The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1900-10-25

He died las; Sunday at 10 o'clock,
We buried him at 4.
Laddie was seventeen years old. We
raised him from pupT yaood to doghood
and all those years he seemed like one
of the family. He loved us all and we
loved him, for he was affectionate, good
hammered. dignifed, courageous and
very handsome. He never sought
fight with another dog, but he never
declined one and always came off the
victor
His face and neck and feet and part
of his tail were white; his hair long
and glossy and his eyes were amber or
rather brilliant yellow sapphire. In
truth, he was a very handsome dog
and came from well-bred stock, his
grandsire having been sold for $500
in Montgomery. He was known as
3hepherd dog-a Scotch collie-and
-yknew his luties and qualities by in.
stinct and inheritance. We did not
have to train him to go after the sheep
or the cattle and bring them home
When ] left the farm and moved to
town he seemed lost and unhappy for
awhile, but soon adapted himself to
the little grandchildren and followed
them around, and during his last i'll
ness, when he couldent walk, it would
please him for me 70 lift him up to the
sandbed, where the children were
playing. The smaller the children the
stronger his love for them. They were
the sheep and he was the good shep-
herd.
We did not send his carcass to the
potter's field. dug shapely grave
down in the corner of the garden, then
lifted his dead body gently into the
wheelbarrow and rolled it to the place
The wheelbarrow was the hearse. /
was the horse and five of the grand
children were the escort. When all
was ready nay wife and daughters came
down to the funeral and we buried
Laddie and mouuded up his grave
and placed board with his name and
age upon it at the head and another
at the foot. The little children pluck
ed some green asparagus nearby and
some Texas pinks and roses and slow
ly and sadly we went away as mourn
ers.
Dogs have a curious and interesting
history. In ancient times they were
under the ban of Jewish contempt and
were pronounced and denounced as
unclean by the Mosaic law. Not
good word is said of them in all scrip.
ture. "The price of dog is an abom-
nation to the Lord" saith Moses.
W6b saith; 81 disdained to set
t,6eir fathers with the dogs Of my flock"
sam 1 a dog?" Beware of dogs"
''For without ars dogs and sorcerers
and idolaters and murderers, and who.
soever lcveth and maketh lie" But
surely they must have had some good
reputable dogs, or they would hava
killed off the breed. 1t was the mean,
thievish, trihing dogs that gave bad
name to all the race, just as they do
~now.
Culver says that dogs in general are
the most contemplate of all domestic
animals, but that the improved species
are the most useful and complete con-
quest ever made by man. All their
faculties are adapted to profit and
pleasure and protection. Barbarous
nations owe much of their better ma
ture to the possession of the dog.
Cuvier says that the principal and
best species are indigenous to certain
countries. Such as the shepherd to
Arabia, the Esquimaux and Newfound-
land to Siberia, st. Bernard to the
Alps, ETC. But dogs have got mixed
and crossed into all sorts of forms and
fashions, like the Cubans in Cuba.
They now range from the little pug
LOT the poor Indian whose untutored
mind
Sees God in clouds and hears Him in the
wind,
-tBut thinks admitted to the heavenly sky,
HIS faithful dog shall bear him company"
. We have had but five dogs in fifty
wears at our house and they were all
good dogs, faithful dogs and loved the
children. OF course, / don't include
3 the yaller pup that we had not long
ago and were raising to take Laddie's
place. He was an ignominious fraud.
He stole everything that was in sight
and in reach One day the pantry
old, Alexander Stephens was asked
what was the secret of his attachment
to dirty little snarling dog that fol-
lowed him around. He replied,
We'll, hardly know, but reckon l
IN love the little dog because he loves
me-" That was reason enough. He
had neither wife nor children to love
him, and so he concentrated on the
/ dog, but still his friends thought he
might have chosen a more attractive
one.
The poorer a man is and the more
friendless, the stronger in his attach
ment to his dog, and the dog seems to
reciprocate and will not desert his mas
ter. A nigger's hound is as happy and
contented as fine lady's poodle.
Il Pope says:
and rat terrier and benchleg fee, up
& to- the boar hound of Germany and the
mAstiff and drover's dog of southern
Ehrope.
Pointers and settlers and spaniels