parallel among canine, acts OF
intelligence.
Mrs. A., like several other young
married ladies Of romantic. turn Of
mind, was carrying on a lively but
harmless Irritation with, young.
bachelor in the same city, Halifax, Nova
Scotia
Unknown to. her husband, she used to
send and receive letters every day to-
the young gentleman in question, and,
as the post could not be trusted, to pre-
vent discovery, Druid was pressed into
service.
Every morning he was sent off to- the
house of the young gentleman with a
letter safely tucked underneath his
collar, and In the course of an hour or
two he would return with the reply.
The letters were in themselves. harm
less, though harm might have been
made out of them. especially by jeal-
Gus husband, which Mr.. A.. most as
suredly was. They consisted of mild
billets doux, making appointments to
meet at the theater or party. and, on
receiving the reply, my friend would
u.
her to the appointed rendezvous.
Druid evidently knew what he was
doing was not quite above board, and
always watched his opportunity to let
Mrs. A. take her letter from under
Meath his collar when her husband was
not present. In the event of his pres
ence, the dog always laid quietly down
at a respectful distance until the de-
sired opportunity arrived.
One day when Druid had returned
with his letter he came sedately walk
ing across the lawn to where Mr.. A.,
his wife and were sitting underneath
the trees, and noticing that his mistress
was not alone, he sat down and awaited
developments.
After he had been waiting about half
an hour Mr.. A., who was a sceptic as
to Druid's powers of reasoning, began
to tickle his nose and ears with straw,
and gradually woke the Newfoundland
from the doing state into which he
had fallen. The tickling at last proved
too much for Druid and, as he arose he
gave himself a big shake, just as if he
Fthad come out of the water. The shake
was a good one, in fact too good, and
what was the horror of Mrs. A. to see
the letter fall from out its hiding-place
to the ground, fortunately with the adj
dressed side down.
She was lying in hammock and,
with terrified look, blushed a rosy
red, which, fortunately for her, Mr.. A.
did not notice as he sprang up to get
the note.
Quick as he was, Druid, however, was
quicker, as he snapped it up off the
ground and calmly chewed it up and
swallowed it, with look at his mis-
tress that said perfectly plain: Trust
to me, and it will be all right"
Druid, by his prompt action, saved
his mistress all explanation, as Mr.. A..
could make nothing Of the affair, never
for moment suspecting that the letter
was for his wife, and contented himself
by remarking: II wonder what was in
that letter and who it was from"
Ny friend, however, got lesson and
cut short her filtration, but used to say
that it was the first time a dog had
ever saved a woman from a possible
divorce action and certain scolding
from her husband.