A Dog's Queer Trick.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 175, 23 October 1886, Page 6 (Supplement)

A Dog's Queer Trick.

The familiar face and ..form of ; Walt Whitman has been missing during the past week by those who travel at night on the ferryboats of the Camden and Philadelphia Ferry Company. It was the poet's custom to take trips on one of the boats shortly after twilight and enjoy himself for an hour or so, by greeting his many friends. "Yes, we miss the good, grey poet," said one of the pilots last night, " but, strange to aay, his place has been occupied by a dog. The first night Walt was misled by us [a strange dog came through the ferrygates down to the boats, trotted up to" the deck hands," and, in turn, greeted them by wagging.his tail. The stranger then walked to the front of the boat and took up his position, like the poet, until the boat reaohesl the opposite shore. He then stepped aside, evidently not wishing to be an obstruction to any person, just Walt Whit-, man's id?a, watched the passenger*? until they were all off, and as the boat was about to make the return trip trotted to the other end and there took up his position until the Camden side was reached. After a few trips the dog seemed satisfied, and again greeting the ferry hands would walk off thG boat and up Federal street. He has repeated this conduct every night for a week." As the ferry-boat Columbia was about to leave Camden on the 9,15 trip last night, sure enough, a medium-sized yellow dog, of no recognised breed, - trotted down the slip; and after being greeted by Andy Frazer, took up his position, on the front of the boat. A few moments after a large number of people trooped on board and orowded around the dog, "evidently to his disgust, for he immediately scampered off the boat "and slowly trotted up the \