Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-10-17
ABOUT DOGS AND MEN
Scenes at the Railroad Depots in the
Hunting Season.
THE CANNES PRIVILEGES.
A Dog Fight In the Crowd and the Result--A
Countryman's Indignation-HisS Store Pants
Were DamaGed-A Family Hunting Party
What Dogs Can Appreciate.
TWO GRowLs. TWO BARKs, sNApprNas

| l. howlings and then the Undesirable
racket of dogs voices engaged in q grand
rough and tumble ''scrspping match" were the
sounds that greeted the ears Of the writer for
| The SrAR while he was waiting at the depot the
other day to receive friend. OF course there
was . great panic among the people who were
crowded at the gates trying to squeeze through
| to get to the trains. They were packed like
sardines and the dogs had fallen out while they
were down among the peoples legs. Every
| body jumped. for the possibility Of having in
roads made upon your calves by the teeth Of q
dog is anything but pleasing to the average
man or woman.
A dog fight usually ends in one round, es-
pecially IL there are humane people around,
and in this case the owner of the dogs sep
arated them after they had inflicted but slight
decorations upon one another. They stood
painting and growing insults ut each other and
| their master stood over them threateningly.
Presently he was approached by young man
| evidently of rural makeup. The young man
| was suffering from suppressed excitement. He
was quite pale. his hands and lips trembled, he
pretended to be as cool as a cucumber and it
was quite evident he was as hot as a furnace
heated up to white heat.
HIS TROUSERS WERE TORN.
'Look q here, mister" he said to the man
with the dogs, and he pointed to the left leg Of
| his trousers. There wasno mistaking what was
| the matter with him or why he was hot now.
| The trousers we're new and stiff and were of tho
| variety known as ''store clothes in contradis-
tinction to those garments that are cut out and
home. The left leg of these trousers from the
knee to the foot was torn almost into shreds.
fortunately the young man from the country
had on boots. and appearances were not so bad
as they might have been. nor was he in bodily
discomfort from cold.
Il say, mister" he wenton, 'jest look at them
pants, will yer3 l bought 'em today and now
| Jest look at EN-
| They appear to be torn, young man." said
the owner Of the dogs. Let me advise you
is never safe. l speak from experience, for
have tried it myself and have been torn ten
times to the once that have come off whole"
This amt from no barb wire, sir. Them
pants was torn by them dogs o yourn. That
bird dog thought he had the hound BY the ear,
but he hadn't. He had me by the pants and
| tell You jest what it is-rm a-goin' to lev pay
| for them pants ef I've got to sue fur IT,
my dear SIR said the dog man, 1.-THE law is
| against you. Be calm and accept our apol-
ogies-mine and the dogs. You know they
wouldn't have doue it on purpose for the world.
1t was no satisfaction to this setter to chew
your trousers. He wanted the fox hounds ear
and is doubtless much chagrined at his mis-
take. Bat when you speak of tine law you
ought to know that you re in the wrong there.
for these dogs never bit anybodys pants be.
fore, and you know a dog is allowed one bite
by law"
1t may have been this pacifying speech or it
may have been the SIS bill that accompanied it
that made the countryman 60 on his way. At
any rate the incident ended.
THE LAW AS TO DOGS.
The dog man spoke the truth about the law.
II is very kind to dogs 1t arrests them if
they are Migrants, it is true but never for theft
or intoxication. or disorderly conduct. Even
the Migrants can get loose from the pound
which is the dog Jail, if friend will pay So
and bail them out. An attractive dog being
arrested Is likely to be taken out and adopted
by some well-to-do dog!ess person. He will be
given good home, will never have to work
for his living and may even have q coupe and
pair of fine horses placed at his disposal A
dog OF any sort Of average fortune is provided
every year with a license, which describes him
by name and supposed breed, and having this
the only offense for which he might otherwise
get into trouble is not charged against him,
and he is at liberty to be as much OF o vagrant
as he chooses.
In the little matter OF biting the law is lenisnt.
too. The theory is simple enough. Until he is
guilty Of an offense the law presumes him to be
innocent OF all ofenses. Until he bites some
body he is known as not a bitter. and If sud-
denly he does bite somebody IL isn't your fault
and you are not responsible. because you never
knew he did such things. The law allows him
this bite; but II he bites somebody again,
then the case is against you and you are re-
sponsible for the damages he may inflict, be-
cause you had warning from his previous
bite that his disposition was disagreeable.
A STRANGE COMBINATION.
To return to the dogs at the depot. the writer
saw an amusing arrangement Of connubial
forces there the other day. The man and his
wife were going away together, though why he
hadn't left her at home or why she hadn't left
him behind it was difficult to say, for it seemed
especially one of those occasion, where they
would have been better apart. It was evident
that the husband was going shooting, for he
had dog with him and wore q cap, q flannel
shirt and leggins, without which, as Is very
wei known. no city man can shoot What the
wife was going to do WAS not clear, for she had
her baby with her. Now, IA wife may 60 on a
shooting expedition with her husband, and the
thing is sometimes done. especially by wives
who have not known their husbands very long,
but what on earth does o man want with q
baby on such an oecasion2
But the amusing part OF it was that this par
ticular husband led the dog with one hand and
carried gripsack in the other, while his wife
supported the baby with one hand and carried
the gun in the other. What is the connection
between baby and gun and dog and hand
satcheR Babies are like guns in that they can
make loud noise sometimes, and dogs are like
gripsacks in that both have mouths, but that
does not explain why the wife did not carry the
baby and the satchel and the husband the dog
order OF things. since a setter dog and gun
are necessary Accomplishments of one another,
and a baby without hand bag containing his
bottles. toys and sundries is q thing entirely
unheard VI in railroad annals.
HUNTING Dogs AND HOUSE DOGS.
At this time Of year in Washington the rail-
road depots have a good many dogs in them
every day. Some are going to the happy bunting
grounds in the neighborhood of the city. where
there is capital sport to be found just now, and
others are returning to the city to take part in
the approaching festivities Of the season. Which
dogs are the happier? There is hardy mauli-
less about the hunting dog that every one
ndmires, but the house dog has pretty good
timo OF it. and, besides, he Is no coward at all.
As you stand among the people at the depot
you will see u well-dresse6 woman making her
way. toward her Carriage carrying her toy
terrier In her arms. He 10 being treated like
baby. but ne is no baby in disposition, for
presently he begins to kick and bark and
struggle furiously to get away, in order that he
| may assault a couple Of large pointers which
| are being led into the baggage car. II either
OF these pointers had had hearty break
last the little terrier might furnish him
with moderate dinner, but tho terrier
seems to wish for nothing in the world
SO much rs to eat both OF the pointers
| up instantly. As for them, they hardly notice
him. They are full Of excitement and import
| ance at Tue prospect before them. They know
/ what III, and nlreu1ly thsv hu0iy, Ia erif The