December, 1893.
THE DOGS AND THE FLEAS.
Canisville.—Founded by Rebel Dogs from Kyhidom.—Prosperity and Happiness of the Early Canisvillians.
THERE was once a time when dogs were dogs and dwelt together respectably in the respectable town of Canisville. Canisville was situated on the west side of a big fish pond, from the east side of which the forefathers and foremothers of the dogs had come, driven out by the dogs of Kyhidom, the great city of those parts, because they had dared to say many most grievous things about the folly of dogs allowing fleas to settle on them, to boss them and suck their blood.
For be it known, the dogs of Kyhidom were great idolaters with very small heads, who had been easily taught to reverence and worship fleas in general, and their own in particular, as having been ordained of God to suck their blood; and when these rebel dogs with preposterous, new fangled notions about the rights of dogs, got loud-mouthed in their remarks, the good, orthodox, divine-right-of-fleas dogs were scandalized and said that the rebel dogs were committing the sin of doubting the wisdom of things that were and had been, and were flying in the face of Providence; and as they were there to protect Providence at all hazards, those dogs must either cease flying in the face of Providence or fly from the country. So the rebel dogs, not being able to stop flying in the face of Providence aforesaid, did fly from the country and paddled their own canoe to the other side of the pond, where they founded the new town of Canisville.