Year: 1861

The dog Immediately went to Mrs.
Mansfield, who was busy drying some
dishes and placing them upon an old fash.
ioned cupboard.


Poor Brunol' sal | his mistress with
a smile; they are only trying you; but
if you will 90 over to the fire place, and
take seat till I am done, will relieve
you of your charge"


No human being could have shown more
ready comprehension of everything spoken
in an ordinary tone than did that sagacious
brute; and as he walked over with state
ly step, and seated himself as directed,
with the extinguisher in his mouth, I ut
tered an involuntary exclamation of SUR
prise.


II suppose you think this very pleas
ant trick which he has been TAUGHT" OBJ
served the farmer, turning to me with
triumphant smile, but / assure you, upon
my honor, I never asked him to do the
same thing before"


OF course I was all amazemcnt. What,
save the power of speech, was the dividing
line between this brute and the human
species!


After trying him several times more, in
different ways, and thus proving him to
have knowledge of all that was said to
him, Mr.. Mansfield proceeded to relate
the following exciting and interesting in
cidcnt.


"Six years ago last SUMNER" began the
worthy farmer, con a dull drizzly after
noon, I drove down to the village to get
my horse shod, and being detained till
near dark, Hattie was sent by her mother
to fetch the cows from distant pasture.
There seemed to be sufficient daylight for
the purpose when she set out; bu. night
came on fast and almost suddenly, and
when I got home Hattie had not yet re-
turned. From the very moment of being
told whittier she had gone, felt a strange
unea>incss about the poor girl; for the
night had then set in intensely dark, aud
her way lay over a rugged hill, through a
patch of woods, and over the neck of mi.
ry swamp, where l had made safe foot
path by sinking some logs in the treach-
erous ground, and constructing rude
4 bridge across sluggish stream. But
should either she or the cattle miss this
bridge and get into the swamp, there was
! danger of being mired and suffocated
and therefore it was with good deal oi
nervous anxiety that myself and wife, ght.
ed by lantern, hurried over to the peril
Gus spot, hoping to meet Hattie on the way


A fine, misty rain was steadily falling
and the clouds hung about the earth like
fog, so that it was impossible to see only
few feet with the aid of light, and not
an inch without it. Judging from care.
full inspection, that the cattle had not yet
or ossed the bridge, we went over to the
pasture in search of them, calling Hattie
loudly all the time. We found the ami.
mails at no great distance, but two were
missing and the poor child was not to be
discovered. Then We became alarmed in
earnest, and commenced a search for her
hurying from one point to another, and
shouting and hollooing continually. This
we did for a couple of hours; and thor
my poor wife sat down and wrung hei
hands in dispair. l suggested that Hattie
might even then be at homo and alarmed
at our absence and this suggestion inspir
ed her mother with sufficient hope and
strength to get there, where she sunk dOwr
under new disappointment, helpless as {
child


All, sir, that was a time of terrible trial
to me-my sweet child lost, my wife utter
, ly prostratc, and not another soul near tC


give me aid and sympathy. 1 could no
stand it alone, and l at once hurried to th
nearest neighbor. The man immediatel.
set off to rouse other noighbors, and hi
family accompanied me home. By mid


night quite party had assembled at tn


house here; but it was decided not to be


gin the search for Hattie till the followin
morning.


At daybreak seven Of us went off i


quest of the poor child, taking along
, couble of dinner horns and some three O
= four rifles, in hopes of reaching her b
sounds louder than our calls and shout


We took the regular cow-path to the pas
h, ture was hilly and much covered with tree
v and bushes, and we were several hours ge
through with that and then we sprea
: off in different directions, and occupied tn