The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-03-27
FoUR-LEGeED ACTORS.
THEATRICAL WAYS THAT "CoMp
NATURAL" TO THEM.

star Tricks of Chicago's Cap-Some
brooklyn sparrows, Which Have n
Great Sense of Humor-Oid Dams
Last Run to n Fire-Other Clever
Animals.
From the New York Mail and Express.
Perhaps no dog in Chicago has more
admirers than Cap, the terrier cigar fiend
who sits in the window of prominent
cigar store on State street. and at al
most any time OF day can be seen smok-
ing cigar or pipe with a relish that
makes ones mouth water.
Occasionally. for the amusement OF the
audience he draws. he will blow rings OF
smoke through his nose and gaze after
Them delightedly as they float toward the
ceiling.
Cap learned the smoke-ring trick from
his master. 1t would not be easy to ex-
plain by what psychological Arocess he
evolved the problem, but after watching
his master do" rings great many
times, he one day surprised the family
by blowing them himself
Cap is founding His master picked
him up on the street when he was about
Ave weeks old, and gave him home,
Since then his quarters have consisted
of palatial house built OF cigar boxes
and carpeted with mating. Perhaps 1t
was the odor Of the boxes which led him
to adopt his demoralizing habit. At any
rate he had not long inhabited his odor-
ferrous quarters before he sat up on his
hind legs one day with an old cigar
stump between his teeth that his owner
had thrown away, aud begged for light.
He was accommodated Since then Ave
years have passed and he has become a
veteran smoker.
Humorous SparroNs.
Birds sometimes appear to have as great
sense of hunor as human beings. This
was aptly illustrated one morning recent
ly at a rendezvous of some sparrows on
two telegraph wires which stretch side by
side across the backwards OF some Brook
lyn residences
1t was snowy morning, and the feath-
cred chirpers had evidently congregated
on the wires to get a good view of the sit
uation and spy out any stray grub which
was not showed under. The wind was
blowing fiercely, and II seemed to be all
the little chippies could do at times TO
keep their hold on the swaying lines. Just
where the two wires left the house a third
wire dangled and swayed in the breeze
having evidently broken loose from its
moorings 1t was all the fault OF this
interloper that the following little drama
took place. II was a live wire, and as
the wind occasionally projected 1t against
the birds perch II probably formed con-
nection and short-circuted the unsuspect-
ing songsters.
Getting y Shock.
Suddenly there was a brdnce screech
from the feathered tribe, and they were
all shot up Into the air like fireworks
explosion. Some of them fell like lead to
the ground, and some staggered along
through the air, and landed on nearby
housetops. They were all of them more
scared than hurt, however for the air was
soon filed with their fiuttering little
bodies as. they rushed round and round
the mysterious wires chipping and chat
tering incessantly, evidently holding a
conversation over what had happened.
1t is scarcely probable that they solved
the electrical conundrum, but they at
least must have gone off and spread the
news, for bunch after bunch OF birds few
onto the wires and tried the effect OF a
shock. 1t seemed as though the first
little fellows who got their toes scorched
had rushed right Off and recommended the
experience to all their friends Each
group OF experimenters had not long TO
wait. For the two lines of fat little bod
les would not be many minutes In place
before boreas blast would blow them
against each other. and at the same time
connect the live wire, and then there
would be a nutter and splutter of wings
and voices and almost an audible laugh
from those who had been there" them
selves"
Dams Last RIM.
All the firemen in Philadelphia are talk
ing about old Dan, and his heroic wsy of
bidding good-by to the fire department,
which ne had served so faithfully for
many years.
Dan died last week. but he ideally died
in harness. For eighteen years he had
drawn engine 18 to every call that came
into the engine house. On Friday last he
seemed to be under the weather, and the
men on No. IS spent the greater part of
the mo.Iing coddling him and tenep:iag
his appetite with apples and sugar About
noon an alarm was sounded, ana Dams
spirits seemed to revive. He dashed out
Of the engin- house with all his accus-
toned Vigor pulling and Juggling 81 the
engine ana sp,I c;ng along In the man
ner that had made him the pride II lis
company reisx King his efforts only wien
he reached the fire. Then. just IS he
drew up al the fire plug, he fell over,
and the fremei found that he was dead.
When the fire was out, the men who
had so long tfriyen him and cared for
him put him tenderly on truck and took
him back to his home. They held a re-
ception all day, and fremen from many