Year: 1875

From the Brunswicker.l


"Talk about dogs as is sagacious," re-
marked Mr.. Cannon, rs he leaned back
in his chair, threw one leg over pile o
exchanges, and ran his fingers through
his gray hair: "Talk about smart dogs
raised dog once which was just con
siderably the smartest animal ever saw
or read of. Never knew what breed he
was; kind O. peculiar-seemed to have
all the best points of the whole species
He came to me in singular manner
teO, when he was no mOrn'n three
months old. Heard scratchin' at the
door, one cold winter mornin', as / was
maxim a fire. Opened the door, and in
walked that ere pup. The first thing he
done was to wipe his feet Oh the mat
Then he pushed stool up to the stove
and set down on it, and held his paws up
to warm. After he got comfortable, he
asked me to adopt him into the family


81 am tellin' the truth now, and OF
couise ] don't pretend to say that that
pup actually addressed me in the English
language; bat his looks, his manner, his
what dye call it? pantomime, was SC
perfect that / knew just what he wanted
never went much on dogs as a general
thing, but / couldn't go back on one oi
such extraordinary promise as this.
kept him, and we named him Rassler.
He was as initiative as a Chinaman--
picked up things faster'n a child. He
took to the children right away-liked
them as we'll as though they had been
his own brothers and sisters they
come to consider him as one of the fam.
lily. He learned all that was possible
from the limited facilities afforded on
the farm. Before he was year old he
could ride horses, tend the baby, pick up
chips, and do thousand other useful
and amusing things. Ola. my Oldest
boy, had learned him to whistle, and it
would do you good to have seen Rassler
utilize that accomplishment. You know
rabbit will stop if you whistle to it.
Well, when ho got after a rabbit, and it
was about to get away from him he'd
stop and whistle. The foolish rabbit
would stop to listen, and Rassler would
have him by the neck in less than a
minute.


"We never had to take an AK along
when we went out coon hunting with
that dog. No need to cut down any
trees. He would Just skin up tree like
squirrel, and snake coon or possum
out in a jiffy. One of his favorite pas
times was to take a small pail and 60 out
in the meadow and drown out ground
hogs, getting the water from pond in
the neighborhood.


"Once took Rassler to town with me,
and as it was election day, l allowed
myself to get rather more liquor aboard
than could conveniently carry. About
three o'clock in the afternoon / started
home, taking the railroad track. / had
not gone far before the whisky made me
stupid, and laid right down on the
track, and went dead drunk. Rassler
tried everyway to get me off to the side
of the road, but was heavy and sense
less, and he couldn't bulge me. A train
was coming, and in ten minutes more
l would have been run over. Now, gen.
tlemen, what do you think that dog did
Excuse me, but l can not rcpress the
rising tear, when think how that faith
full animal saved my life. He grabbed
my red bandanna handkerchief from my
pocket, and ran toward the train, and
signaled it, and, by George, stopped it,
and saved me. Yes, sir.


"But in his death he exhibited a
greater degree of gratitude and intelli-
gence than he had ever done before. The
boys had learned him to smoke, and he
became such slave to tobacco that /
feared it would impair his mental facul-
ties. I tried to break him of the habit
by whipping him, but it did no good.
He'd steal off some place and smoke, in
spite of all l could do. Well, one night
he went to sleep in the cellar, with n
pipe in his mouth, and the fire fell out
on some straw and soon the whole place
was in blaze. Rassler walked up in
time to arouse the family and enable
them to all get out, but we couldn't save
anything. While we were standin'
around, lookin' at the burnin' house, all
of sudden Rassler gave bark and
rushed through the flames. In five min
utes he appeared in the library window,
on the second floor, with something in
his mouth. The flames had cut off his
retreat, and he sprang from the window
and fell lifeless at our feet. And now,
gentlemen, what do you think that dog
had in his mouth-that he had given his
life to save? 1t was the insurance policy
on my house !"


And the old man wept at the remem-
brance of Rassler's fidelity.