The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-02-20
THAT DOG.
The Story Of Napoleon and How He Met
His Waterloo.

me Story Of Napoleon and How He Met
His Waterloo.
1 paid a man 50 for him when he was a
little pup-the dog, I mean-and he told
me-the man did-that if would treat
him kindly and give him plenty of corn
bread-give the dog-he would guarantee
the man would-that he would grow up
the dog would grow up-to be an honor
to him-to the man.
Napoleon got to be the largest dog and
did it in the quickest manner of any dog
ever knew. I wore long curls at that
time, I remember, into W which boys used
to cast burs, which hurt me good deal,
especially when Napoleon would take his
claws and try to run them through my
locks, although the locks never opened in
that way.
They were combination locks, suppose,
and didn't yet have my letters in my
head to set the combination on. He also
grew very strong, Napoleon did, SO that I
found it difficult to keep him at home
unless tied him, and even then it both
cred me If another dog happened to be GO
ing by.
Catching sight of that dog, Napoleon
would utter glad cry and bound over the
fence, utterly unDlindful of the rope or
me at the other end of it, Down the street
he would prance, giving vent to short
barks and drawing the attention of the
people after him, also myself. Neighbors
coming to the window used to marvel at
the black and white streak we made in
passing by.
Sometimes I wouldn't get home till
long after mealtime, which in those days
was quite detriment TO me, though not
so to Napoleon, whose appetite soon be-
came celebrated throughout the whole
town, for when he couldn't get a pair of
rubbers or a fur muf to slake the gnaw-
ing of hunger he would go out and collect
the loaves of brown bread that bakers had
left upon the adjacent stoops. Wouldn't
like to print the things that people used
to say about him at such times.
We grew up together, or at least Ma
poleon did, for he had two feet the start
of me. We were inseparable Neigh bors
said they never saw anything more so,
but that was chiefly because I couldn't
get the rope unfastened in time.
1t was Napoleon's appetite that ulti-
mately accomplished his ruin, just as it
has many another mans. Aunt and I'm
Gle Chesterfield came to visit us that fall.
They lived at Jay Corners and really
ought never to have gone anywhere else,
but there they were, getting out OF the
stage at our front gate, and what could
we dor
l heard father say that to mother as
they stood looking out of the window to-
gether. Uncle Chesterfield wasn't really
our uncle. you understand, but just an
old friend of father's-I don't know how
old, but he looked every day of it and
more. We called him uncle because he ap-
| peared that way.
Aunt Chesterfield had ito douloureux,
! which used to cause her to make up the
awfullest faces. I realize now that it was
! from pain, but at that age I used to laugh,
L 7
| She also had a brown wig and rheuma-
| tism. Uncle Chesterfield didn't have any
| thing but just warts-I think counted
| 70-and Aunt Chesterfield. But heard
father tell mother that that was enough.
Mother put them into the spare cham
Der, where the old fashioned canvas bot
tom bed was with the white valance.
! There were also some green worsted lamp
| mats on the bureau. We all said good
| night, father wound up the clock and ev-
rybody went to bed.
I always was sound sleeper as a boy,
| so you must know that Aunt Chesterfield
had to shrek pretty loud to get me out,
! but she did it and could have fetched me-
l think, if I had been dead. I got right
up and ran into the spare cham Der before
| any body could stop me.
Aunt Chesterfield was sitting in the
middle of the bed in a red flannel night
! her mouth was wide open, shrieking, and
her face twisted with tic douloureux, and
j the whitest shiniest head you ever saw,
/ which I remembered with copious locks of
| brown.
! But I saw how that was.in a minute
for there was Napoleon over in the corner
with brown wig in his mouth, which he
was tossing and worrying and carrying on
dreadfully.
Uncle Chesterfield you couldn't see at
first, but by and by you found him with
his legs stuck through the rounds of a
rocking chair, and every time he moved
Napoleon would growl, not being &C.
quainted with Uncle Chesterfield, and he
/ was scared almost to death.
They took the stage back to Jay Corners
! the very next day. Mother was dreadfully
shocked, but noticed father didn't get
| excited.
I II wonder who let that dog up stairs?'
! essaid musing1y after the stage was gone
intended to say that l didn't know,
| but got to stammering and mixed my
self up, and before realized what was
doing / blurted the truth right out and
said that did. Father gave me quarter.
didn't know what for, but l supposed at
the time that it was for telling the truth
| ''But the dog must go, " he added. His
appetite is growing too indiscriminate
So we sold him to man who kept a
farm, and who soon afterward shot him
for biting calf on the leg. Napoleon used
to do that to book canvassers when he
was with US, and nobody found any fault
with him, but on farm it is different -
W. o. Fuller, Jr., in Rockland (Me.
Tribune.
His Experience.