The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1896-10-01
MUGGINS.

Van Caters bought his famous bull
pup when bull pups were in fashion,
and paid a good round sum for him.
The pup came of long line Of fighting
ancestors, and his noble name was
Muggins.
Caters completely in subjection. Mug
gins slept on Van Caters bed and
chawed Van Caters feet when he
moved them in the night; Muggins
breakfasted on Van Caters cuffs,
lunched on Van Caters boots. dIned
and supped on choice bits Of Van Gait
ers' friends.
Muggins, plus Van Caters, walked
down Fifth avenue of an afternoon,
and was sure to become involved In
some street brawl before Van Caters
got him home again. Generally Van
CATERS got mixed up in the row as well,
and once the two landed in a police
station and had to be bailed out.
Not that Muggins picked quarrels.
Far from that. But Muggins was so
bow-legged that he walked in chain
stitch pattern from one side of the walk
to the other, and Mugglns was of an
ugliness that appalled, one; like the re-
fection Of a respectable dog in con-
VeX mirror with 4 kink in it
There was something about the crook
ed, yet jaunty advance of him, some
thing in the slanting leer of his bulg-
ing brown eye, that 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 out of curl.
But when big dogs went home minus
an ear or section Of tail or with badly
lacerated leg the owner merely groan-
ed, Its that beast.y bull pup Of Van
CATERS"
So much for the valor Of Muggins.
For intelligence Muggins was a wonder.
Humor-Muggins' sense of humor was
colossal.
He used regularly to charge upon the
blind man who sold pencils at the foot
OF the Il" station and grab the handful
Of his wares the old fellow so patheti-
cally extended. Then Muggins would
retreat to the cable track to devour
them, leaving Van Caters to pick up
the poor old chap, set him on his camp
stool and make good his loss. The
blind man never came to endure Mug
gins onslaughts with equanimity,
though he profited largely by this novel
method of sale.
Muggins went about Brooklyn in q
cab with Van Caters at the time of the
trolley strikes, when Van Caters was
hunting up 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-
teenth Regiment boys, who were drill
ing in front Of a Chinese laundry. their
temporary quarters. Muggins started
to run around the block and dashed be-
tween the legs of company X. then
changed his mind and dashed back
again, bowling over the whole line. The
boys were angry enough to have bayo.
neted him if Van Caters had not
caught him in the rebound and hauled
him into the cab.
Then Muggins was the sworn enemy
of the young De Peysters, next door
who were always playing tricks on the
passers-by. They were trying the cob
blestone trick one day, and had set on
the walk a granite block done up in
wrapping paper with a pink string.
1r1r.l-
waiting to hoot at the first unfortunate
who should attempt to kick it out of
his path, Muggins came trotting down
the steps and made for it. The boys
charged him, but Muggins kept them
off. He tried his jaw on each of the
four corners Of the block, and how
of derision went up from his foes. Then
Muggins tried to carry it off by the
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 it pen
sively the while till his master appear
ed.
1t was "tamale" year that year ant
tamale men were on every corner Mug
gins has ideas on the subject. HI
liked the smell of the hot tamales ant
the grateful warmth emanating from
the big tin cans in which the tamale
were stored. If he found tamale ma,
absent from his post for moment Mug
gins would squat down like Chimes
idol in front of the can, and take charg
of if for the rest of the evening Will,
customers waited and the tamale mai
shrieked and swore, afraid to approac!
and Van Caters enjoyed the fun.
Then Muggins prevented his maste
from proposing to Miss Emilia Remse1
The night Of Mrs. Van Caters empir
ball Muggins had concealed himself i
the conservatory some time during tn