The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1895-07-25
\ YELLOW DOG,
BT BKETE HAETE.

nor Why the possession OF one should
seriously affect the social standing OF
the possessor. But the fact beng es
tabl-hed, | think we accepted It IN
RattIeFs Ridge without question.
The matter Of ownership was more
difficult to settle. and, though the dog
[ have in my mind at the present
writing, attached himself impartially
and equally to everyone IN camp, no
one ventured to exclusively claim him
while, after the perpetratiOn OF any
canine atrOcity, everybody repldiated
him with indecent haste. ''N ell, ! can
swear he hasn't been near our shantY
!Ur weeks" or the Tetort. He, was
last seen comm cat OF yOGT cabin,
expressed the eagernes6 with which
Eatt.ers Ridge washed its hand II re
-pOasihiIity. Yet he was by 10 means
a common dog. nor even an uEhaui
some dog. and it was . singular fact
that his seyerest critics wed with each
other in narratlug stories Of his sa-
gacity, insight and agility, which they
themselves had witnessed. He had
been seen crossing the ''tiume" that
spanncd Grizzly Canon at Z height Of
800 feet on a plank six inches wide;
he had tumbled down the shoot" 10
the South Fork a atnoIsand feet below
and was found sitting on the river
bank without a scratch 'cept that he
wos laZily giyin' himself with his off
hind paw" he had been forgotten in
i suowdrift on the Sierra shelf and
had come home in the early spring
with the c0nceited complacency OF an
Alpine traveller and g plUmpness al
legged to have been the result Of an eX
elusive diet OH buried mail bags and
their contents; he was generally be
lieYed to read the advance election
posters and disappear day OF two
before the ca didates and the brass
band which he hated-Came 70 the
Ridge: he was suspected OF overlook
ed Col. JohnsOn's hand at poker, and
Of conveying to tie coloncls adver-
sary, by a succession Of bowls, the
danger Of betting against fur kings.
" bile these statements we're supplied
by wholly unsupported witnesses, it
was very human weakness OF Itat
tiers Ridge that the corroboratiOnw was
passed over 10 the dog himself and
he was looked upon as Consummate
liar! 'Swoopin' round yere and calm
yourself poker sharp, are ye? Scoot.
yc yallOw pizin" was a common ad-
iuration whenever the unfortunate an
Imal inuuded upon a card party IF
thar was d spark-an atom Of truth in
that dog-I'd believe my own eyes
that | saw him sittin' up end trying
to maanetize q young bro of a tree,
But Wot are ye goin' to do with a yal
Ter eduivoCatOr like that"
/ have said that he was yellow or
to use the ordinary expression yaller.'
Indeed | am inclined to believe much
Of the ignomy attached to the epithet
lay In this favorite pronunciation.
Men who habitually spoke Of d yel-
low bird, d yellow hammer. d yellow
leaf. always alluded to him as yaller
dog. He certainly was yellow After
q bath--uoually compulsory-he pre-
scented decided gamboge streak down
his back from the top Of his forehead
10 the stump Of his tail, fading IN his
sides and hanks to delicate straw col
or His breast, legs and feet when
not redeemed by ''sIumgjJln," in
which he was fond Of wading We're
white A few attempts at ornament
al decoration from the india ink pot
OF the storekeeper, failed partly
through the yellow dogs excessive
agility which would never give the
paint time 10 dry on him, and partly
through his success in transferring
his markings to the trousers and
blankets Of the camp. The size and
shape of the tail, which had been cut
OF before his introduction to Ratt!ers
Ridge, was a favorite source d specul-
ton to the miners, both as determin-
ing his breed and his moral responsl-
mlty III coming into camp il that de
fectve condition. There was a gen
eral opinion that he couldn't have
looked worse with tail, and its re
moval was Il gratutiOus etfrOntery. His
best feature was his eyes, which were
Il lustrous Nandyle brown and spark
Ing with intelligence, but here again
he suffered from evolution through
environment, and their original trust
full opcueSs was marTed by the expert
cnce Of watching for flying stones,
soos and passing kicks from bohlnd.
SO the pupils were continually revert
ing to the outer angle Of the eyelids.
There was a recurrence Of antIClpa-
tion in this which | fear few Of the
/ boys ever disappointed. Nevertheless
none OF those characteristics decided
his breed. His speed and scent point
ed to a hound. and 1t srelated that on
one occasion he was laid on the trail
Of wild cat with such success that ne
followed it apparently out of the
state. returning at the end Of two
weeks foOtsore. but b'andly cOntented.
| Attaching himself to q prospecting
party. lie was sent under the same be
| lief into the brush 10 drive off a bear,
who was supposed to be haunting the
camp fire. He returned in few min
uteS with the bear. driving into the
unarmed circle and scattering the
whole party After tins the theory OF
his beng a hunting dog was abandon
ed. Yet It was said ON fhe usualun-
corroborated evidence that he had
| put up a quail, and his qualities as d
retriever were for long time accept
cd. until during ashootng expedition
/ for wild kucks. 1t was discovered that
/ the one he had brought back had never
/ been shot, and the party were obliged
/ to compound damages with an ancient
settler. His fondness for padding
I in the ditcLes and slumgullin a
one time suggested water spaniel
/ he could swim and would occasionally
+ bring out OF the nyer sticks and pieces
OF bark that had been thrown in, bu
as he had to he thrown in with them
and was q good sized dog. his aquati'
reputation faded also. HeslmpIy re
maiued a .yaller dog" What mor'
could be said, His actual name wa.
Bones" given to him 10 doub