The Savannah morning news., 1904-12-20
FAMOUS DOGS OF FICTION.
How They Have Been Treated by
Great Writers.

From the London Standard.
Although it may be conceded that
among the animals of fiction the horse
holds first place, the part played by
dogs, especially in modern literature.
is very large and important. The
pages of many famous novels have
presented us with members of the ca
nine race as carefully drawn and as
lovingly delineated as any of the hui
man characters introduced Not in
frequently the role of hero or heroine
is doubled with or wholly supported
by dog, and in numberless instances
1t is the intervention. conscious or I'M
conscious, of dog upon which the
whole plot turns. AS might be ex-
pected, 1t is among the works of such
noVellsts as are specially noted as dog
lovers that the finest and most fire.
quent descriptions of their four-footed
friends are to be found, and naturally
Sir Walter Scott, well known for his
extreme attachment to dogs, heads the
list.
Big dogs are Scott's special favorites,
and his noblest example is Sir Ken
neths hound Roswal, who bears an all
important part in the plot of The
Talisman." Roswal is described as
large stag hound of splendid proper
tons and great sagacity, who shares
his masters watch on st. Georges
Mount, beside the banner of England,
above the camp of the Crusaders
Tempted by woman's guile, the knight
forsakes his post for a short space,
leaving Roswal to guard the flag. A
base attack is made in his absence,
and Kenneth returns to find the flag
gone and it's faithful defender wound
ed apparently to death in it's defense.
kenneth's remorse for the violation of
the English banner is scarcely more
keen than his grief over the dog, who
wags his tail and ticks his masters
hand, even in the agonies of death. 1t
is a most touching scene, drawn by
master hand, and the readers satisfac-
ton is not less than the knights is.
represented to be when the Arabian
physician, Saladin, disguised, appears
OPPORTUNITY, and by his timely minis
trations saves the hound, who lives
to identify his till then unknown as
sailant by dragging him bodily from
his horse. In "IVanhoe" Gurth, the
swineherd, possesses noteworthy dog,
Fangs by name, "a rugged, wolfsh
looking dog, a sort of lurcher half
mastiff, half greyhound" who assists
his master in the care of his refractory
charges, is wounded by Cedric the Sax
on, and whose adventures are carried
on throughout the book.
In Woodstock" again, Scott draws
with loving touch the portrait of Sir
Henry Lees famous mastiff. Bevis,
who in the first scene accompanies the
knight to the church, where, batting
an occasional temptation to MARBLE
along with the accord, he behaved him.
self as decorously as any of the con-
gregation and returned as much edi-
fed, perhaps, as some of Them" who
had, moreover, saved his masters life,
defended his daughter Alice from as
sault and fastened his teeth into the
sacred person of King Charles II, when
the distinguished monarch was seeking
refuge in Woodstock Lodge. Among
SCOTS dogs mention must also needs
be made of the famous breed of pep
per-and-mustard terriers described in
Guy Mannering," and which have
ever since borne the name of their inn
mortal owner, Dandie Dinmont. I
have six letters at home. forebye 9TH
er dogs" said that worthy. There's
Aud Pepper and Aud Mustard, and
Little Pepper and Little Mustard.
had them a regularly entered. first
Wi the tods and brooks, and now they
fear nothing that ever cam WI hairy
skin ont"
Dickens was a dog lover, and pos
sessed several dear canine friends. It
is recorded in his biographies how
greatly moved he was on one occa-
sion by the sympathetic concern evin-
| ced by two of his favorites. Turk and
Linda, when during a walk he was
suddenly struck with lameness. Bois-
| ferrous companions as they always
were. the sudden change in him caus-
ed them boundless Distress and for
the rest OF the journey they crept by
| the side Of their master as slowly as
| he did. never turning from him. The
| finest dog character i'm Dickens's now
els is undoubtedly Diogenes. the IA
vorte of little Paul Dombey, and SUBJ
sequently presented by Mr.. Toots TO
his sister Florence. "As ridiculous a
/ dog as one would meet with on a
summers day: a laundering. ill-favor-
/ ed, clumsy. bullet-headed dog. contin-
ually acting on n wrong idea that
there was an enemy in the nelghbor-
hood whom II was meritorious 20 bark
at" Nevertheless. despite his pc
| culiarities. his habit Of carrying his
tongue out as II he had come express
/ TO "a dispensary 10 be examined FOR
| BIS health" his falling upon the man
| servant morally convinced that he
was the enemy whom he had barkcd
al around the corner all his life and
had never seen yet" Dlogcnos II "a
most eatlmnble animal and holds our
affections till the end Of the book.
Not so with Dorn's little dog Jip IN
David Copporneid." drawn 10 the very
life, whose most mcrioriOua action is
hF pathetic death nt the moment when
bis foolish. fascinating mistress, cop-
.p0fnrld'H child Wlfo." breafhoa her
laat Then there Dr. Skies dog Dol
oliver Twist" white ana HhnrFy. with
fod eyes and hif face scratched nud
torn in twenty different places. CON.
finunuaiV kirFnH and IaHfrn ana Nnlf
killed ~ Die raiilgn master. boz who