預知未來的狗
Gim the Wonder Dog
佚名 / Anonymous
In 1925， Sam Van Arsdale， proprietor of the Ruff Hotel in Marshall， Missouri， purchased an English setter puppy in Louisiana. The puppy was considered the least promising of the litter and was sold at a throwaway price. The dog was nothing special to look at as he had usually big paws and an ungainly appearance. Sam decided to call him Jim.
Jim grew to be a fine companion for Sam. The dog was smart and good-natured， and Sam was pleased with his "bargain".
One day， when Jim was three years old， he and Sam were walking through the woods. The weather was hot， and Sam said to Jim， "Come， boy， let' s go and rest a little under a hickory tree."
There were many types of trees in the woods， but Jim ran straight over to a hickory tree. Sam was a bit surprised. No doubt it was just a coincidence. On a whim， Sam said to Jim， "Show me a black oak tree." When Jim ran to the nearest black oak and put his right paw on the tree， Sam was amazed. This couldn' t possibly be true.
"Show me walnut tree，" he said， and Jim ran unerringly to the nearest walnut and put his paw on it. Sam continued with everything he could think of—a stump， hazel bushes， a cedar tree， even a tin can. Jim correctly identified them all. Sam could hardly believe the evidence of his own eyes. How could a dog do such things？
Sam went home and told his wife what had happened.
She said flatly， "Sam Van Arsdale， you can tell me， but don' t go telling anyone else." Sam persuaded his wife to accompany them back to the woods， where Jim put on a flawless repeat performance. She shook her head in amazement—Sam' s crazy story was true！
Over the next few days， Sam couldn' t help telling his friends around town what his smart dog could do. They smiled at him indulgently and moved off pretty fast.