The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-09-12
BILL AND THE DOGS.
atlanta Constitution.

en- times in the night to shoot a pop
gun pistol at the dogs. I never saw
such a crop as there is this year.
never knew them so impudent. Eve
ry night they congregatc all round m,
house and on the front portico and thu
back piazza. They play while anc
fight awhile. By the time | get the
pistol and open the door they scatter
and [ can t get aim in the dark on any
one-never could shoot much on thu
wing, nohow. But give me double
barrel shotgun and fence to rest it or
and a dead still game within easy
reach, and can shoot as good as any
body. I'm waiting for moonlight
nights now, and then woe be unto
dogs. There are dozen or more here
every night. They are r,iding a pro
tracted meeting CT ,ogmatic conven
tion, and I til nix cur Scotch dog lad
die presides. I think he invites them
for he won't fight them. Our grove is
such beautiful playground and the
| piazzas are so long and broad, and the
tennis court is near by. But it is {
late thing-this dog campmecting al
my house and we don't understand it.
The other night ] got up and slipped
around in my celestial garments until
I caught cold. Ishot three times, but
the dogs never even yelped nor rur
away. Next morning my wife gave
her consent for me to use stricknine.
So I visited the drug store and called
for the deadly poison. The young
man looked at me with suspicious
tone of voice and asked me if [ had
been reading Bob Ingersoll on suicide,
but he finally put up the stricknine
and made me sign receipt on the pi'
sen book. That night just before we
went to church I locked up our dog
and put out two pieces Of beef at the
back door and two at the front door
It looked to me like they were more
thicker, more denser, as Cabe says.
1 put out four more pieces and got uI
about midnight and prowled around
with lantern. I found big spotted
hound reeling and staggering at the
back door. He fell over the old mare s
water bucket and seemed to me to be
enjoying his agonies. waited on
him awhile, and then [ concluded to
hurry him up a little; so l went back
and got the little pistol and put it in
about foot of his head and fired
He kicked the bucket awhile and de-
parted this life intestate.
But as yet we have no relief.
dom t know how many have wandered
off to die, but last night the conven-
tion was bigger than ever and more tu.
multuous and l see no relief but
moonlight nights and half a dozen
shotguns. Some of the town boys
are going to come over and have pic
mic.
Dogs are curious creatures. There
is no animal of better qualities cl
worse ones; no race of animals of such
endless variety. There is none SC
loyal to his master and disloyal tc
other people, and hence nobody cares
for any dog except his own. The good
St. Bernard s maxim, Glove me, love
my dog," is good theory but pool
practice. A good, faithful dog com
mands more affection than the favor.
ite horse that is far moro stately anc
valuable. A man will defend his dog
from abuse almost as vigorously as he
will his child, and the maxim might
we'll be modified to, "If you love me
you must respect my dog"
But the best dogs in the world have
a streak of wolf nature in them. The
most faithful watch dog will slip of
between midnight and day to join in q
raid upon neighboring flock of sheep
I have known them to go two miles tt
engage in this business, and nothing
betrayed them but the wool that was
found between their teeth. The dis
coYery was astounding to their owners
Somehow or other dogs have beer
under the ban in all ages and coun'
tries. At least other peoples dogs
have. Goliath said to David: Gam
dog?" etc. David said: II am com
passed about with dogs St. Johr
ruled them out of heaven, for he said
"Without are dogs and socerers ane
murderers and idolators, y etc. He saw
horses in heaven, but no dogs. The
ancient astronomers declared the dog
stal to have an evil, malignant infu
ence, and hence the weather was hot
and fiery during the thirty or forty
days that it rose and set with the SUI
in July and August.
Even the small boy takes his frs
lesson in swearing by saying, "dog on
it," or "I'll be dogged." This may
be called cursory expression, but
sometimes it leads to cur-sing.
The dog star is bright star in thu
tail of the dog-major canis-and sail
ors guided their vessels by it before tht
discovery of the magnet. They called
it Cynoscuros, which, in Greek, means
dogs tail. The pretty word "cyno
sure" comes from this. So when it il
said of beautiful woman in an assem-
bly, that she was the cynosure of al
eyes it literally means that she was
the dogs tail of the whole concern
The word "cynic" is an unkind reaec
tion upon the dog, for it means a dog
in the shape of a snappish, snarling
ill-natured man. To say Of bad maj
that he is as mean as dog is anothe
unjust reflection. Better say he is a:
mean as mean dog, or suck-eg!
dog, or sheep-killing dog, or mig
gers hound. Some men are meane
than the common run Of dogs.
Shakespeare says: "I'd rather be
dog and bay the MOON" One Of th'
first hymns we children learned wa
by DR.. Watts, and it began
"Let dogs delight to bark and bite,
For God hath made them So"
But Byron was more appreciate ant
said: II love to hear the watch dog
honest bark" And for the last cen
tury mankind have been more consid
crate of these useful and trusty ser
wants. The breed has been improves
very greatly. Indeed, there have beel
exceptional breeds afar back in th
centuries. The St. Bernard dogs ha'
great rcnown, and the beautiful storie'
Of their rcscuing travellers from tn
Alpine SHOWS were the delight OF tn