Drinking a cup of coffee and organizing some of my favorite stories in the NYT archives into various categories (you know: pets, poisoning, dentists, hats etc.) and came across one of my favorites, from Feb. 2, 1908.
The dog, a "splendid Newfoundland," rescued a child playing on the riverbank — "leaped over a hedge, ran down the bank, and plunged into the stream just in time to save the little victim." He was promptly presented with a "succulent beefsteak."
But then "the truth came out" — it turned out that "whenever the dog saw a child playing on the edge of the stream, he promptly knocked it into the water," securing for himself another one of those juicy beefsteaks.
Bringing food to watch a show really was a revolutionary concept. Penny for some day old bread and cheese? Sign me the hell up and get that show going.
