The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-06
n1a. ~ rorrE noe.
A career 81 Ussr-iscsS Brsusst 70 . Cisse
DnrinR One Of simeon Rord's Speeches.

\ Career 90 Ueefunnreh nrought 20 = C1ose
purisE One Of Simeon RordNs Speeches.
At the last regular meeting Of the Hotel
Clerks Social Outing and Life Saving Associa-
ton Col John McGilioudy. the veteran clerk
of Pittsburg. Pa. made the assertion that one
well.trained dog was Of moro value than four
bell boys In n properly conducted hotel.
For forty years and more" continued Col.
McGilllcudy, "I'vo stood behind the desks of
hotels all over this country, and during ten Of
those years l drew q salary for my dog. Wag. as
we'll as for myself. He was left over in Wilkes
barre by a circus troupe, and whom no found
that ho was deserted he naturally went to the
hotel where l was. Our hotel got most Of the
theatrical business In those days, and that dog
know It.. He was a dirty white bull with n
stumpy tail. n Scared face. bloodshot eyes. and
the remains Of a remarkably fno set Of teeth. 1t
was q warm afternoon. and 1 was doing
in an easy chair behind the desk when l was
awakened by a loud bark. l looked up. and
sticking above tho level of tho desk was q dogs
hend. Two blood.shot eyes Rlared at mo and q
pair Of dirty forepaws rested on tho register.
We had suffered from a mad dog scare, and l
was sure that the animal in front OF me could
not be sane. l jumped out OF my chair. and as
a,d SO the dog sprang on tho desk. he looked
The relief was great. 1 eosxOd him down from
the dosk. gave him something TO eat, and from
that moment we wero fast friends;
his greatest usefulness. l taught him n lot Of
tricks that any dog can learn. such AS growing
asked me to cash checks, watching the dining.
room door at meal times to make sure that only
response to calls. For this Inst work I lifted a
small slate around his neck, on which was
attached to 1t. When a man rung for a bell boy
a S.sS e ! ss rs Is and get the ren,leman's
Away no would 90 and / never knew him to
ly by accident that his greatest usefulness came
about. ,Wag was like a puppy in one character;
swallow anything that he. could get into his
mouth. kept on my desk in the office a email
on night duty " and h S.ppei ed t to tS Mnsn ! mas
might DO aroused in time to call
irSains. Was watched that clock DC IN %nnngrii Tyr for sH ths
first two weeks that he was with me. The alarm
boil annoyed him; One morning when 1t rang
1Sre1 could prevent 4, swallowed the clock.
light sleep that should carry me through to
the Time when 1t was my. duty to arouse
= snI lot tue 81 motions 4 1Saes'0 that sat' w M9s T ne% ' to %s.
Ho stretched himself ont on, his back
S &na wSan %o his w feet around bS n bd In the air , p barho Is o0 a
his feet. I was tired and ! fell asleep without
troubling myself much about the dog. 1 was
aroused by the familiar sound OF my alarm bell.
down. There was WAg standing up and looking
at me knowingly. The ringing came from his
stomach. .Wag winked one Of his red eyes at
me. and whom the ringing stopped he street.-The
himself out and went to sleep again.
" Now. you fellows may not believe this, and
l wouldn't IL | had not seen the thing myself.
That dog, with almost human intelligence, had
discovered a way of winding up that clock by
stretching himself out on his back and waving
his feet in the air. You see, it was a clock with
following night l saw Wag 80 through his pe-
culiar motions. and at the proper hour tho next
morning the alarm rang out at the regular time.
Then | knew that l had a dog that was worth
while. Wag knew 1t, too. and his now inn
portance made him very dignined. l trained him
up in the morning. Wag would wind the clock up
every night. and whom in the morning no heard
the admonitory click inside which gavo warn
Ing that the alarm would ring in half u minute.
he would trot upstairs. and, as the alarm rang.
walk up and down In front OF the rooms oCru-
pied by early guests. You don't know how
many hours sleep that dog saved me. lie went
such a curiosity thtt | brought him to n hotel
mems dinner In this city. Every one petted him
and fed him, and Wag was on hls good behavior.
He listened patiently to all the speeches I'M
til Mr.. Simeon Ford began telling new stories.
Then Wag got down. on his back and
of tho room from whcro l was seated. I knew.
OF course, that he was merely winding up the
alarm bell, but the waitcrs didn't. They thought
that no was having a fit. Before l could inter
fore two of them grabbed him and hustled him
ont of the room just as the bell began to ring.
seen him since. But l can tell
Az this point the. presiding officer pounded
with his gavel to indicate that Col. McGilll-
cudyis time had expired.