''Abe'' Lincoln's Yarns and Stories - University of Macau Library

Yarns and Stories, by Alexander K. McClure 60DOG WAS A "LEETLE BIT AHEAD."Lincoln could not sympathize with those Union generals who were prone toindulge in high-sounding promises, but whose performances did not by anymeans come up to their predictions as to what they would do if they evermet the enemy face to face. He said one day, just after one of thesebraggarts had been soundly thrashed by the Confederates:"These fellows remind me of the fellow who owned a dog which, so hesaid, just hungered and thirsted to combat and eat up wolves. It was adifficult matter, so the owner declared, to keep that dog from devoting theentire twenty-four hours of each day to the destruction of his enemies. Hejust 'hankered' to get at them."One day a party of this dog-owner's friends thought to have some sport.These friends heartily disliked wolves, and were anxious to see the dog eatup a few thousand. So they organized a hunting party and invited thedog-owner and the dog to go with them. They desired to be personallypresent when the wolf-killing was in progress."It was noticed that the dog-owner was not over-enthusiastic in the matter;he pleaded a 'business engagement,' but as he was the most notorious andtorpid of the town loafers, and wouldn't have recognized a 'businessengagement' had he met it face to face, his excuse was treated withcontempt. Therefore he had to go."The dog, however, was glad enough to go, and so the party started out.Wolves were in plenty, and soon a pack was discovered, but when the'wolf-hound' saw the ferocious animals he lost heart, and, putting his tailbetween his legs, endeavored to slink away. At last--after many trials--hewas enticed into the small growth of underbrush where the wolves hadsecreted themselves, and yelps of terror betrayed the fact that the battle wason.