Year: 1873

All read stories of sagacious dogs with
interest. Here is a new one, and it has
the additional merit of being strictly true.
A certain lawyer in San Francisco has =
wife. a nurse girl, a whole house full of
children, and large Newfoundland dog
as playmate for the little ones. 1t was
not known until lately that the dog had
any other merits than doggish attach
ment to the family, kind, playful dispo-
sition and a good appetite. A startling
exigency arose, and he became the brave
defender of that family.


The lawyer has near neighbor, whose
wife is afflicted with a mild type ofinsani-
ty. The unfortunate woman was sup
posed to be perfectly harmless, and her
husband kept her with him. She was an
object of mournful interest in the neigh
borhood, and her vagaries sometimes
amused the children. Nobody ever
thought of her becoming dangerous. One
day when the lawyer was at his Office,
and his wife was out shopping, and the
children, left in charge Of the nurse girl.
were romping with the dog, there was
violent knocking at the door which start
led the whole house. The nurse girl went
to the door, and the children crowded
around her, and the dog was there too
with an expression of interest on his coun.
tenance. When the door was opened the
crazy woman forced her way into the hall
looking very much excited. She talked
and looked wild, and was evidently raving
mad. The dog knew her, and appearing
also to know that there was something
wrong on foot, he crowded in between


the affrighted children and the visitor and
commenced barking. The nurse girl, not
being alarmed, told him to "get out"
The maniac woman, il seems, took the
remark as addressed to her, seized the
girl by the hair, and dragged her down,
and finally clutched her throat and COM
menced strangling her. The girl was
powerless in the hands of the maniac, and
the children ran screaming. The, dog
not liking the course matters had taken,
sprang at the mad woman with open jaws
and fastened upon her. She loosened her
hold of the PROSTATE girl, and made her
way to the door in charge OF the dog.
She stepped outside and the animal let her
go. The nurse girl then 'bolted the door,
and the now doubly enragcd woman be-
gam to throw stones and break the win
dows, and finally got an axe and COM
menced hewing down the door. The
house was in the suburbs, and no police
man was near The girl locked the terri
fed children in back room, and leaving
the dog to guard the house. went out by a
back door and FASTENED to the lawyers
office. s.t. aisst s&1
| The mad women. hearing the children
shrieking in the back part of the house and
the barking of the dog in the same direc-
ton, left the front door and went around to
the rear Of the house. She saw the child
ren's faces huddled together in the window,
and made fresh attack. She broke the
window all to pieces and tried to get in BY
it, but the opening was little too highland
she had no ladder. The terror of the
children during this scene can probably be
imagined. They heard their friend, the
dog. at the door outside, and there he faith
fully staid, protesting against the riotous
proceeding with his deep-toned voice.
Presently the baflled maniac made her way
through the back door with her axe, and
stood face to face with the foe that had
previously forbidden her the house. He
lay crouching at the chiIdren's door, and
there the lawyer found him when he came
with a sufficient force to raise the siege.
In few hours the woman became as quiet
and inoffensive as ever, but there has been
a neighborhood meeting to consider the
propriety Of reporting the danger and hay-
ing her sent to an asylum. That dog,
doubtless, thoroughly enjoyed his next
play time with those children. sd 40 stssc