The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1893-03-23

Four-and-thirtv years ago Bob Aims.
lie and I were coming up lnfrmarv
Street from the Edinburgh High School,
our heads together. and our arms inter.
twisted, as only lovers and boys know
how or why
When we got TO the top Of the street,
and turned north, we espied q crowd
st the Iron Church. "a dog-fghtr
shouted Bob, and was off; and so was
l. both Of us all but praying that it
might not be over before we got up.
And is not this boy-nature? and human
nature too? and don't we all wish a
house on FIRE not 10 be out before wo
see it? Dogs like fighting; old Isaac
says they delight" in it, and for the
best Of all reasons: and boys are not
cruel because they like to see the fight.
They see three of the great cardinal
virtues of dog or man-courage, endur-
ance and skill - in intense action.
This is very different from the love of
making dogs fight; and enjoying, and
aggravating, and making gain by their
pluck. A boy, be he ever so fond him
self Of fighting, if he be good boy
hates and despises all this; but he would
have run off with Bob and me fast
enough. 1t is a natural, and a not
wicked interest that all boys and men
have in witnessing intense energy in
action.
Does any curious and finely ignorant
woman wish to know how Bob's eye at
a glance announced dog-fght to his
brain? He did not, he could not see
the dors fighting it was a flash of an
inference, a rapid induction. The
crowd around a dog-fght is a crowd
masculine mainly, with an occasional
active, compassionate woman, hutter-
ing wildly round the outside, and using
her tongue and her hands freely upon
the men, as SO many ''brutes;" it is a
crowd annular, compact, and mobile;
q crowd centripetal having its eyes and
its heads all bent downwards and in
wards, to one common focus.
Well, Bob and ! are up, and find it is
not over; small thoroughbred, white
bull-terrier is busy throttling a large
shepherds dog, unaccustomed tc
war, but not to be trifed
with. They are hard at it; the scientific
little fellow doing his work in great
style, his pastoral enemy fighting
wildly, but with the shaIpest OF teeth
and great courage. Science and breed
ing, however, soon had their own; the
Game Chicken, as the premature Boil
called him, working his way up, tool
his final grip of poor Yarrow's throat
and he lay gasping and done for. His
master, brown, handsome, big young
shepherd from Tweedsmuir, woulC
have liked to have knocked down any
man, would ''drink up Esil, or eat {
crocodile" for that part, if he had {
chance; it was no use kicking the little
dog, that would only make him hold
the closer. Many were the means
shouted out IL mouthfuls, of the best
possible ways of ending it. ''Waterr
but there was none near, and many cried
for it who might have got it from the
well at Blacllfriars Wynd. 'Bite the
tailH' and a large, vague, benevolent
middle-aged man, more desirous thar
wise, with some struggle got the bushy
end of Yarrow's tail into his ampl,
mouth, and bit it with all his might. Thi
was more than enough for the much
enduring, much perspiring shepherd
who, with CLEAN of joy over his broat
visage, delivered a terrific facer upol
our large, ,ague, benevolent, middle
aged triend-lrho went down like
shot.
Still the Clsic,-en holds; death not ia
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