A VERY DEAR DOG.

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 1, 31 March 1893, Page 14

A VERY DEAR DOG.

Some medical students a few years since were regaling themselves one evening at the “ Tontine,” when an old farmer from the country entered the room—taking it for the bar-room —and enquired if he could obtain lodgings there. The young chaps immediately answered in the affirmative, inviting him to take a glass of punch. The old man, who was a shrewd Yorkahireman, saw at once that he was to be made the butt of their jests, but, quietly taking off his hat, and telling a worthless little dog he had with him to lie under the chair, he took a glass of the proffered beverage. The students anxiously enquired after the health of the old man’s wife and children, and the farmer, with affected simplicity, gave them the whole pedigree, with numerous anecdotes about his farm, stock, <fec, “Do you belong to the church ? ” asked one of the wags. “ Yes, heaven be praised, and so did my father before me.” “ I suppose you would not tell a lie ? ” said the student. “ Not for the world,” replied the farmer. “ Now, what will you take for that dog ? ” pointing to the farmer’s cur, who was not worth his weight in mud, “ I will not take twenty pounds for that dog.” “ Twenty pounds ! Why, he is not worth twenty pence.” “Well, I assure you I would not take twenty pounds for him.” “ Come, my friend,” said the student, who, with his companions, was bent on having some fun with the old man, “ now you say you would not tell a lie for the world; let me see

if you wont do it for twenty pounds. I’ll give you twenty pounds for that dog.” “I’ll not take it,” replied the farmer.

“You will not? Here, let us see if this won’t tempt yon to tell a lie,” added the student, who had evidently just drawn his allowance, producing a bag of sovereigns, from which he counted small piles on the table where the farmer sat with his hat in his hand apparently unconcerned. ‘ There,” added the student “ there, are twenty pounds, all in gold. I will give you that for your dog.”

The old farmer raised his hat to the edge of the table and then, quick as thought, scraped all the money in it except one sovereign, at the some time exclaiming:

“ I won’t take your twenty pounds, nineteen is as much as the dog is worth —he is your property,” A tremendous laugh from his fellow students showed the would-be wag that he was completely “ done,’* and that he need not look for help from that quarter; so he good nature dly acknowledged himself beaten, insisted on the old farmer taking another glass, and they parted in great glee, the student retaining the dog, which he keeps to this day as a lesson to him never to attempt to play tricks on men older than himself, and especially to be careful how he tries to wheedle a Yorkshire farmer.