Theze dear little pets ov the dog perswashun are natiffs ov the ile ov
Grate Brittain.
They are born there with grate precision and purity ov karakter, hav a
pedigree az klean az the queen's, and as free from spots az a nu tin
dipper.
A rat tarrier who could ketch 97 rats a day, with a rust on his
pedigree, ain't worth only haff az mutch in market az one with a pure
set ov ansestors, who couldn't ketch only 43 rats.
It iz hard work for a kussed phool tew see this, but it takes edukashun
tew see theze things.
A man without edukashun kan stand out doors in a klear night and count
the moon, and he won't see enny thing but a grate chunk ov light
sumthing bigger than a kartwheel.
But you let an edukated man stan out there by his side, and he kan see
turnpikes, and toll gates, and torch-lite proceshuns, and wimmin's rites
convenshuns, and municipal rings, and koporashun thieving in it.
Edukashun iz bully.
The rat tarrier iz not so mutch dog, az a personal matter, az the
Nufoundland iz, but he haz more grit to the square inch.
Just so the hornet haz got more sting tew them than a shanghi pullet
haz, and an angleworm haz more grit in them than an hanakonda haz. Natur
bosses these jobs, and natur never underlets a kontract. There is one
thing I alwus did like natur for, she don't take the trouble tew
explain. She don't object tew persons asking questions, and guessing at
things, but if enny boddy asks her whi a frog kan jump further at one
highst than a tud kan, she tells the phellow (if she tells him
ennything) never tew bet on the tud, unless he wants tew looze his
munny.
I never hav had the happiness yet to own a rat tarrier even, in fakt i
hav allus been poor, and haven't been beforehanded enuff yet tew own a
dog.
I mean sum time tew hav a rat tarrier, and then I suppoze, to enjoy
myself, I shall have tew git sum rats. This iz the way with all the
luxurys ov life, one luxury makes another one necessary. Thar iz one
thing certain, if i ever do own a Nufoundland, or rat tarrier, they hav
got tew be thorobred. I must kno all ov their relashuns, inkluding their
mother-in-law, and if thare iz a blot on thur reputashun, as big as a
fli spek, the dog wont sute me.