The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1926-02-25

lie at play In the big back yard
of the colonel's house. Negley had
stopped in his hedge-t trimming task to
eat his lunch under the shade of a
tree. The colonel came over and stood
near him as the two watched the pup
py's antics.
The Kicks cocker spaniel had wrfg-
gIed through the hedge and was frisk-
ing with the half-grown collie. The
latter was making a series of dives at
the cookers forelegs as they romped.
and growled loudly as he did so. In
fact his chief object in the game
seemed to be the nipping of the span
ieIs legs, an effort which the slower
cocker gayly tried to avert.
'Why does Burke go for his legs all
the time, wonder?" queried Prouse.
''If it isn't the legs it's the throat He
doesn't aim for anything else"
"a good many thousand years ago,
and so on for hundreds of years later"
said Old Man NegIey. that young col
lies ancestors were wolves. And they
were the fiercest and most scientific
fighters in the whole forest. Those
of them that couldn't fight cleverly
were killed off early and left no de-
scendants Only the best fighters lived
to pass on their traits to the next gen
Grafton and the next and the next;
until their best fighting tricks got to
be second nature to the youngsters"
Eyes" interposed the colonel. $50
I've read But it doesn't answer my
question. Bruce and the spaniel aren't
fighting. They are playing. Both Of
them are in fun. asked"
''You asked why your collie pup
goes for the forelegs of the spaniel
most of the time and for his throat
the rest of the time" prompted Old
Man Negley. "And / was trying to
tell you. Remember this: Every kind
of puppy-play is an instructive throw
back to some mighty necessary ances-
trail custom. There aren't any excep-
lions to that rule. either; no matter
what kind of playing 1t happens to be.
'sBruce's wolf-ancestors won their
battles, as a rule. by diving In and
breaking their opponents foreleg,
making him helpless and putting him
at their mercy VOLTS jaw is
strong enough to snap any leg bone he
gets a fair grip on. He Owed for the
foreleg and his foe did his own best
to keep him from grabbing ii just as
that cocker is doing, though he doesn't
know why he Is doing it.
s'Of course the most vulnerable spot
in all an adyersary's body was the
throat. But that was pretty well
guarded; and It could only be reached
when its owner was off his balance a
little in trying to protect his forelegs.
So every now and then, after lunge
for the leg. Bruce tries his luck at
throat snap.
"He is doing what million wolves
have done. He doesn't know 1t, but
he is. He is reproducing with pillow
gloves their old-time 'bare-fist' bat
ties. And he's doing it we'll
sThe wolf cubs, in front of their
mothers den. play that same way. even
nowadays. rye seen them. many
time, out West, as boy They're
training their eyes and their muscles
for the lighting they'll have to do later
on. They don't know they're doing
that. They think they're only play
ing"
Ridiculous |" scoffed the colonel,
who made point Of disagreeing with
everyone.
Ridiculous. is It'll" Old Man Negiey
caught him up. Look yonder"
| He pointed to nearby back porch
where sat little girl rocking her doll
to sleep and grooming to it. Thence he
pointed to the street, where group
of boys were coming home from
school. Two. of the boys we're boxing
open-handed Presently they grappled
In noisily boisterous wrestling
-. a<oh ~, Tho 40 eide % ffr cfronf