Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 January 1894 — FOR THE YOUNG FOLKS. [ARTICLE]

FOR THE YOUNG FOLKS.

HE* POETRT. A certain small five-year-old has a passion for a sort of poetry which is independent of ail literary characteristics except rhyme. One day she was seen to regard her doll affectionately and was heara to murmur: “Her soft brown hair Curled tight to her head; We looked at her sociably , And thought she was dead.” KILLED HIS BEST EMEND. Some six months ago (writes a South African correspondent) I was traveling in tho Northern Transvaal, when, within sixty or seventy miles of Pretoria, I met a Dutchman on horseback. As we drew near each other I observed that the Boer was crying. Meeting, at length, I gave him the usnal salutations, and asked him if he were suffering. In the dialect of the land he assured me that bodily he was all right, but his heart was “very sore.” He went on to explain that he had killed his best friend—“meinhund.” He said that suddenly his dog took to jumping up and catching the bridle in bis mouth, seriously interfering with the horae.’a pace. He had driven the dog off more than ouce, but the animal -still persevered in its strange attentions. At length, struck with the fear that the dog might be suffering from some form of madness, he turned his rifle upon him and fired. The dog ran back along the road, and its owner proceeded on his way. Later it suddenly dawned upon the Boer that he had left his coat at his last off-saddling place. A coat is too expensive an article for a Transvaal farmer to think about leaving behind, so the Boer turned in his tracks and sought to recover his lost garment. Arriving at his last resting-place he found not only his coat but his dog. The poor animal, being unable to make his master comprehend his loss, had returned to safeguard his master's property. The bullet had told its tale—the dog lay dead.—-[The Million.