A PLEASANT NIGHT.

Clutha Leader, Volume I, Issue 1, 9 July 1874, Page 3

A PLEASANT NIGHT.

One night last winter, young" Mullen of Newcastle, who feared that the lady he loved was entertaining- another admirer, determined to climb a tree in i the yard, from which he could see into the sitting-- room in the second storey, where the young- woman was supposed , to be. Just as he got himself fixed in * a comfortable position commanding- the window, some one upon the inside \ nlled the curtain down. Thon Mullen ade up his mind to descend. It was ■ very dark, and just as he- began to slide ' down the trunk, Mullen heard a dogbarking: furiously beneath, and looking 1 down he saw a large animal capering about apparently very eager to nip Mr ' Mullen's legs. Then Mullen suddenly . climbed up the tree again, and endea- > voured to drive the dog off, but the more he spoke to ; the brute the more.it darted around and barked. Then Mullen came down as iow as he dared, and tried to coax the animal, but this only made him hop about and howl more furiously than ever. ;So it became apparent that Mullen would have to spend the night in the tree, fte fixed himself as comfortably as he could in a crotch of the limbs, and kicked his legs and moved his arms to keep himself from freezing to death. Several; times when he thought the dog was' asleep he at- ; tempted to descend, but each time the , baute began to caper about. By the time daylight arriyed, Mullen was so bennumbed with cold that he could hardly use his hands;-;but, as the sky grew brighter, he leaned over to ex- . amine his persecutor, and to. his amazement ke/ibun'd that it was his own dog, which, unknown to him, had; followed him to the tree, and had parked and. i capered only to express its delight at the. prospect of Mullen's coming down and godhg homei The suddenness with which •:.Mullen';;Teached , the ground is said to jhaveVheen; remarkable', and the language used^by him/ bad. ; He has some of the /rheumatism which he got on that night ia his bbhes yet. /