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W. RICE, Editor.
THE
Independent South.
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WAYNESBORO. GEO.
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PER ANNUM.
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advance.
The Man Hint tlie Bog Barked
At.
A few days ago wo noticed a man
.walking along ouo of our principal
■streets whose appearance indicated
:fhat lie was “in a peck of trouble.' - ’
tile looked cross enough to bite a
• teqperiny nail in two—something
•very serious had disturbed his cqua-
jnimity. While we were wondering
what it could have been, whether or
not he had failed in business, or lost
moncy-by somebody else who had
failed—whether or not bis wife lmd
•eloped with his best friend, all forin-
-cd a strange problem. The face of
■ matters was wonderfully changed by
•quite a simple incident. We had
not absolutely determined, in our
own mind, the nature of his grievan
ces, when an impudent little terrier
ojpon the sidewalk, discovered some-
rthing offensive in .the appearance of
the man to whom we have alluded,
mud jumped towards him with a
adinrp but angry bark. This was al
together too great an indignity, and
(filled the cup of our traveler’s annoy
ances' to overflowing. IIo turned
fiercely towards the (log, and while
die insulted him with a blunt oath,
■attempted to kick him. The cur
■was altogether too nimble, and ns
die leapedotside to avoid the punish-
iincnt lie bad earned, barked more
•furiously Ilian before. The man’s
■anger know no bounds; the more
■the dog barked at him the more an-
.Ttious dio^eemed to be to succeed in
'kicking 'him, the figure they cut, us
I the terrier capered into the middle of
I .the street, the limn after him, the
I ■dog yelping and his antagonist
I .swearing loud and louder, was ludic-
I jous in the extreme.
People gathered upon the side-
I walk in crowds. The ladies looked
I on nnd giggled, the men braced
L themselves against the wall and
■ ahook their sides bravely, and the
I ilioys yelled out in groat delight “go
I it, old fellow, go it while you’re
young.” T\ho man who was making
■so laughable an nxhibition of himself
soon discovered that tho dog was al
together too agile for him, and gave
up the cha6C in despair. It was not
until thon he obsorved that in his
anger he had made a fool of himself.
He hastily drew down his hat over
his brow and walked rapidly away.
When our merriment bad subsid
ed, wo could not help thinking how
much this little incident resembled
liumnn life of many specimens of
humanity. If the man whoso story
wo have told had only walked quiet
ly on his way, and taken no notice
of tho outcry of tho cur, no matter
whetchcr tlie cur was governed by
wnntou or by malicious motives, lie
would have excited by his conduct
neither laughter in others, nor dim-
finished his own self-respect. So in
a thousand things in life. Ho who
pursues his own path fearlessly and
f calmly, without heeding the puerile
WAYNESBOKO, (
assaults of those who cannot by an
possibility affect his destinies, hi
will act a part dictated by gooc
senso and wisdom. ’Tis passing
strnnge, that in life so brief as this
when it is in tho power of each oni
to add to the other’s enjoyment,
there should bo so many curs. Tin
business of one hnlftho pcoplo of
this world seems to bo to render the
remainder uncomfortable and unhap
py. There might be some slight ex
tenuation if by making others miser-
ublo they could’iidd to their own
happiness; but no such result fol
lows their labors. Indulgence in
their own malicious propensities not
only annoys others, but keeps them
selves in “a perfect stew” by uo
means conducive to comfort. The
truo way to manage these curs is to
pass them quietly by—their yelping
is altogether innocent. Tho mo
ment you med’dlo with them you
find yourself in the identical posi
tion of the man who attempted to
kick the dog, luughed at nnd derid
ed, without tlie balm of self-approv
al in compensation.
The Curious M:m and tlie Poet.
A certain poet, who has written
some of tlie best stanzas, and same
of the worst lines ofany American
bard, and who, for somo particular
eccentricities, has been reputed
mad, being sometime since, at the
Assembly Room, at the City Hotel,
was interrupted in his ‘dreams o
fiction,’ by a stranger, who thus ac
costed him:
‘Is your name Clarke?’
‘Clarke, sir, is my name.’
‘I have come a great distance, sir
for the express purpose of seeing
you.’
‘Indeed! And do you considci
yourself amply remunerated for tbi
fatigue of a long journey, by a view
of my delectable person?’
‘Yes—you are a strnnge looking
creature. Somo pcoplo say yoi
are mail; nnd I have beard a num
ber of Indies assert that if you pait
proper attention to your dress, yoi
would be a very pretty man.’
‘A pretty man! Now, by Ilcavei
sir, I consider that one of the mos
rascally compliments they conk
have paid mo. A protty man, sii
(like'y’ourself, for instance) is, i
my opinion, one of tli3 most con
temptiblo objects that ever cair
from the manufactory of Heaven
‘Why so, sir?’
‘Because, sir the epithet impliei
the absonco of everything that i
manly. They might as well appl;
the term to the Ocean in a storn
an eruption of Mount iEtnathefal
of Niagara.’
‘Well, you are renliy a strung
fellow; and in my opinion a great
knavo than fool,’
‘Do you think so, sir? I real!
wisli I could reciprocnto tho compl
ment I am certain that not a tra
in your character will bear an
comparison with your Billines
which liko Aaron’s rod or Pharaoh
lean kinc, Bwallows up all tl
rest.’
‘You aro severe.’
‘You say tlmt you have como
great distance for the oxpress pu
poBo of seeing rao as^ou would ;
to see a Bear, an Elephnnt, or
Hottentot Y
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