The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1914-10-08

boys called her the fifteen minute nag,
but that was only in fun, you know.
because, OF course, she was faster
than that-and he used to win money
on that horse. for all she was so slow
and always had the asthma or the dis
temper or the consumption or some
thing Of that kind. They used to give
her two or three hundred yards start
and then pass her under way, but al
ways at the flag end Of the race she'd
get excited and desperate-like and
come cavOrting and straddling up and
scattering her legs around Timber.
sometimes in the air and sometimes
out to one side amongst the fences and
kicking up more dust and raising
more racket with her coughing and
sneezing and blowing her nose, and al
ways fetch up at the stand just about
a neck ahead, as near as you could
cipher 1t down.
And he had q little small bull pup
that to look at him you'd think he
warn't worth cent but to set around.
look ornery and lay for chance to
steal something. But as soon as mon
ey was up on him he was different
dog. His underjaw'd begin to stick
out like the fo'castle of a steamboat,
and his teeth would uncover and shine
like the furnaces. And dog might
tackle him and bullyrag him and bite
him and throw him over his shoulder
two or three times, and Andrew Jack
s0n-which was the name of the pup
Andrew Jackson would never let on
but what he was satisfied and hadn't
expected nothing else and the bets be-
ing doubled and doubled on the other
side all the time till the money was all
up, and then all Of a sudden he would
grab the other dog jest by the j'int
of his hind leg and freeze to it. not
chaw, you understand. but only just
grip and hang on till they throwed up
the sponge, IL it was year.
SMILEY always come out winner on
that pup till he harnessed a dog once
that didn't have no hind legs, because
they'd been sawed or In a circular
saw, and when the thing had gone far
enough, and the money was all up. and
he come to make snatch for his pet
holt, he seen in a minute how he'd
been imposed on and how the other
dog had him in the door. so to speak.
and he 'peared surprised. and then he
looked sOrter discouraged-like and
didn't try no more to win the fight
and so he got shucked out bad. he
give Smiley a look as much as to
say his heart was broke. and it was
his fault, for putting up q dog that
hadn't no hind legs for him to take
holt of, which was his main depend
cnce In fight, and then he limped
of q piece and laid down and died. 1t
was q good pup, was that Andrew
Jackson, and would have made name
for himself II he'd lived, for the stun
was in him and he had genius. l know
Il. because he had no opportunities to
speak of, and it don't stand to reason
that a dog could make such a fight
as he could under them circumstances
if he hadn't no talent. 1t always
makes me feel sorry when l think OF
that last fight of his'n and the way 1t
turned out.
"Well. this yer Smiley had rat tar
riers and. chicken cocks and tomcats
and nj them kind Of things TIL you
couldn't rest, and you couldn't fetcn
nothing for him to bet on but ne'd
match you. He ketched q frog one
day and took him home and said ne
cal'lated to educate him, and so ne
never done nothing for three months
but set in his back yard ana learn
that frog to jump. And you bet ne did
learn him too. He'd give him little
punch behind. and the next minute
you'd see that frog whirling In the alr
like n doughnut-see him turn one sum-
merset or maybe a couple. II ne got q
ooos, start. and come down hatfooteo
and all right. like cat. He got nm
nm 90 in the matter of ketching nies
and KEEP him in practice SO constant
trat he'd nail fly every time as iur
as he could see him.
"Smiley said all frog wanted was
education and he could do most any
thing. and ! believe him. why I've
coon him set DanI Webster down here
an this floor-Dan'I Webster was the
nome Of the frog-and sing out. 'fhes,
Dan,l diesr And quicker'n you couid
wink he'd spring straight up ana snake
a fly off'n the counter there anu uop
dovn nm the floor ag'in as solid as a
-ot ~ mud and fall to scratching the
s,de ~ his head with his hind foot' as
indifrerent as II he hadn't no Idea ne q
boon doing any more'n any frog might
do You never see frog SO noues =,
and STRAIGHTFORWARD as he was TOT al
- was go gifted. And when 1t come
to fair and square jumping on dea"