The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1925-11-27
LID MAN NEGLEY was watch
ing the clever work of Colonel
Prouse's young collie in round

Ing Tue cieVer "orA VI Ooione'
Prouse's young collie in round
ing up and driving neighbours chick
ems out of the Prouse garden.
The collie rushed in helter-skelter
fashion at bevy Of old hens which
were scratching up bed Of new
planted seeds. Marrying and brighten
ing them. he rounded them into a
squawking and Tapping bunch and
then drove them clean over the fence
in dramatic and noisy fashion.
Then he wheeled toward fustered
mother hen with six fluffy yellow baby
chicks. No longer did he dash at the
intruders. Instead. he proceeded in
leisurely, carefulness, slowly urging the
baby brood toward gap in the fence
and giving their clucking and excited
mother plenty Of time to adapt her
pace to theirs.
Old Man Negley looked on with ap-
proyal. Then he turned on Colonel
Prouse who was experimenting the
work of eviction.
'That pup is natural-born herder,"
remarked Negley. Most young dogs
would have rushed in among the flock
and perhaps trampled one of those
chicks. Your collie handled the whole
flock as cleverly as a veteran sheep
dog handles herd of sheep.
Ever see some splay-footed little
collie drive sheep in quantities? It's
sight worth remembering. Out be-
yond Red Bluff. CAL, I used to watch
il seven-month black collie puppy man.
age bunch Of 2,100 sheep. They were
stringy wethers and he could race them
without harming them at all when they
strayed out Of bounds.
''But when he came to drive hand
full of ewes with their lambs, he was
as gentle as mother with a sick
child-just the way your pup was with
those baby chickens.
ut is the same with all natural
sheepdogs. 1t is an education to watch
them at work. There isn't one of them
that doesn't know his life belongs to
the flock and that he must throw away
his life. If necessary. to save the flock
from danger. Many and many dog
has done just that. too.
did it ever strike you as queer
that dog is the only animal that will
work for mankind of his own accord !;
and even destroy other animals for
mans sake? Funny. isn't it7 Your
cattle won't herd other cattle. Your
horse won't round up and drive other
horses unless there is a man on his
back to make him do 1t.
mo animal but the dog will work
for man and hunt for man and vol
UNFAIRLY risk his life for man and for
mans possessions. There's q mighty
bond between man and dog that isn't
found anywhere else In the animal
kingdom.
"Not only thoroughbred dogs, either ;
but so-called mongrels and ours as
well. They'll die for their master and
for Sduty every bit as quickly as a
pure bred will. Speaking of ours
here's an odd thing read at the pub
lie library. the other night:
Back in ancient times, the mobiles
used to get extra spending money for
themselves by thinking up new taxes
to put on the people. One bright law
maker noticed how fond everyone was
of dogs and how even the poorest man
liked to have dog of his own. That
gave him an idea for new tax. He
didn't dare put a heavier tax on the
dogs themselves; so he got around II
this way: He framed a law putting a
heavy tax on every dogs tail.
mo, that isn't joke. Colonel. II
really happened. l suppose he figured
that dog owners would all be so soft
hearted that they would pay the tax
sooner than let their dogs tails be cut
off. But that is where he made his
mistake.
'As soon as the new tax law was
published. people got busy trying to
avoid 1t, as people did as late as the
Nineteenth century when there used to
be a tax in some states on the num-
Der of windows In house.
1.-The tax was imposed on every dogs
tail. The rich people paid 1t sooner