The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-12-11
; A. Dogs Tale
BY. CWS Convr,gbt uor.
Z mark Twain per's Magazine.
Copyright, Har-
per's Magazine.

Harper'3 Magazine for December
My father was a st. Bernard, M
mother was a collie, but l am a Pres
byterian. h Is what my mother tolls
me; l doenot know these nice distincE
tons myself. To me they are only fine
large words meaning nothing. NJ, I
mother had a fondness for such; shs
liked to say them, and see other dog,
look surprised ANDY envious, as won.
dering how she got so much educa.
ton.
But, indeed, 1t was not real educa-
tlon; 1t was only show; she got the
words by listening in the dining room
and drawing room when there was
dren to Sunday school and listening
there; and whenever she heard a large
word she said 1t over to herself manly
times, and SO was able to keep 1t un
TIL there was q ~doginatic gathering fl.
the neighborhood; Hhen. she wouldtget
all, from pocket-pup to mnstiff, which
rewarded her for all her trouble. IF
there. was q. stranger,.he was nearly
sure to be suspicious, anti when he got
his breath again .h~ec:a@ould ask. her,
what it meant. And she always told
aim. He was never expecting this, but
thought he would catch her; SO when
she told him, he was the one that.
looked ASHAMED, Whereas he had.
thought 1T was going to be she. fst's
The. others We're always waiting for
this, and glad of 1t and proud of her,
for they knew what was going to hap
pen} because they had had experience.
When she told the meaning Of a big
word they We're all so taken up with
admiration that it never occurred to
any dog to doubt If it was the right
one; and that was natural, because,
for one thing, she answered up SO
promptly hat IL seemed like a diction-
airy speaking, and for another thing,
where could they find out whether 1t
was right or not ? for she was the only
cultivated dog there was.
By-and-by, when I was older, she
brought home the word UnintellectuaI,
one time, n worked 1t pretty hard all
the week at different gatherings, maxi
Ing much u~nhappiness n despond-
ency; n it was at this time that I
noticed that during that week she was
J asked for he meaning at eight differ
f, ent a~ssemblages, and flashed out d
fresh definition every time, which
showed me that she had more pres
ence of mind than culture, though /
said nothing, of course.
She had one word which she al
ways kept on hand, and ready ike a
life preserver, a kind of emergency
word to strap on when she WAS likely
to get washed overheard in a sudden
way-that was the word synonymous,
When she happened to fetch out a
long word which had had its day weeks
before and it's prepared meanings gone
to her dump-piie, IL there was q
stranger there of cours it knocked him
groggy for a couple of minutes, then
he would come to, n by TINT time
she would be away down theYWind on
another tack, and not expecting any
thing; so when he'd hail and ask her
to cash in, | (the only dog on the in
side Of her game) could see her canvas
flicker a moment-but only just a mos
ment-then it would belly out taut and
full, and she would say, as calm as a
summers day, ITS synonymous with
supererogation," or some goddess long
reptile of a word like that, and &C
placidly about and skim away on the
next tact, perfectly comfortable, yor
know, n leave that stranger looking
prorane and embarrassed, and the in
1tiated slatting the floor with theil
tails In unison and their faces trans.
figured with a holy joy.