The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-12-15
THROGS.
A nos Hhas Can UndeFstADd ana Gems y"
ma Ahlo 20 Read.

Na Ablo 20 Read.
Evervbody in Crawford, N. j., kn0ws
the incompatible ThroRs. wisest and moes
literary Of dogs. Throgs belongs 20 Mis-
AKce Lalrey, chairman Of the New Jersey
State Food Committee.
Throgs has n vocabulary Of about .
hundred words which he knows by SOUND
irrespective Of the tone Of tho speakers
voice. For instance. Throgs has long oeen
employed In taking an occasional noOe
10 some friendR named GatOs. VIM hvs
near BY. When tbs note IL sent 20 MT
Gates, ThroRA will not permit Mrs Gates
70 extract IL from his mouth; while II ~ 10
Intended for Mrs. Gates. Mr.. Gates cannon
Ust IL. Throgs has proved many times
that he knows the difference between
aMr." and Mrs
A good share OF his hundred word vo-
cabulary IL made up Of proper ame
One evening recsntly Mr.. Lakey left the
house, accompanied by ThrOgs.
-0Oing TO Mr.. POtter's, Throgs,' said ms.
ThroRa trOtted ahead, and when he reached
the Potter house turned in without further
instruction.
Another time when Throgs proved that
he knew more than the person sending
him was at the Lakeys' country home on
Lake Winnepesaukee, New Hampshire.
The Rev. Walter Gardener Of the Seamen's
Chapel in Hoboken had q camp near them.
and Mr.. Lakey was in the habit Of sending
a note over to him in the morning TO dis
cuss tho days plans.
One day Throgs took the note. started.
and then sat down In the middle OF the
road and dropped the note. Urged TO his
duty, he went q little further and then
sat down again.
Finding Z impossible to drive Throgs,
Mr., Lakey walked over to the Gardener
place. which he found deserted and silent.
ThroRs knew there was no one at home
and didn't see the sense OF carrying over a
note.
Throgs not only knows tho word "um-
brella,T but he knows what an umbrella
is for. Whenever any member OF the Lakey
family issue % from the house. pauses, looks
up at the sky. meditatcs, and then says:
Guess we'd better have the umbrella,
Throgsl" T~hrogsalways PUSHES back for the
There are persons in Crawford who declare
hi Throgs can read. For a long time he
has gone every morning TO a certain paper
store, delivered a coin wrapped IN a paper
and got the family paper.
The woman In charge know paper
was wanted, but one morning a stranger
was there who gave Throgs: the wrong
paper. Throgs went across the road, sat
down and dropped the paper He sat there
till the woman came and broug ht him the
right paper. Then he set out for home, in
suktinRly leaving the other paper lying in
the mud and refusing to return It 20 It's
owner or nave anything to do with IL.
This evidence that Throgs could read the
paper gave Mr.. Lakey a new idea concern
ing the dogs education, and he proceeded
10 work along hat line for a time. One day
be led the conversation with a visitor up TO
the subject OF almanacs. and extolled the
virtues Of "A certain almanac.
-Throgs," said he. go in the other room
and bring me that almanac naming t..
Thro9s went Immediately and brou ght
the almanac. The visitor, who didn't know
anything about Throgs. stared aghast.
1Do you mean to tell me that dog can
read?" said she.
sRead1' said Mr.. Lakey. why, that
dogs literary. He's very fond Of Ruskin.
Throgs, go bring me one OF Ruskin's books.
whichever one you like
Exit Throgs, to return with Sesame and
Lilies" OF course. Throgs's literary abili-
ties are a little assisted. The assistance con-
sists in Mr.. Lakey's first placing the books
, on chairs in another room, in Throgs's pres
ence. Throgs will always bring books
which he sees so arranged. when told to;
but he has the ~idiosyncrasy OF always tax
ing the n nearest the door nrst. SO NJ.
Lakey has only to keep the order OF the
Arrangement in min and arrange his con-
versation accordingly.
ThroRs not only understands the word
-ROod," but can spell il. as is appropriate
with a mistress who is chairman OF the
pure food committee. When he begs for
something to eat, If told to spell it. he will
10 to his wooden alphabet blocks, bring the
letters which compose h word food, and
arrange them in the proper order. As a
reward he gets a written order on the
cook for a biscuit.
Throgs learned that n piece Of paper car
ried to the cook meant biscuit. so one day
when no one would attend to him he got a
piece OF paper out Of the waste basket and
took il to her.