Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-10-25
ITO be Continued.) }
DUMB JOkERS.
Animals That Exhibited a Real Sense
of Humor.

Animals That Exhibited a Real Sense
of Humor.
| am certain that some dogs have
sense of humor, said a we'll known
known scientist lately. and it Is more
apparent in some breeds than in 9TH
ers. Does any one ever step to think.
when he sees the sardonic smile on
the face Of a bulldog as he noses the
shrinking legs Of a passerby, who
tries to walk along unconcernedly,
that the bulldog probably enjoys the
humor of the situation in his own
way? l have seen a dog sitting in a
dark doorway, paying no attention to
any one who passed, till man alb
sorbed in thought came along. Then
he rushed out unexpectedly, barking
clamorously, and startled the man
until he nearly fell, then trotted back
and waited to have his next joke
Here is a case of waggish dog
which l saw myself. He was a Scotch
collie. and if ever a dog was a hum
orist a collie is. With a party of
friends l was sitting on the face of
a grass grown hill, sloping down to
a small lake or pond, in front OF
which was beaten pathway. The
collie. who had the Irish name of
Barney, belonged to my brother, who
was in the party, and was lying curled
UP at his feet.
A peddler came along and, coming
a little way up the hill, asked for the
time. Barney looked at him lazily,
blinking in a sleepy way, and the
man, when he was told the time,
went down the path and sauntered
along. He stopped for a minute or
so and stood in a STOPPING position
to look at something in the pond.
Suddenly Barney, who had been
watching him, wagged his tail, which
was his custom when he had an idea.
He rushed quickly down the hill and
putting his forepaws on the peddler's
back pushed him into the water.
barney then rushed back and lay
down again before the peddler re-
allied what had happened to him.
The water was only few feet deep,
and when the man scrambled out
drenched through and wiping the
water from his eyes, the look of as
constituent on his face was laugh
able, though the whole thing was an
outrage We were all seated in the
same position as we were when the
man looked at us first when he asked
for the time. and Barney was APP
parently asleep and looked as If he
had not moved. Thoroughly mysti-
fled, the peddler looked at us again
but could make nothing of it, and
went away shaking his head. Now,
if that dog was not a joker l don't
know q joke.
| generally find that mongrel dogs
when they happen to be sociable,
have Il keen sense of humor. An
aristocratc dog with a pedigree may
have some inherited Smartness but
has no originality. a common yellow
dog. with no ancestry to speak Of
who has to gain his living by his wits
could give him cards and spades at
his own tricks in two lessons.
Once | took into the house, out Of
pity. a mongrel yellow dog who in
sisted on installing himself at my
doorstep and always came back. no
matter how often he was chased
away. | had ut that time a pedgreed
water spaniel, and | tried to teach
him some tricks when I took him out
along quiet road at times. The
yellow dog. who made friends with
him. always came along and beat the
water spaniel at his own tricks with
out training. Then he began to play
tricks of his own on the spaniel
When he had bone he looked out
for his comrade. and when he saw
him Looping along he would lay the
bone in his path and disappear The
spaniel always made for the bone. but
the yellow dog, just as he was about
to grab it, would dart from his hid
ing place and. SeiZing it, run off with
it. This happened over and over
again. but the high-bred spaniel never
tumhled t" the joke.
YCu may laugh if you like. but
once saw Il jackasS with Il sense Of
humur. No. I'm not f0oling: ! mean
Il real jaCkaSs. When [ was at school
as Il boy in country town the
schoOlmaStcr on Il fine day would
bring the pupils into the yard, where
we played during recess, for q sing
ing lesson. He started them singing
Home. Sweet Home" one day in
parts. Part of the yard was cut out
of Il hill. and this was faced with Il
stone wall. forming one of the
boundaries of the yard high enough
to form Il parapet few feet higher
than the hill. Behind the parapet
this particular jackass stood while we
were singing. his neck craned over and
his ears cooked as if he were listen
ing to the music. The boys had hard
work To keep straight faces when
they looked at him. After the class
finished singing, there was quiet for
Il minute and the ass. opening his
mouth. gave a loud "hce- haw" and
gallnped away. If that wasn't a joke
I'm Il sinner.-rit-Bit