The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1914-08-14
A CANINE TRAGEDY
Trouble Came In Bunches With
the Purchase OF a Watchdog.
ONE NIGHT OF WILD RUCTlON.
u Taught the Battered Master Of the
Wrecked Home That Under Some
Circumstances a Burglar May Be
Better Company Than a Msstiff.


Better Company Than a Msstiff.
IF man Is afraid Of burglars" said
Quackenbusb. ''he can't have a better
safeguard tfian a good Watchdog"
But where is he going to get the
good watc1idogY" inquired Clinken-
beard such animals don't grow on
trees. and t>icy are not advertised by
department stores.
"Of course, if you 20 around telling
that you are IN the market for IL watch
dog every uiun who has chicken kill
ing pup he wants to get rid of will
tell you that his critter is just what
you are hunting for. But ysu'll try
out million dogs before you find one
that will get down to brass head,.d
nails and do police duty.
1.-TWO or three years ago there was a
burglar scare out In our suburb. Sew
eral houses had been entered and some
false hair and things carried away. So
my wife got so nervous she couldn't
sleep at night. She was sure some
masked bandit would break in and
steal the What Is Home Without a
Mother chrome from over the mantel,
and just to give her u sense of security
! bought big mastiff and took him
home and chained him to tree in
front of the house.
Along about ~ o'clock at night that
dog got to thinking over his misspent
life, and remOrse gnawed at his heart
strings, and he began lamenting the
past. He had the most blOOdcurdling
voice l ever heard. Every yell he let
ont froze the marrow in my bones.
He'd begin with sort Of piantivc
wall and wind up with howl that
would remind you of hyena in a
graveyard oil rainy night. My wife
said the uproar would have to be
stopped and I'd better bring the dog
into the house He'd probably he quiet
there.
$50 slid into few rags and went
downstairs and into the yard. Just as
l approached the dog old Rilshaw.
who lived next door. opened his bed
room window and threw an old frying
pan. OF course he meant 1t for the
dog but his aim was poor and 1t caught
me in the bread basket and knocked
the wind out of me.
81 sat down on the grass and gasped
for breath, and Il shower of bottles AMI
bootjacks and stove wood came from
Billshaw's window, and every blamed
item hit me in one place or another.
When / finally got my breath yelled
to Billshaw to let up. for he was muir
dering me. and he said it was just
what l deserved for keeping such IL
menagerie where it would give the
whole neighbOrhOOd the horrors
After | had rubbed my bruises for
half an hour | took the dog into the
house and went back to bed. l was
just dropping Off to sleep when l was
reused by the alliredest racket. 1t
sounded as though. the side of the
house was falling in. My wife was
shrieking that the dog was upsetting
all the furniture and running every
thing. So l went downstairs again,
quoting n few passages from Webster's
Dictionary.
II had forgotten about the cat when
took the dog into the house. But the
dog had discovered the pet and was
chasing It through the house. and you
never saw such n scene of wreckage. |
Everything thet wasn't nailed down |
had been overturned. and nearly every |
thiSg was broken. The gas light was |
and there was the cat hanging |
hn Gvt ha otn
ing on his hind legs trying to reach
her.
MY memories of what followed are
rather confused | SEEN to recall grab
bling the dog ty the scruff Of the neck
TO take him outdoors. and he bit a
sample from my shin. and then we
mixed things on the floor | managed
Ia stuff the pincushion into his mouth
so he couldn't bite, and we resorted to
wrestling.
Then the cat came down from the
gas fixture and took a hand and clawed
most OF my scalp Off. and my wife
came TO the rescue with the poker.
She said nftcrward that she was try.
Ing to hit the dog reckon I'd have
been ON ice next day il the neighbOrs
hadn't come in with sh0tguns and prun-
Ing hooks and such things and pried
lp apart.
Tint experience was enough for me.
ID rather have forty burglars on the
tsau one Watchdog Walt
Mason in Chicago News
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