The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1921-04-17

terrified the dog. Even a black cloud
kept him at my heels when we were u,
In the mountains. He was afraid /,
might thunder. If there was a thunde,
storm while we were out, | would 81:
down and let Jack put his head Gnde,
my legs. If we were at home during a
storm Jack took refuge under the bed
and would not even come out to get his
dinner.
1t was one afternoon, when we were
going IN out OF n storm. Jack disohey-
ed me. He was driving the sheen with
such violence a score of them stole
away and took refuge on a precipice on
the mountain side. AS he went up after
them l observed their perilous situation
and yelled repeatedly. easy, easy, easy,
Jack" The next moment there came
almost upon me an avalanche of rock,
dirt and sheep. Jack pretended he had
rot heard me-he heard only the hun.
dcy.
1t became neCessa tc teach the dO.
a command that meant directly tn op
posite that of easy" For instance, if
the sheep suddenly started over noun-
tain off our range the command. ;rahe
'em come down" was followed r. an
other, GIVE EN- hell" Incidents, y, u
may be remarked TIE latter ccmrand
was the one the dos delighted nest to
hear.
The lesson most difficult for me to
teach Jack was that OF going up the
mountain side without me and makins
the sheep come down An unexpectee
event enabled me To teach him this les
son. Naturally he was eager to ge,
home for his dinner. We were almos,
home one nosn when the sheep stopped
to Craze. Being very tired, after the
morning run, | laid down on the grass.
In that position | heard sheep bleat
FAR In the rear OF course, / had to so
back and investigate. Jack reluctantly
went with me--he wanted to go on to
dinner.
Two or three hundred yards back was
an old eve on the side of the mountain.
She was on a boulder looking down ana
bleating, Sheep have no use for their
heads except to butt with them. BY
walking back ten yards and like dis.
tance to one side that old eve could have
come down and rejoined the flock
| could not possibly have climbed un
to that eve at that hour of the day ana
had to depend solely on my dog. He
could hear her, but could not see her
at that distance. | was pointing and
repeating, MAKE her come down." but
Jack didn't seem to understand Finally,
| said Lets go home" Just as we
started, the eve bleated again and
taking a few steps toward her | COM
manded again. Make her come down" "
lie understood now that before we could
go home he would have to go up after
that sheep and take her with us. AS
he went up l did not feel myself dis
posed to give the command, "easy," and
| 1t certainly was not necessary to give
the one with the opposite meaning
Jacks favorite. AS the eve began het
hasty descent with the dog at her heels
l noticed she was my only cripple, walk
ing on three feet; but before she reach
ed the foot of that mountain she was
going on four feet-and she needed
them. She never limped afterwards.
The dog was now doing something
new every day that startled me. Once
l found the entire flock of sheep on a
precipice 200 feet high or more. They
had gone on it through narrow path
and had not sense enough to turn and
come back. | vas alarmed, lest they be-
come frightened and push one another
to their destruction on the rocks below.
| shook my stick at Jack and told him
l would kill him if he barked-other
emphatic words whose significance was
not lost on the dog.
| could not get in front Of the sheep
and start them out the way they had
gone in, but could stand only on one
side of them and there urge them to go
back. 1t seemed hopeless task. when