Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1901-07-10
THE TALE OF A DOG.
A TRUTHFUL NARRATIVE OF CANINE
TENACITY AND SAGACITY.


the Incident No Further Testimony
Is Necessary.
A certain Nashville statesman is
about one of the best story tellers in
Tennessee, and his repertoire includes a
lot of good ones, fish and otherwise.
On the truthfulness of some he will
stake his reputation for veracity, but
he tells one which he always prefixes
with the statement that it was told him
by minister of the gospel, DR.. Bard
well, who will be remembered here by
the older inhabitants as the assistant
of DR.. Edgar of revered memory, who
was pastor of the First Presbyterian
church during the latter years Of Gen
eral Andrew Jackson's life and attend
ed the old hero in his last illness. The
story teller said:
"Dr. Bardwell used to visit my ia
theirs house when was boy, and the
ed to me on the occasion of one Of these
visits. We were out on the veranda
smoking one evening after supper. The
doctor was fond of dogs and was a
pretty good sportsman and naturally
the conversation turned on this subject.
"'Speaking of dogs said DR.. Bard
well, reminds me Of dog which be-
longed to friend Of mine in Mississip-
pi. had been invited to hold services
at q church near this friends house
and wrote him to meet me at the sta
ton, some six miles from his house, on
the Saturday afternoon before Sunday,
the day Of the appointment.
"'He was on time with horses, and
we started to his home. noticed that a
very handsome bird dog followed us,
and, having heard that some one in
that neighborhood owned an especially
well trained trick dog. l asked my
| friend about it,
"''That's the dog" at the same time
pointing at his dog, which had run
ahead of us and was waiting at the
forks Of the road.
4 asked him to make him perform a
trick. He got down from his horse,
called the dog and, taking out his peck
etbook, held it to the dogs nose. He
then took out silver half dollar and
walking some distance into the woods,
raised up large rock and put the mon
ey under it. We then resumed our jour-
ney, and when probably half a mile
away my friend called his dog and told
him to go back and get the money.
1.-The dog, without the least hesita-
ton, started back on run, and, my
friend explained, as the rock was heavy
the dog would be unable to turn it
over, so would have to scratch under it
to reach the piece of money, and he
would not probably get home before we
reached there, 1t then being about three
miles farther on to his house.
However, when we reached home
the dog was not there. We ate supper,
and still the dog did not come, nor had
he put in an appearance when we re-
tired at about 10 o'clock.
1.-THE next morning we got up about
daylight, and, hearing a noise outside,
my friend opened the door, and the dog
rushed in dragging with him q pair of
pantaloons. which, he dropped on the
floor.
"'Of course we were both mystified,
but had not long to wait an explana-
ton, for shortly afterward a man who
lived several miles from my friends
house rode up on mule and inquired
If dog with pair Of pantaloons in
his mouth had come into the house.
The dog at this moment came out on
the porch, and the man said, "Why,
there's the dog now"
"My friend told his caller that the
dog had really brought a pair Of panta-
looms home with him, but he did not
understand it himself.
1.-THE man said that late in the after
noon the day before he found the dog
scratching under large rock near the
road and, thinking he was after a rab-
bit, stopped and lifted the rock up, and,
to his surprise, found half dollar on
the underside.
=" He put the money in his pocket. and
the dog followed him home. The dog
appeared to be friendly, and the man
petted him and gave him his supper.
At night when the family retired the
dog was put on the outside, but he
kept up such racket that no one could
sleep on the place, and when the man
opened the door to drive the dog off he
rushed into his bedroom and at once
became very quiet. lying down near
the foot Of the bed, where he slept all
night.
Early In the morning, the man said,
he got up and opened the window, and
the instant he did SO the dog seized his
pantaloons In his mouth and. jumping
out Of the window, fed.
1.-THE man followed as soon as he
could get his mule.
Hearing this story, my friend got
the pantaloons and on searching the
pockets found the half dollar which he
had hid under the rock the afternoon
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