The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1901-12-03
The Yellow Dog.
Richmond DISPATCH J


that dog will have his day" let Her
cuIes himself do what he may, has. in
common parlance, taken n mutilated
form. That form il, every dog will have
his day" and recently there has been
striking illustration that the mutilation
states "A cold fact
From time immemorial almost the
yellow dog" has occupied the lowest
and most despised position in canine cir
cles He has been looked upon as the sum
of all dog vices aud cussedness "Asmean
"a yellow dog, as worthless a. a
yellow dog. "as treacherous m a yellow
dog" have been standard comparisons
with those who wish to attain the acme
of cOntemptuOus expression in depicting
some disreputable specimen OF humanity
For generations the itching 10 tie Tin
pan TO the yellow dogs caudle appen-
dage has been inherent in the small boy,
aud the yellow dog has been the target
for more cinders. old boots and empty
bottles projected at him during the noe
turnal hours than would build apyramid
reaching to Mars Asto the obiurgations
that have been hurled at him, II swearing
were an objectionable sin the future of
large proportion of the human race would
be far from pleasant 10 consider. Tie has
never been conceded any rights save by
Legislatures and by municipalities that
didn't have rigid dog laws
But at last the yellow dog is having
his day. He il in truth the toast. Up
in Long Island last week they had
series Of field trials, and assembled as
competitors was vast army OF dogs oi
high degree-some Of them, we are told
with pedigrees covering many pages oi
parchment. Indeed. it is stated that
several Of the company were royal ca
mines" whatever that may mean. ON
in a corner. however, hOcking by him.
self, was a yellow dog constructed on
pointer lines. that through his only friend
craved permission to take part IN the
swell contest. The antecedents OF this
yellow dog were entirely unknown. So
far from his having n pedigree, no one
could affirm that he ever had father.
He turned up as pup in a town that
has the plebian sounding name OF
Patchoque, and attached himself to
citizen Of that place, who could neither
sell him nor give him away. Yet, some
how. he formed friendship with another
citizen Of the town, whose tastes ran to
hunting and who appears to have be-
lieyed there might be something good IN
a yellow dog, anyhow. rhe two took
several jaunts into the country together
and these proved the dawn of the yellow
dogs day.
The reception of the yellow Patchogue |
waif at the field trial assembly was any
thing but cordial. The sponsors OF
Blanche Tray, Sweetheart, Lassic, Prince,
and all the other CANNES with genealogi- |
cal trees looked at the intruder into the |
sphere OF bonton dog-dom with ill-con-
cealed sneers of incredulity. 1t was
against all theory and positively ridicu-
lous to suppose that yellow dog minus
a pedigree and coming, moreover, from
could by in it on feld-trial
test. And the aristOcratic CANNES them
selves, we are informed, gave the new
conner the cold and disdainiul shoulder.
1t fact. we are left to infer that some OF
them viewed him with an air Of
II am his Highness dog of Kew.
Pray tell me, sir, whose dog are YOU
while Others by their manner suggested
that they thought he would better re-
turn to his muttOn-meaning that the |
on the dark OF the moon would
be a more congenial place for a yellow
dog.
But all the same there was nothing in
the rules Of the trial to bar the Patchoque
upstart. No one had ever contemplated |
that there could be such presumption
and absurdty as the yellow dogs appli-
cation. and he had to be allowed to en-
ter. Then something occurred which |
knocked the theories of all the dog ex-
perts west end and crooked. and causedall |
the autOcratic CANNES in the game to |
hang their heads in humiliation and |
rhagrin. When the trials came on the
yellow dog from Patchoque demonstrate
ed that he was up to the business in
every etail, overtopped all competitors
in sand, speed, and nose" and scoop
ed the whole shooting match" He |
didn't do thing but take in the $l65
prize and the championship cup. Hesent
np yellow.dog stock from several hun
ired per cent. below nothing to many
hundred per cent. above par.
At last accounts the friend and spon-
sor of the Patchoque yellow-dog was
asking whether there were any more
purses and cups in striking distance OF
the town, and the experts were trying to
save their faces and their theories by
working out a genealogical chart to
prove that the yellow variety OF the ca
nine species traces back to the branch OF
the lupus family, Of which the foster
mother OF Romulus and Remus was an
honored member Meanwhile, the yel-
low dog Of Patchoque is wearing
modestly the laurels to which he lie en-
titled for having redeemed the name Of
his color from worse than obscurity, and
il getting three square meals day.