Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-08-18
THE RICHMOND DIspATCH-sUNDAY AUGUST 10. 1895.
AS though saylng. ..Take It and welcome

as though saying. Take II and welcome
don't care for II any more"
A gentleman living some twelve miles
out Of Memphis. Tenn. owned bird dog
whose intelligence was a neighborhood
marvel. This was some fifty years back.
but even then there were such things as
yellow-fever epidemics. A peculiarly vfru-
lent one was raging in the town. and the
gentleman found himself under the SIREN
uous necessity OF communicating with his
son John, who was n commission mer-
chant there. His family. white and black.
numbered more than hundred. and
naturally he did not wish to risk bringing
the fatal fever on to the plantation.
Therefore he determined to test Birdo as
a messenger. He wrote letter, fastened
IT securely TO the dogs collar, took him
TO the plantations outer verge. and said;
"Blrdo. go and give John this letter
r,derstand me, John, Nobod- else. Then
come home, but not till you have seen
him"
Rirdo trotted off. II was n little after
sunrise when he started. At SHUTDOWN he
was back with letter from John. saying
that the dog had gone hrst TO his house
and found him absent. then had trotted
Ia the store and sat, growing whenever
his partner tried TO take the letter, until
John himself came in. To him he darted,
barking and capering' ana thoush he sat
letter II was no sooner fast TO his collar
than he ran TO the door, whining TO be
off
In the flush days OF steamboating. before
the war. the captain or q Mississippi-river
boat had a dog that could distinguish be-
tween the messengers II once he had heard
thair names The matter was mentioned
one night in the saloon and a passenger
sneered at the idea- -.
pet You $3.50 the dog can't do II once
In ,t,aa times " he said
"pone" reioined the captain. write
note 10 your wife and Will write one
10 mine. Both are In the ladies' cabin.
We viii give ne ;, no fss 10 AIR al b ,he
properly the money Is yours
The passenger wrote merely his wife's
net name inside a slip OF paper, which he
folded and addressed. The Captains mis-
.Dear Wife: Send me word at once
what Snip does when he comes into the
cabin" l..
saying as he handeu O'er ''e pdsse"sei
"snlp. this is for Mrs. NJ. who sat
beside me at supper Give y 70 her, then
take this other note 10 your Miss Cathe-
Snip ran away. The men sat smoking
and chatting. Very shortly walter
brought in a scrap OF paper TO the pas
senger His wife had written, what
tbis little dog" At almost the same
minute the Captains wife wrote: Snip
came in and ran about smiling az all Of
us. then jumped in Mrs. N lap.
dropped a bit OF paper there, and came
on 10 me with the Other one" The pas
seneer owned himself beaten ana offered
81 900 for Snip. saying luck could not go
against him II he owned SO wise beast.
Eut the Captain would not part with
Snip. who lived and died river dog.
WISE MULES.
So much for the dogs They by no
means mOnopOiize the reasoning faculty
i'm what are styled the lower animals.
Many men are not 50 wise as some very
wise mules. jet was one OF them, a big
black fellow, standing nearly 10 hands,
and so tough and supple that he might
have been made OF whalebone and India
rubber At work he was jewel OF the
first water. \ playful spell made him
torment. He could open gates and draw
bars as though his feet " re hands, and
the fence was not built that he could not
Jump IL the humOr took him. Conse-
quently most Of his summer leisure was
passed IA a stall. though the rest or the
work stock ranged and rollicked or
acres knee deep IN luscious clover. Jet, II
turned to grass would crop It ravonously,
but move swiftly as he cropped toward
the outer fence, where IL Wac nearest "A
neighbOrng plantation for which he had
develoued an inOrdinate fOndness. He
was over the fence and galloping TO the
uefehbOr's always inside half an hour
after he was out OF the stable
The neiEhbOr usually stabbed him or sent
him home outright, but that made no
difference. Jet ran there all the same.
one day his owner veXed beyond en-
durance by his continual outbreaks, beg
ged the neighbor 10 set the mule hard at
work the next time he broke In. The
neighbor agreed, and put jet to tho fall
lowing plough besides two OF his own
beasts. A half day they strained and
tugged through matted clover and weedy
tangle. When Jet came for the noon
feed he was turned loose to wallow but
in place Of that hc lctped the is1ce, set
his head on one sid. and his all up.
and went whinnying home at gallop.
What is more Ia the point, he stayed
IL was better 10 take pleasure In leisure
than to 30 visiting and be set at weary
Ing work.
Big Pete. another mule. knew the mean
ing OF the dinner horn, and always an
swered IL with loud, Joyous bray. After
he had heard II he would plough furrOw
toward the house. but refuse utterly TO
draw If he were headed away from II.
grew SO accustomed 10 the drill In the
course OF many wheat seedlings that II
was almost impossible for an awkward
driver to make them skip ground. They
understood that 20 do good work the outer
spout must run In the track made by the
they held IL unless there was a mighty
tug upon their mouths. Similarly In har-
vest time they would turn and half back
at the corners before the driver had time
20 speak They had learned what was
needed and did IL Of their own motion.
chicken story may ftly close this re-
cord II has 10 DO with a fllrty hen who
undertook 10 raise four brOOds IN the
year. She brought of the first in Janu-
airy. mOthered them beautifully. but got
fresh nest Of eggs and was sitting
wirie her chicks peeped about her When
the young brood came she aid not dis
own the older one. but cared for her
mixed family I'm way 70 win your heart.
Yet in very little while she went away
flirting with n gay rel rooster, leaving
great chicks and small 70 cry their hearts
out FOR her. Then two pullets ~ the ear
" brood. themselves not half grown.
played mother 10 the little peeping three
weeks-Old fellows scratched FOR them.
covered them at night. and, when they
grew Sleepy by day. cluclSed to them as
best they could. and In the end brought
the dozen Of them TO robust and hand
some maturity.
WEST POINTERS AS POLICE.