The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1905-01-26

he was a great, wide, laughing puppy,
but so full of mischief and so hard
to break of his tricks! Among other
accomplishments he took to slaugh-
tering cats. This we could not nave,
so after repeated thrashings, very
savage ones, too, for he was not
sensitive Collie, but beast with any
amount of endurance, and he always
loved me the better for thrashing
him. took kitten that he had killed
ana tied it about his neck; he dragged
it about, crestfallen, for some hours,
then disappeared, and finally came
leaping joyfully to me, the kitten gone.
l hunted for it but ouly found few
fragments. He had eaten it, but he
never again hurt kitten.
We named him Old Pard after the
good one, and he soon became one
of the family and felt a personal re-
sponsibility for many things. He de-
veloped into a fine watchdog, too; to
some he showed only friendly greet
ing, others he instinctively felt ought
to be denied any admission at all.
We learned later that some of those
he hated worst were night thieves;
he had either known of their prowl-
ings or had instinctively hated them.
Many feared him and our hen roost
Jared better than our neighbors',
though later he extended his night pa
troll to the home of close neighbor,
to their great satisfaction.
Old Pard developed into a great
worker with stock. He was always
too swift, too impetuous to suit me,
but he was a big help. Many thou
sands of lambs he has helped pen, al
ways he was in place when it was
time to put the feeding lambs in the
barn or to drive them out at feeding
time. He would "speak to them"
when they were tame and stubborn,
barking fiercely as long as you wished,
subsiding at command. He knew what
l wanted Of him always, but would
not always do it. I never knew what
a perfect sheepdog he was capable of
being until one day when l was up
on a barn roof the lambs got a gate
open and 500 of them came racing
into the road. Pard saw them before
l did and stopped them. was about
to 20 down to his assistance, but to
my astonishment he began doing ex-
actly what 1 had long been trying to
teach him, going from side to side, his
white brush high in air, waving to
and fro, gently, quietly; slowly he
drove them back, never one mad rush,
never a bark save when it was need
ed. It showed to me that he had
sense enough, that is, brain enough,
he knew, but the fierce impetuosity
of some alien blood made it very diff
cult for him to curb himself and
when I was there he laid the burden
of restraint entirely upon me.
I never knew a dog with more con-
science, though it was hard for him
to use it sometimes. He hated swine
and was very rough with them. We
hardly dared set him to driving them,
for he killed one or two shotes In his
impetuosity. He would catch and hold
the largest SOW. One day neighbor's
little pigs got into a cornfield where
I was husking. We drove them out
and l had hard running to keep him
from injuring the fat little rascals.
This kept up for several days, each
time the same difficulty from Old
Pard's too great willingness. Finally
one day I did not go to the field and
was dismayed to hear his excited
barking down there and the frantic
soueal of an infant pig. I ran as fast
as could to save their lives, for my
neighbor was a good old man and
friend, but when I got to the crest
of the hill whence could look down
and see the skirmish it was a most
curious and amusing sight. The big
dog. was hurrying the pigs out. but
doing it in a new and original man
ner for him. He would run with force
against them, knocking them endways,
then stop without biting at all, and
tail aloft and mouth open and eyes
dancing watch their recovery and lis
ten to their frantic squeals. Present
ly he would make another rush. |
said not word to him and he escort
ed them thus harmlessly clear out of
the field. He had reasoned to him
self: Nov Joe is not here to pull
me off these little pigs. can't bite
them, but must restrain myself. Hang
it all, but I will have some fun, any
way"
Speaking of his conscience again,
here is an illustration. When we
killed hogs I always gave him the
:sidneys. One day we butchered but
:inishing late did not do more than
carry the carcasses into an clubhouse
and lay them on a bench. Next morn
:ng, coming down to see about mat
.ers. l was annoyed to see the door
,jar and yet more. veXed when as
stepped up Old. Pard came out. He
looked up at me in friendly and con-