The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1925-12-04


IV Negley up to the porch as he
was at work wedding one Of
the front yards flowsr-borders. In
her hand Swas yellowed magazine.
Look" she babe him, pointing to
a picture on one of the pages. II ran
across this 1870 magazine in an attic
trunk today. Here is picture want
to ask you about"
Old Man Negley took the magazine
In one hand, while with the other he
fumbled for his steel-rimmed spec
tacles. Then he looked at the picture
It represented a woman in crinoline
and shawl and with a funny little chip
bonnet on her queerly arranged hair.
Under one arm she carried a little
dog. 1t was at this dog Mrs. venner
pointed.
what on earth is that?" she
queried. ''In my twenty-five years
I've seen almost every sort Of dog
there is. But this one is new to me.
See its huge round eyes and bashed-
in pug nose; and the way its tail curls
like corkscrew. Yet it must have
been fashionable, in it's day. For look
at what the line under the picture
says"
Old Man Negley spelled out the cap
ton: Newest Style in Damsel and
Doggie." Then he turned the maya
zine over and locked at its date of
May. 1870.
81 was fifteen years old when this
picture was printed" said he. "And
I've pretty good memory. It may
seem queer and outlandish to you,
ma'am. But it seems mighty natural
to me. Makes me kind of homesick to
look at it, in this year of 1925. Many's
the time I've turned around in the
street when was boy to stare at
some woman dressed like that, and
wish my mother could afford to wear
such elegant clothes. The"
"But asked you about the dog she
is carrying" interrupted Mrs. Venner
who was not at all interested In the
old mans "reminiscences. "What breed
is fit; or is it just freak picture?"
1.-THE dog is pug" answered Neg
ley. And a very good specimen of
pug at that. It's funny you never saw
one. No. it isn't so funny, either At
big dog show last year l saw two
pugs on exhibition. And the younger
spectators gaped at them as If they
were curiosities.
"But fifty or even forty, years ago
you couldn't walk mile on any fash
ionable street without seeing a dozen
of them. By nature they were pretty
little fellows. and clever too. But
most of their mistresses used to gorge
them with rich food and give them al
most no exercise, so the poor things
got fat and wheezy.
mo. you wouldn't be likely to rec
ognize the picture or know what kind
of dog it was. Any more than you
would know what to do with a dress
such as that woman In the picture is
wearing
"You see, fashions in dogs change
just as fashions in clothes or in slang;
though most folks don't stop to real
ize it. I'm pretty old man and I'm
interested in dogs. So I've kept track
of those canine fashions better than
the folks around me have bothered to.
For instance:
1.-THE pug used to be the most fash
iOnable dog in the world Then all at
once pugs vanished. You didn't see
them any more. Just as you didn't see
crinoline and hoopskirts any more. |
Fashion got tired of pugs and dropped |
them. That meant breeders stopped |
producing them because there wasn't |
any more market for their wares.
"AlOng came the tiny poodle. with |
the funny clipped coat and his hair |
sometimes tied up with a pink bow
above his eyes. The miniature poodle |
was all the rage. Some people even |
had his coat clipped into their own
monograms or crests. II used 10 take |
a real artist to clip those dogs in the |
right fancy way. He disappeared So |
did the Spitz. So did the black-and-
tan. So did many another.
Then there was the Newfoundland.
/ don't believe you've seen three New /