CONCERNING GREAT DANES
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CONCERNING GREAT DANES BY H. W. IT was in a small town in Massachusetts. Hiram thought a minute. The mail had just come in and the "Jonas," he said; "whar does that say usual crowd of village worthies was collected anythin' abaout a Great Dane?" in the store. Suddenly from the recesses "Why, the whole thing is about Great of the inner store emerged a figure waving Danes and them other dogs. It says so. See, 'An Act relative to Great Danes.' Ef a blue volume. "There, Hiram," it said; "I told yer so. it ain't about Great Danes, why does it That Baxter feller can't keep that Great say so?" and with this poser Jonas sat back Dane of his. It's against the law." on the counter. "What ye got there?" asked Hiram. "Howsumever," retorted Hiram, " I'd jest "This here volume," answered the figure like you to p'int out whar it says that a impressively, "is the Acts and Resolves feller can't keep a Great Dane." passed by the Legislature of this here Com Jonas looked at the act again. "Waal," monwealth of Massachusetts durin' the ses he concluded, " I calc'late a Great Dane must sion of 1904, and chapter 105 says as how be one of them dogs classed by dog fanciers Baxter ain't got any right to keep a Great as . a Cuban bloodhound or Siberian blood Dane." hound." "Let's see," said Hiram. "It may be a Siberian bloodhound, for What Hiram saw was this: all I know," said Hiram; "but who's goin' "AN ACT RELATIVE TO GREAT DANES AND to tell whether it is or it ain't?" CERTAIN OTHER DOGS. "Dog fanciers," came the ready response Be it enacted, etc., as follows: from Jonas. SECTION i. No person shall keep or have "Then you mean," said Hiram, "that ef in his care or possession any bloodhound, we folks up here in Worcester Caounty want excepting an English bloodhound of pure ter know whether we've got any right to blood whose pedigree is recorded or would keep Great Danes, we can't go to the law be entitled to record in the English blood ter see what's what, but we've got ter hunt hound herd book, or any dog classed by up one of your dog fanciers from Boston dog fanciers or breeders as Cuban blood and ask him please does he class a Great hound or Siberian bloodhound, whether such Dane as a Cuban or Siberian bloodhound?" dog is in whole or in part of such species, "Waal, it looks that way," admitted unless such dog is kept solely for exhibi Jonas, dubiously. Suddenly he brightened tion. In such case he l shall at all times up. "No; see here," he said; "this act says be kept securely enclosed or chained, and it's about Great Danes, so it must include shall not be allowed at large even though 'em in them Cuban or Siberian bloodhounds. in charge of a keeper, unless properly and Otherwise it wouldn't say it was about securely muzzled. Great Danes." SECTION 2. Sections one hundred and "Are you sure," interrupted Uncle Ebenthirty-eight and one hundred and forty-one ezer, who had been reading the statute, of chapter one hundred and two of the "that a Great Dane ain't some kind of a Revised Laws are hereby repealed. bloodhound diff'ent from a Cuban or Siberian SECTION 3. This act shall take effect bloodhound?" upon its passage." "We ain't none of us dog fanciers enough to answer ye that, Uncle," replied Hiram. i Who? — ED.
