The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1905-03-16
SINJER

!. = Talliog Of knowing dogs, said the Indis
trader, when the sui iect came up 10 II
ttore one evening, the most remarkable
:, have tver seen WAS big mongrel that lool
: Cd Ike a cross between deerhound ard
buiiaio wof.
- That dog belor ged to Barefoot Kelley
- who used to trap along the Missouri her,
abouts. Kelley went barefoot slx month
= In the year. He always trapped out al
. Inter by himself, bringing his catch up o
down the river when the Ice ian out.
Oae spring, he pu led 10 At our land
I" : Ing, he had company 10 his boat, a big
= rough dog with coat Of sp tad gray ant
yellow.
This Ia Slrl.r, my pafdner, he said ,wher
: he came into the store with the dog q
hi, heels. lie come to my shack In biz
znd.
At first Sirjsr was iust dog to US, but
II was oDlya week or two until he did a
feat which made him character.
Barefoot bad come down early, when the
Ice was atill running. and cold snap came
on about the middle Of April and closed the
rIvsr. A day or two later, when the trap
per ard bis dog we're losilng inside the
sore, | stepped OUT OF doors on some er-
rand,
had gone but rod or two when | no.
tieed wolf tiottiug across the river about
quarter Of a mile distant. called back
to Barefoot that here was mark for his
rifle. He came to the door and followed
my finger with his eye, then called to bis
dog. Sitisr responded promptly, and Bare
foot ran TO the river bank, pointing toward
the wolf. The dog gave chaie, and went
across the Ice Ike a yellow steak. The
wolf gave Lin single contemptuous
look, and trotled on out Of ril s-shot.
Not until Sijr was almost upon him
did the wolf pay any attention. Then he
turred In a 4 sh, and ! expected to zee
dead dog In LEES than twenty seconds. In.
| stead Of that, after minute or go Of as
pretty lighting as ever saw, there was
dead wolf lying on the Ice and a yellow
dog sitting on his launches, bowling for
his master to come ard rake the pelt.
That's Sh ie., taid Barefoot, as proud as
q peacock, the best wolfer on the OF Miss
ouIi,
TIE interest OF everybody at the post
had been reused by this time. Barefoot
went out and dragged In the dogs catch,
and showed group Of Us that the VOLTS
fore legs were bSth broken and Its throat
neatly cut.
The lrapper then told us that this was
the seventh wolf or coyote pelt bis dog had
secured In the three months they bad
hunted together, and that every wolf Sin.
sr had killed had one or both fore legs
broken. His dog would as soon tackle
bufl,lo wolf, be said, as q jick.rabbit, and
we could easily believe him.
Slljsr's points come out one by one. II
was hard to tell, we used to say, whether
Barefoot had taken Slpjsr into partnership
or whether the dog had adopted the trap
per. siij. was ,rfect body. guard. No
man could touch thing belonging to Bare
foot unless he was ready to fight that dog.
And there we're some things Barefoot him. ?
self couldn't do without punishment. 4
One hot day, when the dog was lying i
sound asleep In the store, Barefoot got up r
,oftly and stole on tiptoe out at the door,
me to follow and note what would u
happen. =
Barefoot went to the river bank some u
'ods away, and began walking back snd D
orth. Then Sir n walked up, and with an 10
.nxious whine, bolted cut past my legs. q
rhe dog no sooner raw Barefoot than he y
an at him, growing, whining and yelp. a
~, with queer wags Of his head. He
colded ss plainly as any termsgant Of a tt
quaw. But be wasn't content with scold- %
NJ he ran In behind Barefoot, and slyly ~
ipped the calf Of ti, leg, until the mar
ried out with pain. 50
Then back tba; dog came, dropping into 81
is old place under counter, and growing ~
a surly fashion until Barefoot entered a
nd took hi, old seat on barrel. h'
lie al'ays does that when sneak away u
rom him, SAID Barefoot. ! al'sys get pin ~
bed. snd he rubbed his leg and grinned
ke a schooiboy who had been switched. 70
SO for three or four ytara Barefoot and
in jer came and oafed ard went as regu. De
Irly ss the seasons. The dog killed wolves
ntil, In wicked fight, be broke two front an
,etb and got whipping. After that he lo
,nortd wolves, and ceased TO chase even ra
,yo'es. ne
Then one April day Barefoot drifted
own the river, and there was no dog Ia b
- boat. sn
where's ShJns everybody asked and 10
srefoot, with fsce ~ sober ~ II he'd re
st q brother, answered, Dead" vi
Thst wu all be would say about the deg
u long time, And be "a, about The stoie TO-
unti one evening, prompted to
, bis dog jastice, reckon, he told me bis ish
Dry. 81
he had built shack 10 the Bad Lands IN.
g fall before. on q creek where be bad on
und otter p!entifal. Daring the mouth ed
November be had taken ten nearly rr me
.ll'. Then one morning. A. be sss max ins
z The rouLds Of his trsps, be Suddenly wi
Isfsd Sir n, ard remembered that the deg hsl
u not been with him sIf ee be bad left The sw
sex. lai
A. wss ST. f's habit TO take rur aitr tai
bbiis when they fret v ut out-of-coors ~
dsy llsh'. But the dog had never b fore
lied 10 oyertake In within q mile u of,
10. The ,rspper felt unessy, and sfnr lev
.ppinx The creek = BIT farther, he vent ala