These are the remembrances of another native Rhea Countian, with a slightly different twist. It was written by Hugh Baxter Clack (1868-1949) and begins around 1878. Due to the length of it, I will be posting it in segments. While telling the story of his favorite dog, he weaves in a lot of insights into daily life back then. Notes I have added will be indicated with my initials-EC Carlo Chapter One This is a true story, which I here relate, just from memory. It had it's beginning at least sixty-five years ago, when I was a small boy, not more than ten years old. Some of the incidents in it stand out in my mind as if it were only yesterday, while others are not clear at all; but something like a forest, where only a few of the trees stand out clearly to mark the pattern to make the picture beautiful. It concerns the life of Carlo, a faithful, courageous and brave dog. I went to visit my Uncle McCajah Clack (Micajah Rogers Clack-EC) and his family, and especially to see his son, Tom, who was about my age. I rode horseback over very muddy roads, fourteen miles to where they lived. The weather was cold and I was thinly clad and was cold and tired but I forgot that on arrival when Cousin Tom came running out to meet us with a little white puppy dog following him. I was off the horse and playing with Tom and the puppy. I soon learned his name was CARLO and we had lots of fun. Of course I didn't know then that he was to be entwined in and influence my life greatly in the years to come the way he did. Carlo was mostly white with several brown spots; a good portion of his head and face was brown and a brown spot on his shoulders, one on his hips, one on his tail and some brown on his legs and feet. His tail was large and very short; about five inches with a white curl at the end. He was friendly and good-natured, never inclined to snap or bite. We play around until we were called in for supper. I was hungry enough to eat most anything and Aunt Margaret (Margaret A Horner Clack-EC) had prepared a good supper. I cannot remember what we had to eat but I can remember that it tasted so good that I could hardly stop eating. After supper, Uncle Caje took a seat in the corner of the open fireplace, pulled out his jack-knife and started whittling on a stick of wood. He liked to whittle, I didn't pay much attention, but it looked like he was making a paddle. Cousin Tom and I got to playing on the floor in front of the fireplace and pretty soon we had an argument and forgot there was anyone around but us, until Uncle Caje lit into us with the paddle he was making, while were on our hands and knees. He certainly knew how to use it, he hit both ways with it back and forth ion the seat of our pants so fast it seemed like a blaze of fire. I was so shocked and startled that I could not even cry out. I just fell over on the floor and looked up at him….he had a smile on his face….I wanted to cry, but could not make a sound. Uncle spoke then; I don't remember just what he said, but it was something about our behavior, and still I could not speak. Uncle seemed to think I was about to cry; which I wanted to do but couldn't even do that and he said he just done that for fun, not to cry. Well, that spoiled my fun for the rest of the time I was there. I was afraid to do anything much for fear I would get paddled again. Chapter Two Misfortune Uncle Moves Probably six or eight months after my visit to my Uncle's, my grandmother (Margaret Kerr Clack-EC) had the misfortune of being gored by a vicious cow and was almost killed. She was confined to her bed the rest of her life on account of it, and required constant attention and care. We were living in the house with grandpa (Micajah Clack-EC) and grandma when it happened and there was a vacant house on the place, so Uncle Caje moved into it where he could help take care of grandma and he brought Carlo. He was getting to be a pretty good sized dog then; almost grown, and I made friends with him and loved him from the very first. He would let a little child wallow all over him and take it without a growl. I have heard him whimper when they pulled his ears too hard, but he never offered to bite a small child. Grandma died on September the tenth, Eighteen and Seventy-Seven, and not long afterwards, Uncle took his family and moved to Texas not far from Dallas. When he was ready to go, he gave Carlo to grandpa and us. I was greatly pleased to have him stay with us for I had become attached to him that would have been broken-hearted without him. It compensated to a great extent for the loss of my cousins; Delray, Tom, and Mandy whom I had for playmates for so long. I certainly hated to see them go away and I have never seen them since. We continued to live with Grandpa as long as he lived and had Carlo with us. (Grandpa Micajah Clack died in 1886-EC) He liked his "Shortennen Bread" and learned to beg for it. Holding a piece of it up out of his reach, I would say, "Beg Carlo, beg." He would stand on his hind feet and "wuf, wuf" then I would swing my hand with the bread in it, round and round and say "roll over" and he dropped down on the floor and rolled over quick and then jump up and I would put out a hand holding the bread in the other, and he would come up close and put his underjaw in my hand, then I would place a piece of bread on his nose and he would toss it up and catch it in his mouth, chew it and swallow it, then he was ready for some more. Chapter Three He Watches Faithfully To be continued with Chapter Three in another email. Edna Clack