The Madisonian. (Virginia City, Mont.) 1873-1915, 1896-11-14
MUGGINS.

t'f' wv iA tSlllo
and paid a good round sum for him.
The pup came of a long line If fighting
ancestors. and his noble name was
Muggins.
Inside of a week Muggins had Van
CATERS completely in subsection. Mug
gins slept on Van Caters bed and
chaWed Van Caters feet when he
moved them in the night: Muggins
Dreakfasted on Van Caters cuffs,
lunched on Van CATERS boots, uned
and supped OF choice bits Of Van Gait
ers' friends.
Muggins. plus Van Caters. walked
down Fifth avenue of an afternoon.
ana was sure to become involved in
some street Draw before Van Caters
got him home again. Generally Van
CATERS got mixed up in the row as well.
ana once the two landed in a police
station and had to be bailed out.
Not that Muggins picked quarrels.
Ear from that. But Muggins was so
bow-legged that he walked in u chain
stitch pattern from II side of the walk
TO he other, and Muggins was Of an
usllness that appalled, one: like the re-
hection OF a respectable dog in a con-
veX mirror with a kink in il.
There was something about the crook
Ell. yet jaunty advance of him. some
'iihS in the slanting leer Of his bulg-
ing brown eye. hal set other dogs
teeth on edge. Hence battle for Mug
gins brOoked no criticism. Pugs and
such things he rolled about on the cob
bles until their tails were on of curl
But when big dogs went home minus
an ear or a section Of tail or with badly
lacerated leg the owner merely groan-
ed, Its that beastly bull pup of Van
Gaiters'.'
so much for the valOr of Muggins.
For intelligence Muggins was a wonder.
Humor-Muggins' sense of humor was
colossal.
Tie used regularly to charge upon the
bind mar who sold pencils at the foot
OF the IL station and grab the handful
or his wares the old fellow so patheti.
cally extended. Then Muggins would
retreat to the cable track to deyour
them. leaving Van Caters to pick M
the Door old chap. set him on his camp
stool and make good his loss. The
pima man never came to endure Mug
gins o~nslaughts with equanimity.
though he p%rotited largely by this novel
METHOD of sale.
Muggins went about Brooklyn in a
cab with Van Caters at the time of III,
trolley strikes, when Van Caters was
hunting w sensations and various regi-
mental friends of his. Muggins escap-
ed from the cab in Hicks street and
upset a whole company Of the Thir-
tenth Regiment boys. who were drill
ing IN front of a Chinese laundry, their
temporary quarters. Muggins started
to run, around the block and dashed no.
tween n legs Of company Il. then
changed his mind and dashed back
again, bowling over the whole line. The
boys we're angry enough to have bayo.
neted him if Van Caters had not
caught him in the rebound and hauIed
him into the cab.
Then Muggins was the sworn cnen,v
OF n young De peyStprS, next door
VINO We're always playing tricks on the
passers-by. They We're trying the cob
blestone trick n day, and had SET on
the walk a granite block lone m in
wrapping paper with Il pink STRING
While they lurked in the area way
waiting to boot at the first unfortunate
who should attempt to kick i, out of
his path. Muggins came trottinc down
the steps ana made for it. The BOYS
charged him, but Muggins kept them
Off. lie tried his jaw on each of rho
four corners of the block, ana :, howl
OF derlslon went up from his foes. Then
Muggins tried to carry it off by tn.
string and failed. Finally, with inf
mite difficulty and low growls he rolled
1t to the foot of the Van Cater steps
and stood guard over it, nibbling il pen
sively the while till his master appear
ed.
1t was "tamale' year that year and
tamale men were on every corner Mug
gins has ideas on the subject. He
liked the smell Of the hot tamales and
the grateful warmth emanating from
the big tin cans in which the tamalcS
were stored. If he found a tamale man
absent from his post for a m Mug.
gins would squat down like a Chinese
idol in front of the can, and take charge
OF it for the rest of the evening. while
customers waited and the tamalc man
'hrlek"d and SwOre, afraid to approach
and Van Caters enjoyed The fun.
Then Muggins prevented his master
from proposing 10 Miss Emilia Itnmsea.
The night of Mrs. Van CATERS empire
ball Muggins had concealed hinse!s in