The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-18
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun.
The beasts which perish are a mighty
interesting lot II only the observer looks
a. them through sympathetic eyes. Such
an observer can no more doubt their pos
session Of what are called the higher fac
mites than he can doubt the suns shin
,nr or the growth Of grass. In proof take
g few stories here set down. For the
most part they come within the writer's
knowledge. In the few cases given at
secondhand the source was trustworthy.
Take FIRST the story of Dash, a big.
white. shaggy. mongrel mastiff. who stood
almost four feet at the shoulder. and
could pull down an OK. Yet he was the
qentlest of four-fOoted things; likewise,
the most faithful His master ran a big
farm. had pastures 200 acres in extent.
and kept sheep, hogs, and cattle by the
hundred, not 10 mention some twenty
1--WE head of horses and mules. He could
take Dash into the clover field, where all
were grazing, show him the track of one
particular beast-sheep, hog, or COW, it
made no difference-say to the dog
Fetch" and then go about his business,
and be certain Dash would separate and
bring out that particular animal If he
had to follow it all day, and, further. If
the track were crossed by a hundred diff
ferent hoofs. But that was less wonderful
than Dash's ability to count and distin-
guish colors. If the order was Fetch
two" or three, or five, he obeyed II ac
curately. He would drive up the mules.
If told to do 1t, paying no attention to the
horses grazing beside them: conversely.
boreas Vpra ordered 10 tOOlx no heed
of the long ears. He would fetch the gray
mare, or the bay, according TO direction,
and knew the riding horses-Sonny, Sill
yer Tail and Blazes-by name as well as
all the men on the place. The time he was
about the house he was the most vigilant
and discriminating of watch-dogs. Famil-
lar friends and neighbors he met at the
gate, barking, frolicking, and capering
about Strangers of good appearance he
escorted sedately to the front door, keep
ing a little way behind and never taking
his eyes from them till they had been
spoken to by some of the family. But to
the stumbling, seedy, or Unlocking he
was a terror on four feet. barking, growl-
ing, leaping violently upright against the
gate, and showing his teeth savagely if
they made to pass.
Dash died full of years and honors,
leaving Watch, his son, to reign in his
stead Outwardly Watch was his count
brindle bull cross, which cropped out in
the fiercest savagery. His master had by
this time moved into the county town,
but lived in the outskirts, and had garden,
orchard and paddock, besides his house
plot Though tramps and light-hngered
darkies abounded, everything within his
enclosures went untouched so long as
Watch was out of his kennel, though he
was never freed of block and chain.
One day, as a visitor came in from the
street, the dog growled, and frightened
her to the point of screaming. His mas
ter raped him lightly across the nose
and bade him BECOME telling him it was
disgraceful thus to annoy lady. Watch
skunk away still growing. Two days lat
er he espied the woman about whom he
had been scolded passing along the pave
ment outside his owners gate. At once he
leaped the fence with a force that broke
his chain, sprang upon her, threw her
down, and would have mangled her if
his master had not run to her rescue. AL
ways afterward the sight of her sent him
into a crazy rage.
Watch had good memory for kindness
as well as for hurts. Another visitor to
the house saw him thirsty and painting
beside his kennel and ran out to him
with a big basin of water. He Tapped
languidly with no sign of satisfaction,
but always thereafter the water bearer
could come into the house in the absence
of all the family and be greeted with a
silent, friendly wag of the tail. This was
the more remarkable because no other
person could lift the latch of the gate
without finding Watch dashing down the
front walk ready to attack him. Yet even
to this favored one he permitted no APP
proach to familiarity. If she had ventured
upon a caressing pat he would have flown
at her throat.
Jack was a dog of another temper, the
N1ffrx l. IL md ton rrfa hot
ever chased butterflies or burrowed af-
ter moles. The -velvet-coated gentry
were his chosen prey. No matter where
he found a run, at once he fell to flu
rious digging. One day, in the course
Of it, he found himself stopped by a
biggish shallow-growing root, directly
across the molehill. He tried first to dig
beyond it, but it impeded his flying paws.
lie stopped short, and dropped his head,
as one in deep thought, then caught
the offending root between his teeth and
gnawed it in two. After that he began
digging afresh, but the projecting root
ends were nearly as troublesome as be-
tore they were severed Crouching a
little at one side, he seized an end fast
IN his mouth and gave backward spring
or two, which pulled the root out of the
earth for space of perhaps a foot. Then
he caught the other end and jerked it
out like distance, the while looking
tSPOdcnlully up at his young mistress.
Her father, Jacks usual comrade. had
habit of cutting roots in two and pull
ing them out thus for him. Possibly
Jack had recognized and resented the
undubitable fact that womenkind rarely
carry pocketknives.
Jack and Tipsy, the tortoise-shell kit
Ten were great friends Neither had
the least good will toward other cats
and dogs But they ate often from the
same platter, and always, when Jack
lay curled in front of the big open fire.
place, Tipsy's chosen resting place was
Inc round of his side. One chilly even
ing when a roaring fire made a fierce
graft over the rug, Jack lay down at full
length, prone and straight, as though
ne were dead. Tipsy came tiptoeing in
little later, and tried to establish her
sell comfortably on the side of him next
me IRE. For perhaps three minutes she
twirled and turned, curled herself now
ms way, now that, but could not adapt
Aerselt to his altered pose. Presently
she got up, walked around to his head,
ana began to give him dainty filljps on
me nose with a soft forepaw. Twice.
.nrlce she struck, and he did not stir.
men the watchers saw her claws I'M