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diff --git a/old/65001-0.txt b/old/65001-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 4a68217..0000000 --- a/old/65001-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3359 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Story My Doggie Told to Me, by Ralph -Henry Barbour - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Story My Doggie Told to Me - -Author: Ralph Henry Barbour - -Illustrator: John Rae - -Release Date: April 05, 2021 [eBook #65001] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team - at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images - generously made available by The Internet Archive/American - Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY MY DOGGIE TOLD TO ME *** - - - The Story My Doggie Told to Me - - - - -[Illustration: We had some fine times together!] - - - - - The Story My Doggie - Told to Me - - - [Illustration] - - - By - Ralph Henry Barbour - - Author of “The Crimson Sweater,” “The Half-Back,” - “Tom, Dick and Harriet,” etc. - - - With Illustrations by - John Rae - - - New York - Dodd, Mead and Company - 1914 - - - - - Copyright, 1914, - By DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY - - - - - TO GRETCHEN - - in the hope that she will - read it to her children and that they - may profit by its lessons, this - book is dedicated by - her Master - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PART ONE - WHEN I WAS A PUPPY - - CHAPTER PAGE - I PLAY DAYS 3 - II WHAT WE LEARNED 11 - III PUPPY TROUBLES 18 - IV WHEN I ATE MY COLLAR 25 - V HOW I DUG FOR A BADGER 34 - VI THE FROG WHO WAS A TOAD 43 - VII THE CROSS DUCK 50 - VIII THE OLD LADY WHO DIDN’T LIKE DOGS 61 - IX THE LITTLE BOY FROM THE CITY 69 - - - PART TWO - WHEN I GREW UP - - I HOW WE WENT HUNTING 87 - II HOW WE SPENT CHRISTMAS 98 - III MORE LESSONS 106 - IV A VISIT TO JACK 115 - V THE TURTLE 123 - VI AT THE DOG SHOW 130 - VII THE STRANGE MAN 143 - VIII HOW I WAS STOLEN 153 - IX IN THE ANIMAL STORE 162 - X BACK HOME AGAIN 175 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - - We had some fine times together _Frontispiece_ - - She used to think they were to chase _Page_ 12 - - ... And thought now they were just to look at ” 13 - - Most of the batter went on Freya _Facing Page_ 14 - - He had to help William do all sorts of things ” ” 20 - - We learned to stand on our hind legs and beg ” ” 30 - - He was what the Family called a “bird dog” _Page_ 42 - - All of a sudden I backed right over the side of - the bank into the brook _Facing Page_ 52 - - I chewed that rubber cat until it stopped - squeaking and then tried the duck _Page_ 105 - - I had never seen one before _Facing Page_ 124 - - At the dog show _Page_ 142 - - Alfred took me to bed with him _Facing Page_ 146 - - Jim _Page_ 161 - - Oh, it was a funny, queer place _Facing Page_ 166 - - He lives in the fourth tree ” ” 178 - - - - -PART ONE - -WHEN I WAS A PUPPY - - - - -CHAPTER I - -PLAY DAYS - - -Bow! - -I always begin a story that way. It is what you Two-Legged Folks call -“making your bow.” With us dogs it means “Hello” and “How do you do” -and “Good morning” and――and lots of other things too. And sometimes it -means “Look out!” You see, we have so many ways of saying it! - -Perhaps some day I’ll tell you how to know just what we mean when we -say “Bow!”――like that――sort of quick and friendly; and what we mean -when we say it slow and gruff, way down in our throats. - -And then there’s “Wow!” too. “Wow” is different from “Bow.” And -“Bow-wow” is still different. But this isn’t telling my story, is it? - -Of course, you haven’t said you wanted me to tell you my story, but I’m -almost sure you do. I think you’ll like it, because I am a very good -story-teller――for a dog. And, although I am not quite three years old, -I have seen a lot of things in my day. - -You won’t mind if I wag my tail now and then, will you? It is very hard -for a dog to tell a tale without wagging. Some folks say a dog talks -with his tail. He doesn’t though; not really. He just uses his tail -the way you Two-Legged Folks use your hands, to make others understand -better what you are saying. - -When you tell a story you should always start right at the very -beginning, and that is what I am going to do. - -The first thing I remember was when I was about two weeks old. I’m sure -you can’t remember when you were two weeks old. I think that is very -clever of me, don’t you? It shows what a fine memory I have. I was -lying in a sort of cage made of criss-cross wires. There was sawdust -on the floor. There were four of us in all, for I had two sisters and -one brother. My mother’s name was Gretchen and my father’s name was -Fritz. I am named after my father. He had two or three other names -besides, but they’re very hard to say, being German. You see my father -and mother were both born in Germany and brought to this country when -they were very young, and so, of course, they spoke German very nicely. -But they never taught it to me. I suppose there wasn’t time. There are -so many, many things a puppy has to learn. I didn’t see much of my -father when I was a tiny puppy. Sometimes he came to the cage where we -lived and licked our noses through the wires, but he was a very busy -dog and had lots of things to attend to. - -My mother was very beautiful, with the loveliest soft brown eyes and -the longest, silkiest ears and quite the crookedest front legs you -ever saw. (You see, in my family crooked front legs are much admired.) -We all loved her very dearly, but I am afraid we caused her a lot of -trouble. But she was very fond of us and very proud of us. Sometimes -I wished she wasn’t so careful about keeping us clean, for lots of -times when I wanted to play with my brother and sisters I couldn’t -because she had to wash me all over. You see, puppies don’t like being -washed much more than you do; and I heard you making an awful fuss this -morning! - -We lived very happily in the cage for several weeks. We ate and slept -and played, but most of all we ate and slept. At first it must have -been funny to see us trying to walk, for our legs were so weak that -they just sprawled out under us when we wanted to use them. But it -wasn’t long before we could run and jump as much as we pleased. I was -the biggest and the strongest of us all, and I think my mother was -every bit as fond of me as she was of my two sisters and my brother, -but it _did_ seem to me as if I got most of the punishment. Maybe I was -the naughtiest one, too! - -As we grew older and stronger our mother used to leave us alone for a -little while every day, and we didn’t like that at all at first. We -used to whine and cry and feel very lonesome until she came back. But -she always _did_ come back, and pretty soon we got to know that she -would, and so we didn’t mind so much. We had some lovely frolics, we -puppies. We used to make believe that we were very cross, and tumble -each other over in the sawdust and bite each other’s ears and legs and -growl such funny little growls! - -A man named William looked after us. He wore leather gaiters. They -tasted very well. Mother said he was a coachman. He was very kind to -us and brought us things to eat and water to drink and petted us a -lot. Then there was another man who only came to see us a few times. -We didn’t like him so well. He was a Doctor and smelled of medicine. -He came to see us once when my sister Freya was sick and once when I -had an awful pain in my insides. That was later, though, after we were -out of the cage and running around in the yard. It was when I ate the -harness soap. Mother told me afterwards that it was a mistake to eat -any kind of soap. I think she was right. - -Then, of course, there was the Master, and the Mistress, and, best of -all, the Baby. She wasn’t exactly a baby, because she was almost two -years old, but every one called her the Baby. We all loved her very -much. She used to take us up one by one and kiss us on our noses and -call us “Booful dogums” and hug us. Sometimes she hugged so hard it -hurt, but we never let her know it. She had golden hair and blue eyes -and two little fat red cheeks and was always laughing. Her real name -was Mildred. The Master was a very big man, so big that I could only -see to the tops of his riding-boots when I was little. He had a very -deep, gruff voice and called us “Those little rascals!” But we knew he -didn’t mean it and we liked him. But we liked the Baby best of all, and -after her the Mistress, who was the Baby’s mother. She was quite small -for a grown-up and had such a nice voice that we loved to hear it and -would all go running to the front of the cage or the yard fence when -she came. - -The Family――we called the Master, the Mistress and the Baby the -Family――lived in the country in a beautiful white house with green -blinds that stood on top of a little hill and had trees and fields -all around it. There was a pond, too, and a brook that ran out of it. -That’s where the ducks lived. Ducks are very funny things. Later I’ll -tell you something about them. There was a stable, as well, and outside -the stable was a yard fenced in with wire netting, and in the corner of -the yard was what they called the Kennel. That was where I was born. -The yard was quite large and after we were allowed to run around in it, -we had a fine time. There was so much to see from it: the house and the -duck-pond and the country road, with people going by that had to be -barked at, and the place where William washed the carriages when the -weather was fine, and many other things. Also, there were squirrels in -the trees, and birds, too. And there was Ju-Ju. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -WHAT WE LEARNED - - -[Illustration: She used to think they were to chase] - -Ju-ju was a cat. She was grey, like smoke, and had a bushy tail and -long hair and yellow eyes. I don’t think yellow eyes are very pretty, -do you? None of us ever liked Ju-ju very much, although we soon got to -respect her. She was very vain of her long hair and thick tail and used -to spend hours doing nothing but washing herself. Cats are very lazy, I -think, and waste too much time on themselves. Once I asked Mother what -cats were for and she sighed and said she used to think they were to -chase but she had changed her mind and thought now they were just to -look at. Mother had a place on her nose like a scratch where the hair -never grew and sometimes I’ve wondered whether Ju-ju made it. When we -first got out into the yard Ju-ju used to come and jump on top of one -of the fence-posts and look down at us just as though we were funny and -strange. That used to make us very angry and we would bark and jump at -the post for the longest time. But of course we couldn’t reach her and -after awhile she would blink and blink at us and then go to sleep up -there! Cats are very annoying. They’re almost as bad as ducks! - -[Illustration: ... and thought now they were just to look at] - -We were born in the Spring and lived in the yard until we were four -months old. Then my brother, whose name was Franz, and one of my -sisters, whose name was Franzchen, left us. They went away off to live -in the city and Freya and I were quite lonely at first, and our mother -felt very badly about it. But she told us that they had gone to live -with some nice, kind people and would be very happy, and after that we -didn’t feel so badly about it. - -After Franz and Franzchen left us we were no longer kept in the Kennel -yard, but were allowed to go anywhere we pleased――except the house. -We weren’t allowed in the house, but sometimes we got in. When we did -we scampered straight for the kitchen. The first time we did it Cook -had a tin dish filled with cake-batter in her hand and when we ran at -her and barked and jumped up on her she was so surprised and scared -that she cried “Saints presarve us!” and dropped the dish. Most of -the batter went on Freya and she ran out as quick as she could go, -much more frightened than Cook, and I after her. We had a fine time -licking the batter off. It was nice and sweet and sticky and lasted all -day. Father was quite angry with us, but Mother said “Puppies will be -puppies.” - -[Illustration: Most of the batter went on Freya] - -After that it was very hard to get in the kitchen, and when we did get -in Cook would drive us out with a broom. Of course we tried not to go -and made believe we didn’t know what she meant when she cried “Shoo!” -and “Scat!” We would run under the tables and into the pantry and quite -often she would have to coax us out with pieces of meat or something -nice. It was very exciting. If we thought she really meant to hit us -with the broom we would lie on our backs with our feet in the air -and pretend we were awfully frightened. Then Delia, who was the maid -and a great friend of ours, would say “Oh, the poor little dears. Don’t -you dare hit them, Mary McGuire!” Then we would have a piece of cake -each and Delia would pet us and put us outside. - -Father was a very busy dog and had a great many things to look after. -He always went to drive with our Mistress and sat very straight and -fine beside William on the front seat. Then, too, he had to help -William do all sorts of things, like wash the carriages and feed the -chickens and ducks and cut the grass and rake the leaves. He must have -been a great comfort to William. - -[Illustration: He had to help William do all sorts of things] - -Mother had her paws full looking after us most of that summer and so -she was not able to help much with the work. Of course she kept watch -and taught us to, and we soon learned who to bark at and who not. -When the man from the butcher’s came Mother always made it a point -to be very polite to him. She wagged her tail and sniffed his boots -and followed him around to the kitchen door. He smelled very nice. -Sometimes he gave us small pieces of meat and we were always glad to -see him. But when a tramp or a pedlar came Mother barked and the hair -stood up all along her back. We soon learned to do the same and tramps -didn’t very often come much farther than the gate. - -Of course we learned a great many other things too. Such as to stand -on our hind legs and beg when we wanted anything and not get under the -feet of the horses and keep away from the carriage wheels. Once a wheel -went over the end of my tail and it hurt a good deal and I crawled into -a stall and cried. Mother came and told me I was too old to cry and -that it would teach me to keep out of the way. - -[Illustration: We learned to stand on our hind legs and beg] - -Another thing we learned was not to jump up on the Baby. We did it -because we loved her and wanted to lick her face, but she always -tumbled over. That was because she only had two legs and was no fault -of ours. Once when she tumbled she struck her head against something -hard and cried dreadfully. We licked her face as hard as we could to -comfort her, because that is what Mother always did to us when we were -hurt, but it didn’t seem to do her much good. Then William came running -up and cuffed us pretty hard and picked Baby up. I don’t think he -should have punished us, but maybe he didn’t understand. After that we -didn’t do it any more. - -Another thing we soon learned was to let Ju-ju alone. One day, soon -after we were allowed to go where we liked, Freya and I came across -Ju-ju in the kitchen yard. She was fast asleep and we thought it would -be great fun to jump at her and bark. So we did it and she woke up -awfully quick and scratched me on the nose and chased Freya half-way to -the stable. Cats can’t take a joke. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -PUPPY TROUBLES - - -We learned a good deal about what was good to eat and what wasn’t, too. -Once Delia left a tin pan filled with some whitish stuff on the back -steps and I ate quite a lot of it before she came out and found what I -was doing. When she did she cried “Cook! Cook! One of the Puppies has -eaten the starch!” Of course I went right away, as I didn’t want to -have any trouble about it, and pretty soon I felt very funny inside and -crawled into a stall where it was quiet and dark. But William found me -after a while and made me swallow something that didn’t taste at all -nice and pretty soon I felt better. I didn’t think it was very kind of -Delia to tell William what I had done, but maybe it was all for the -best, because until he made me swallow the nasty medicine I was pretty -sure I was going to die. Starch and soap taste all right but they -aren’t good for puppies. I found that out. - -It seems that we all have to learn a lot of things by what Mother calls -“sad experience.” Like bees. Bees look very much like flies but they’re -different. Once Freya and I saw some bees going in and out of a tiny -hole in the ground back of the stable. They were very large bees and -growled. We wondered why they went into the hole and so we scratched -at it to find out. While we were doing it quite a lot of bees came -out and Freya gave a yelp and began to paw at her nose. She looked so -funny that I laughed at her and asked why she did it. Then I gave a -yelp and forgot all about Freya. Those bees were very angry and sat -down on us wherever our hair was thin, and every time they sat down -they scratched. We didn’t stay there long, I can tell you! We ran as -fast as we could run, but the bees flew right along with us and chased -us way down to the duck-pond. By that time I had five scratches and -Freya had four and they hurt a good deal and swelled up. We licked the -scratches and whined and after a while we rolled over in the mud at the -edge of the pond and that made them feel better. But they didn’t stop -hurting for a long time. After that if a bee came _buzz-buzzing_ around -us we always made believe we didn’t see it. But we got up very quietly -and moved away. - -Then there are balls. Some balls are nice to play with and chew on. -They are made of rubber. William had one and he used to throw it, and -Freya and I, and sometimes Mother and Father, too, would scamper after -it and see who could get it and bring it back to him. If Freya got it -I always took it away from her, because I am bigger and stronger than -she is. Besides, she’s only a girl dog! Once Freya found the ball in -the harness room, where it had dropped off a shelf, and so she took it -out under a tree and chewed on it until there was a hole in it. Then -she wanted to see what was in the hole and so she tore the ball all to -pieces. There wasn’t a thing in it. She ate some of the pieces and that -afternoon the Doctor came and stayed quite a long time and Freya was -very sick. William got another ball, but Freya would never go near it. - -At the side of the house toward the orchard there was a lawn where the -Family played a game they called croquet. They had mallets and a lot of -different coloured wooden balls and they made the balls roll by hitting -them with the mallets. Once Freya and I were there and we chased the -balls. The Master laughed at us and said we mustn’t do it. But he -didn’t really care, and the Baby, who was there with Nurse, clapped -her hands and thought it was fine fun. So did we. We would run at the -balls and bark at them and try to pick them up in our mouths. But we -couldn’t because they were too big. The Master and Mistress laughed and -laughed at us. Then I saw a ball rolling along very fast and I made -believe it was a rat and ran for it as hard as I could go. But when I -tried to bite it it wouldn’t stop but kept right on rolling. And so I -rolled too. I rolled several times and when I found my feet I hurried -off with a terrible pain in my head. Rubber balls and wooden balls are -very different, like flies and bees. - -About that time we had our first collars. Mine was black and Freya’s -was brown. William said that was so people could tell us apart. I -thought it was very silly of him because we didn’t look at all alike. -I was bigger and, if I do say it myself, much finer looking. But that -is what he said. The collars had little round brass tags on them and on -the tags were numbers. They were quite like the collars that Father -and Mother wore, only a great deal smaller, and we were very proud of -them. William put a strap from Freya’s collar to mine and then snapped -a leash on to the strap and said “Come on.” I trotted right along, but -Freya sat down and wouldn’t budge an inch. So, of course, I had to pull -her all the way to the house. It was very hard work for me, and Freya -didn’t like it much, either. She howled all the way up the drive and -William just laughed at her. I was quite ashamed of her for acting so. -The Master and Mistress and the Baby came out to see us and I tried -to put a good face on it by laughing too, but Freya just howled and -howled! Girl dogs are very silly sometimes! Then the Master said: - -“Take the leash off, William, and see what they’ll do.” - -So he did and I ran up to the Mistress and Freya tried to run toward -the stable. I wasn’t going to have that, so I dragged Freya after me -and the Baby was between us and the strap upset her into the flower -bed. I was sorry about it, but I thought we had better not stay there -any longer, so I turned and ran as hard as I could, pulling Freya -after me, toward the orchard. The orchard is quite a large place and -one needn’t be caught there unless one wants to. But Freya, of course, -had to spoil it all. When we came to a tree she went on the other side -of it and the strap held us there. I told her to come around my side, -but she just whimpered and tugged at the strap and paid no attention -to what I said. Of course I wasn’t going to give in to her whim, so -I pulled and pulled and would have pulled her around the right way -at last if William hadn’t come up just then and caught us. We got a -cuffing, which was all Freya’s fault for being so obstinate. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -WHEN I ATE MY COLLAR - - -After that William put the strap on us every day for a while and we -got used to it. It was all right as soon as Freya understood that she -was to go the way I wanted to go. But it took her some time to do it. -Freya is very stupid at times. About a week after I got my collar it -was the cause of much pain to me. The Baby took it off one day and laid -it on the ground. After she had gone I went back and found it. There is -something about leather that I like. I didn’t mean to do any harm to -the collar, but it tasted very good and so I closed my eyes and chewed -and chewed and chewed. Freya came and watched me and asked me to give -her some. - -“You’ve got a collar of your own,” I growled. “Go away.” - -“All right,” she said. “But you’ll catch it. Just you wait!” - -She went off to bark at Ju-Ju, who was asleep on a window-sill, and I -thought of what she had said. I looked at the collar. It was a very sad -looking collar. There wasn’t much left except the brass tag. Freya was -right; I would catch it if any one saw it. So I took what was left of -it and dug a hole in a flower-bed and buried it. Not ten minutes after -that the Mistress came out and called me. I made believe I didn’t hear -her, but it did no good, for she kept on calling me and so I had to go -to her. When I got near her I rolled over on my back and whined. - -“Why,” she said, “you funny dog! I’m not angry with you, even if you -didn’t come as soon as you should have. You’re a nice puppums and――why, -where’s your collar?” - -I didn’t say anything, of course. Instead I pounced on a twig and shook -it and ran around with it in my mouth. I thought perhaps she would -forget about the collar. But she didn’t even smile. - -“Naughty Fritz!” she said. “What have you done with your collar?” - -Freya came up and looked at me in a way which said: “There! Now you are -in for it! And I’m glad, because you were selfish and wouldn’t give me -any.” And then she trotted over to the Mistress with her tail curled up -very proudly as much as to say: “See what a good dog I am! I haven’t -lost my collar!” - -“You wait till I catch you,” I growled. - -Then the Baby came out and the Mistress said: “Look, Baby, at what a -naughty, bad dog Fritz has been. He’s lost his nice new collar.” - -Baby laughed and gurgled. “Collar!” she said. - -“Yes, dear, and see how ashamed he looks. Naughty dog!” - -“Mild’ed tooked it off,” said the Baby. - -“You took it off? Oh, you shouldn’t have done that, dear,” said the -Mistress. “What did you do with it?” - -“Tooked it off!” said the Baby, and clapped her hands. - -By that time William had come up, with a rake in his hands, and the -Mistress told him about it. William scratched his head, which is what -he always does when he tries to think very hard. - -“Where were you when you took it off, dear?” asked the Mistress. - -The Baby toddled across to the lawn and we all followed her. I -pretended to be very much surprised when we found that the collar -wasn’t there. - -“Are you sure this is the place, dear?” asked the Mistress. - -The Baby nodded hard. “Mild’ed tooked off collar!” she cried and looked -very proud of herself. I hunted all around, but couldn’t find anything -but a small stone. So I took that to the Mistress, but she just tossed -it away. Freya chased it. William scratched his head some more. - -“If she took it off him, mum,” he said, “it’s gone by now. Sure, he -chews up everything he finds, he’s that de-struct-ive, mum.” - -I didn’t know what “de-struct-ive” meant, but I didn’t like the sound -of it. - -“Oh, I hope not,” said the Mistress, looking at me very hard. I turned -my head away and made believe I didn’t hear. Freya wagged her tail and -trotted off to the flower bed. I watched her and growled. - -“Well, perhaps we’ll find it,” said the Mistress. “You’d better look -around, William.” - -“Yes, mum,” said William. Then he cried “Hi, there! Stop that!” and -ran over to the flower bed where Freya was digging. By the time he got -to her she had the collar in her mouth and was holding it out to him, -wagging her tail. - -“Here it is, mum,” called William. “And all chewed up, mum, just like I -said, mum!” - -I didn’t wait to hear any more, but very quietly slipped away from -them and ran for the stable. But William found me. He dragged me out -by the scruff of my neck from behind a pile of flower-pots and showed -me the collar. Then he――but I don’t like to think of what he did. It -was very painful. After he had gone I cried myself to sleep behind the -flower-pots and slept quite a while. And when I woke up again I didn’t -come out until I was sure that William had gone to his dinner. I was -very hungry, too, but I was afraid to go near the house. So I went -off to the meadow and dug up a bone I had buried a long while before. -I heard them calling me to come to dinner, but I didn’t go. I hoped -they would be sorry they had treated me as they had. After a while, -though, they stopped calling me. So I chewed on my bone, which was very -good but a little too dry. Still, when you’re very hungry most any bone -tastes good. After that I felt much better and set off to find Freya. -I met my father in the stable yard and asked him where she was, and he -said she was in the kitchen. - -“Delia is giving her gingerbread because she found your collar. If you -go up there perhaps they’ll give you some, too.” - -“I guess I don’t want any,” I said. - -“You don’t deserve any,” said Father. “After this you will know better -than to eat your collar.” - -I went on toward the house and lay down behind a bush and waited. -After awhile Freya came out looking very pleased with herself. She had -a piece of cake in her mouth and went over to the orchard to bury it -because she had had so much already she couldn’t eat it. I followed -her, keeping away from the house, and went up to her very quietly while -she was digging a hole. When she saw me she dropped the cake and tried -to run, but I got her.... - -Afterwards I ate the cake. - -Of course Freya told Mother that I had hurt her. She’s such a -tattle-tale! When I went back to the stable Mother wanted to punish me, -but Father said: “No, Freya deserved what she got. She should not have -told on Fritz.” So Mother said we were both very bad children and we -must go to the Kennel and stay there until we could behave. So we went. -After a while Freya crawled over to me and licked my ear and said she -was sorry. I just growled. So then she licked the other ear and said -she was sorry again, and I forgave her and we made it up and went off -together to the pond to hunt frogs. - -A day or two later William came with another collar and wanted to put -it on me, but I ran as fast as I could and hid behind the flower-pots -again. I don’t know why I always went there when I wanted to hide, -because William always found me right away, just as he did this time. I -whined a little when he pulled me out, but he patted me and rubbed my -neck and said he wasn’t going to hurt me. - -“Look at the fine new collar I have for you,” he said. “Hold still now -till I get it on.” - -So I held still, as still as I could for trembling, and he put it -around my neck and buckled it. - -“There, now,” he said. “Aren’t you the proud puppy? Sure, it looks fine -on you. Run along now and show it to your father and mother. But don’t -you be eating it up, mind!” - -Just as though I would! Why, I’ve hated the taste of collars ever -since! - - - - -CHAPTER V - -HOW I DUG FOR A BADGER - - -Next door to us was a dog named Jack. There was a wide field between -our house and Jack’s and so he lived quite a way from us. But he used -to come over to our place pretty often and after we got big we went -over to see him. Jack and Father were great friends and used to go -hunting together. Jack was a pointer and the first time I saw him -I asked Mother what sort of an animal he was, because as he was so -different from us I didn’t think of his being a dog too. He had very -long legs and was white with brown spots, one on each side of his head -and one on each side of his body and a little one where his tail began. -He was dreadfully big, ten times as big as Father, and I was afraid of -him at first. But I need not have been, for he was a very nice, kind -dog. - -He was what the Family called a “bird dog.” When his Master went out -with a gun to hunt partridges or grouse Jack would go ahead and scent -the birds in the grass or bushes, and then he would stand very still, -with his tail pointing straight out behind him and his nose pointing -straight out in front of him, and his Master would know that there -were partridges ahead and say “Hie on!” Then Jack would creep on very -quietly and all of a sudden the birds would fly up in the air and his -Master’s gun would go _bang-bang!_ and then there would be partridges -for dinner. I thought it was very clever of Jack and wondered why -Father didn’t hunt birds too. I asked Mother about it once and she said: - -[Illustration: He was what the Family called a “bird dog”] - -“Every dog to his trade, my dear. Jack is a pointer and pointers were -made to hunt birds. Your father is a dachshund and dachshunds were -made to hunt badgers and rabbits and animals that live underground. -Jack is a very fine dog, but he couldn’t dig out a badger or a fox or -even a rabbit.” - -“Oh,” I said, “could Father do that?” - -“Of course, and so can I; and so can you when you grow up. That’s why -you are made as you are. Badgers and foxes live in holes that they make -far under the ground. The holes are small and they turn and twist, and -that’s why your body is made so long and your legs so short; so that -you can follow a fox or a badger into his hole.” - -“What is a badger?” I asked. - -“A badger,” said Mother, “is a very savage animal, much larger than -your father. He lives underground and comes out at night to hunt. He -has short legs and very long claws and a long nose. He catches smaller -animals and eats them and sometimes he steals the farmer’s chickens. -He has a very loose skin, just like yours, that is covered with fine -grey hairs. Folks make brushes out of the hairs. The brush the Master -lathers his face with in the morning when he shaves is made of badger -hair and the brush that William used the other day to paint the old -wagon with is made of it too.” - -“I wish I could catch a badger,” I said. Mother smiled. - -“The first time you found one at the end of his tunnel you might wish -differently,” she said. “Badgers fight hard, with tooth and claw, my -dear.” - -“Are they more savage than foxes?” I asked. - -“Yes, but no braver. A fox has only his teeth to fight with but he -makes good use of them.” - -“I wouldn’t be afraid,” I boasted. “Are there any badgers or foxes -about here?” - -“Foxes, yes, but no badgers that I have ever heard of.” - -“There are rabbits, though,” I said. “Some day I shall catch me a -rabbit.” - -“I hope not, my dear. Rabbits are harmless and they can’t fight -underground. We have no quarrel with rabbits, we dachshunds.” - -“Then,” I said, “I’ll have to find a fox.” - -“It will be a good while before you are big enough to bring a fox -out of his hole,” said Mother. “Some day, though, you shall try it, -perhaps. You have good digging paws, Fritz.” - -“They――they’re awfully big,” I said. - -“As they should be, my dear. They’re made for digging. Each one is a -little shovel, or, rather, a hoe. When you go into a hole that isn’t -big enough you begin to dig. And that is why your front legs are made -so crooked. If they were straight you would throw the dirt right under -you. As they are, with your feet turning out, they throw the dirt on -each side of you, out of your way.” - -“I’m glad you told me that,” I said, “because I’ve always wondered -about my legs and feet and been a little ashamed of them. They seemed -so funny and crooked and big. Now I see that they are just as they -should be.” I looked at my feet quite proudly. “I guess,” I said, “I’ll -go and dig a hole somewhere.” - -“Very well,” said Mother, stretching herself out to go to sleep, “but -keep away from the flower beds, Fritz.” - -So I found a field-mouse hole at the root of an apple tree in the -orchard and dug and dug and had got down so far that only my tail was -sticking out when Freya came along. - -“What are you doing?” she asked. She might have seen for herself that I -was digging a hole, but she is always asking silly questions like that. - -“I’m digging for a badger,” I said. “Want to help?” - -“Oh, yes, indeed!” cried Freya. “Is there really a badger down there?” - -“Never you mind,” I said. “You don’t suppose I’d be digging a hole as -deep as this one if there wasn’t something there, do you?” So I crawled -out and Freya got in and went to work. I looked on a minute and then I -said: - -“You don’t dig very well, do you? I suppose your feet aren’t big -enough.” - -“They’re as big as yours,” said Freya, stopping to rest. - -“Then you don’t know how to use them,” I said. “Digging is an art, and -not every dachshund knows how.” - -“Humph!” said Freya. “Let me see you do it, then.” - -So I got back in the hole and dug as hard as ever I could, and the dirt -just flew out, I tell you! “There,” I said at last, much out of breath, -“that’s the way to do it!” - -But when I looked around, would you believe it, that silly dog had -gone! And there was William hurrying up with a stick in his hand. - -“What do you think you’re doing?” he cried, real crossly. “Trying to -dig up that apple tree? Get out o’ that, you pesky critter!” - -So I got out in a big hurry and ran off around the house and down to -the stable and crept behind the flower-pots. For once William didn’t -find me and, as I was very tired, I went to sleep and dreamed that I -had crawled down a long, long hole in the ground and that in front of -me was a horrible grey badger with long teeth and glaring yellow eyes -and great sharp claws. And when I tried to turn around and run out I -couldn’t because the hole was too small, and when I tried to back out -I couldn’t because the dirt had fallen in around me. And the badger -said: “Hah, you’re the smart young dog who said he wanted to catch -a badger, aren’t you?” And I said: “N-no, sir, that――that was my -brother.” “You’re fibbing,” said the badger, “and for that I shall eat -you all up. _Raow!_” Then he crept toward me and just as he reached out -one great big paw with dozens and dozens of ugly, sharp claws I woke up -with a howl, shivering and shaking! And, oh, my, wasn’t I glad to see -those flower-pots and know that I was in the stable and not in a long, -deep hole with a badger coming at me! I ran out and found Mother and -cuddled up very close to her and told her my dream. She just smiled and -licked my eyes and pretty soon I went to sleep again in the sunlight. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE FROG WHO WAS A TOAD - - -When I thought about it afterwards it seemed strange that I should not -be allowed to dig holes when digging holes was what I was for. But -every time I did it some one, William or the Master or the Mistress, -came up and said “No, no, Fritz! Naughty dog! Mustn’t dig up the -ground.” It was most discouraging. (Discouraging is a long word, and -if you don’t know what it means I shan’t tell you. Any one as old -as you are ought to know.) Freya never got in trouble that way. She -didn’t seem to care much for doing the things I did, like digging for -badgers in the orchard or for foxes on the front lawn. (I know now -that I should not have expected to find a fox under the lawn, but then -one place seemed as good as another.) Freya liked to stay around the -back door and look hungry and coax Delia or Cook to give her things to -eat. When she wasn’t doing that she was most always asleep somewhere. -She got very fat and lazy and it was all I could do to get her to go -hunting with me. She wasn’t much good at hunting, anyway. She always -got tired just when the fun began. - -We used to go down to the pond and the brook and hunt frogs. Frogs -aren’t good to eat, but it is a lot of fun chasing them. You creep up -on them very quietly along the edge of the pond and try to get them -before they can jump back into the water. Most always you miss them, -because their eyes are in the wrong place, being on the top of their -head, and they can see behind them. But sometimes you catch one. When -you do you play with it awhile and let it go. Freya, though, never -would play with them. She said they were ugly-looking and she didn’t -like the smell of them. Girl-dogs are like that, though, sort of -finicky and fussy about little things. - -You wouldn’t think that such a silly, no-account animal as a frog could -get a decent dog into trouble, would you? It can, though, and it did. -And I was the dog. I’ll tell you about it because it may be a warning -to you some time when you are hunting frogs. - -One afternoon when it was very hot weather and we had all kept very -quiet in the shade most of the day I got tired of keeping still and -told Freya to get up and we’d hunt frogs. She didn’t want to at all, -being, as I’ve said, fat and lazy, but I nipped her ear and made her. -So we trotted down the road and across the meadow, and when we were -still a long way from the pond I saw a frog. I told Freya to be quiet -and then I stole ahead very softly and there he was in the grass just -sitting and looking at me out of two big goggly eyes. He was quite -different from any frog I’d ever seen before, being fatter and uglier -and having more warts. - -Freya whispered, “Oh, isn’t he horrid? Don’t touch him, Fritz!” But I -wasn’t going to let any frog make faces at me and so I jumped for him -and caught him. He tried to get away but I took him in my mouth and -shook him just in play, of course, and then――Oh dear, the most awful -thing happened! The inside of my mouth got on fire and I dropped that -frog and ran as hard as ever I could run to the pond and stuck my head -right into the water! - -But water didn’t do much good. My mouth and my tongue were hot and -stingy and smarty and felt just as though they were burning up. I drank -water and shook my head and pawed my mouth and howled just as loud as I -could. Freya ran around and asked what the matter was and got awfully -excited. I was too busy trying to stop the pain to tell her what was -wrong. Besides, when I wasn’t gulping water or pawing at my mouth I was -howling! Father and Mother heard me and came running down to the pond. -But I couldn’t tell them what the matter was and so Freya showed them -the frog. I was still sitting up to my neck in the pond and howling -frightfully when they came back. - -“Stop making that noise,” said Father, “and keep your mouth in the -water.” - -So I did it and whimpered instead of howled and my mouth began to feel -better. But my tongue was swollen all up and when I tried to talk -I just made funny noises. After a while I crawled out of the pond -and shook myself, feeling sort of ashamed because I had made such a -fuss. But Mother licked my face, and Freya, who had been lying nearby -whining, came running up and leaped about and barked. Even Father -seemed sorry for me. Then he took us back to the frog, which was still -sitting where I had left him, and said: - -“Have a good look at him, children.” - -So we looked at the frog and the frog blinked at us and seemed to be -laughing. I growled and backed away from him. - -“The next time you take a frog in your mouth,” said Father, “be sure -it _is_ a frog and not a toad. Toads are very unhealthy for dogs and -that thing there is a toad. When you took him up he put poison in your -mouth. It was a good thing you were near the pond, for water is the -only thing I know of that will help. I heard of a dog once who was -poisoned by a frog and there was no water around and so he ran for -home. The poison made froth in his mouth and Two-Legged Folks thought -he was mad and a policeman tried to shoot him. Luckily for him the -policeman aimed wrong and the dog got away. Now do you think you will -know a toad the next time you see one?” - -I said I was sure of it and then we went home and I crawled behind the -flower-pots and stayed there a long time. I didn’t want any supper that -day. You wouldn’t have wanted any, either, if your mouth had felt the -way mine did. I think it is quite wrong to have things look so much -alike as frogs and toads do; and flies and bees, too. How is a puppy to -know? - -When it was almost dark I crept out from behind the flower-pots and -went to get a drink of water. Ju-Ju was outside, playing with a beetle, -and when she saw me she grinned. She must have found out somehow about -that toad. I hate cats. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE CROSS DUCK - - -The next day my mouth and tongue were quite well once more, but it was -more than a week before I got brave enough to hunt frogs again. In -fact, I have never cared for frog-hunting very much since, and I only -did it after that just to show Freya that I wasn’t afraid to. But I -couldn’t get her to go with me. She’s rather a coward, Freya is. Just -look at the time I scared the duck! The way she acted then made me -quite ashamed of her! - -That was months before I made the mistake about the toad and I was -younger and sillier. I told you that there were ducks on our place. -Well, they lived in a house next door to where the chickens were, -and in the day time they all waddled out as soon as William opened -the gate for them and went down to the pond. They are stupid things, -ducks. They don’t do anything all day long but waddle around and wag -their tails and eat and swim and say “quack!” I don’t know what “quack” -means and I don’t believe they do, for they always say it just the same -way and no matter what happens. If they see William with their dinner -they say “quack” and if they see a chicken-hawk sailing about they say -“quack” and if I so much as look at them――from a distance――they say -“quack” just the same. I don’t believe “quack” means a thing. They just -want you to think it does. - -Well, one day I was trotting around by myself looking for something to -do when I caught sight of a duck sitting in the grass on the side of -the brook quite a ways beyond the pond. She didn’t see me because she -had her head hidden under her wing in the silly way ducks have. It had -been a very dull day so far and I wanted some fun. So I thought it -would be a good joke to creep up on Mrs. Duck and give her a good scare -and see if she would say anything more than just “Quack!” - -Well, I did. I crept up very, very softly and when I was about two feet -away I said “_Bow-wow!_” as loudly as I could. Mrs. Duck gave a start, -pulled her head out and said “_Quack!_” much louder than I had said -“Bow-wow!” And then, before I knew what she was up to, she spread her -wings very wide and jumped right at me! - -It――well, it sort of surprised me, because I didn’t know ducks did -that. Besides, with her wings all spread open like that and her mouth -very wide open, too, she looked almost as big as ten ducks! So――so I -sort of backed away, not because I was afraid of her but just because -I was so surprised. Besides, I’d had my fun and was ready to go away, -anyhow. But she didn’t seem to understand that it was all just a -joke and she came right at me, saying “_Quack! Quack! Quack!_” quite -crossly. So I kept on backing away, and the faster I backed the faster -she came for me and the louder she “quacked!” - -I don’t know exactly how it happened, but I got between Mrs. Duck and -the brook. I didn’t know it, of course, or I should have backed another -way. Another thing I didn’t know――and I wished I had known it――was that -she had a nest full of eggs there and was hatching out some little -ducks. If I had known that I would not have gone near her. But I -didn’t know it until afterwards. So I kept on backing and she kept on -“quacking” and making dabs at me with her yellow bill and flapping her -wings and all of a sudden I backed right over the side of the bank into -the brook! - -[Illustration: All of a sudden I backed right over the side of the bank -into the brook!] - -There was not much water in the brook and I sat right down in a lot of -soft, sticky mud. Of course I tried to get out, but the more I tried -the faster I stuck in that nasty mud. And all the time that horrid, -quarrelsome duck stood on the bank and said “Quack!” and scolded me. I -was afraid she might come in after me, and that is why I tried so very -hard to get out. But she didn’t. She just stood there and said a lot of -mean things to me while the mud got stickier and stickier. And then I -howled. Any one would have howled. I didn’t howl because I was afraid. -I howled because I couldn’t get my feet out of the mud. No dog likes to -be stuck in horrid black mud. Pretty soon Freya came and looked over -the edge of the bank at me. But she didn’t come very near where Mrs. -Duck stood. - -“Why,” she said, “what are you doing down there, Fritz? William will be -very angry with you for getting so dirty. You’d better come right out -and take a bath in the pond before you go home.” - -“I can’t get out!” I howled. “I’m stuck in this mud. Help me!” - -But Freya looked at the duck, who was still “quacking” at a great rate, -and shook her head. - -“I――I’m afraid of her,” said Freya. - -“Afraid of a duck!” I said. “Well, I’d be ashamed to own it!” But I -kept a watch on the duck because I was afraid she might understand what -I said. She didn’t though. “Bark at her and scare her away,” I told -Freya. “She――she won’t hurt you. Ducks are great cowards.” - -But Freya shook her head again. “I――I don’t like her looks,” she said. -“Couldn’t you――couldn’t you pull yourself out if you tried very hard?” - -“No, I couldn’t,” I snapped. “If I could I wouldn’t be here now. If you -can’t help me out of here you’d better run home and tell Mother. You’re -an awful scare-baby!” - -So Freya walked two or three steps toward the duck and said “Bow-wow!” -just as if she was frightened to death, which she was, and the duck -paid no attention to her at all. Then Freya went a little nearer and -barked again. That time Mrs. Duck heard her and turned around and made -straight for her. Freya gave one awful yelp, tucked her tail between -her legs and flew. And the duck went after her, flapping her wings and -“quacking!” And somehow just then I managed to get a front paw on a -stone at the side of the brook and dragged myself out. And when I got -to the top of the bank Freya was half-way across the meadow, still -yelping, and Mrs. Duck was waddling back again. - -I didn’t stay there long, I can tell you. Not that I was afraid of that -stupid old duck, but I wanted to get the mud off me before it dried -on. So I hurried back to the pond. But when I got there it was full -of other ducks and they looked at me so queerly that I thought I’d -better not go into the pond after all. So I sneaked back to the stable, -thinking I’d get behind the flower-pots before any one could see me. -But just as I came to the door who should come out but William! - -“_Well!_” he said, just like that; “_Well!_” I made a dash for the -corner where the flower-pots were and got there, but he hauled me right -out by my neck and held me at arm’s length and looked at me. “I never -see a dirtier pup,” he said. “Where have you been?” Of course I didn’t -tell him and he said: “Well, wherever you’ve been I know where you’re -going. You’re going into the tub!” - -What followed was awful. William filled the tub in the stable half-full -of cold water and put me in it. I thought at first I would drown, but -he held me up with one hand and lathered me all over with harness soap -with the other. And then he took a horrid, stiff brush and scrubbed me -until it hurt. The soap got in my eyes and smarted and it got into my -mouth and tasted badly, and all the time William scolded. - -I had to cry a little. You’d have cried too. I’ve heard you cry when -Nurse got soap in your eyes, and you needn’t pretend you haven’t. -Besides, it was all very unfair. I didn’t want to fall in the mud and -get dirty. It was all that duck’s fault. But William just blamed it all -on me without trying to find out how it really happened, and I had to -suffer. Once I caught sight of Freya peeking around the corner of the -door and I said to myself: “Just you wait till I get out of here, if I -ever do, and see what will happen to you, Miss!” - -But when, after a long, long time, William thought he could not get any -more dirt off me and so put me out on the floor, and when I had shaken -myself half a dozen times, felt so good that I forgot all about the way -Freya had behaved and ran circles and barked until I was almost dry. -Then I found a nice warm spot against the side of the stable and went -to sleep. - -But even if I did forgive Freya that time you can see that she behaved -very badly and is not at all brave. Still, I suppose that being a girl -dog has a lot to do with it. You mustn’t expect a girl-dog to be as -brave as a boy-dog. - -That was my first real bath. I’ve had many since then and I’ve grown -to put up with them just as one must put up with castor-oil and pills. -But I’m sure I shall never get fond of them. I don’t mind wading in the -pond or even swimming a little, but baths are quite different. Besides, -I am not a water-dog, like a spaniel or a retriever, and folks ought -to think of that. They don’t, though. About once a month I have to go -through with it, and the mere sight of a cake of soap quite takes my -appetite away for hours. I once heard the Mistress tell the man who -comes for the laundry that she wanted something “dry-cleaned.” I wonder -why dogs can’t be dry-cleaned too! - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -THE OLD LADY WHO DIDN’T LIKE DOGS - - -Are you scared of thunder storms? I am, too. Well, not exactly scared, -maybe, but I――I don’t like them very well. I don’t mind the lightning -so much, but the thunder is very noisy and it affects my nerves. I -am quite a nervous dog. All highly-bred dogs are nervous, you know. -And when you can trace your family back for dozens of years, the way -I can, you have every right to dislike thunder. Perhaps you didn’t -know I had such a long pedigree? Mother told us all about it once. We -are descended from Hansel von Konigsberg, who was the Champion of all -Germany for many years and quite the finest dachshund that ever lived. -He won all sorts of prizes wherever he was shown and was a very fine, -proud dog. Every one in Germany knows about Hansel von Konigsberg. -Mother says it is a fine thing to be descended from such a dog and that -I should always try to live up to it. Well, that isn’t telling about -the time I got under the bed in the guest-room when there was a thunder -storm, is it? - -There were visitors at the house, and one was an elderly lady who wore -a black silk dress and had her eye-glasses on a little stick. When she -saw us puppies she held the glasses up to her eyes and looked at us -just as though we were something quite strange. “Dear me,” she said, -“what ugly little things. What are they?” The Master laughed and told -her we were dachshund puppies. “You mean they’re dogs?” she asked. -“Why, they look like alligators! Don’t let them come near me, please. I -never could stand dogs, anyway, and these are quite――quite disgusting!” - -Neither Freya or I knew then what an alligator was, but we didn’t like -the sound of it. Besides, she had said we were ugly and disgusting. So -I looked at Freya and Freya looked at me and we made a rush for the Old -Lady Who Didn’t Like Dogs and jumped all over her. Of course we made -believe we were awfully pleased to see her, but we weren’t. She gave -a screech and dropped her eye-glasses. They were on a black ribbon, -though, and so they didn’t break. But I got the ribbon in my teeth and -laid back and pulled and growled, and Freya took hold of the old lady’s -skirt and shook it. And all the time the old lady said “Shoo! Shoo, you -nasty little brutes! Oh, somebody take them away!” - -So the Master caught me and made believe spank me and the Mistress -caught Freya and told her she was a naughty dog, and we both ran off, -making believe we were very sorry and scared, and the old lady hurried -into the house. - -Afterward Freya and I laid down under the lilac hedge and talked it -over. We decided that we didn’t like the old lady and that we’d wait -there until she came out again to see the garden and then we’d make -another dash for her and scare her again. But she didn’t come back and -it was pretty hot and so we both fell fast asleep there. - -When we woke up it was quite late in the afternoon and the sky was -cloudy and there was a rumbly noise that sounded like thunder. Freya -whined and said she was afraid. I told her not to be a silly; that -thunder never hurt any one. She said the lightning might, though, and -she was going to the stable and crawl under the hay. She wanted me to -go with her, but of course it would not have done to let Freya think I -was frightened too, and so I said, No, I was going to stay where I was. -Freya ran to the stable and just when she got to it there was a most -awful crash of thunder and I forgot how brave I was and looked for a -place to hide. - -Well, William had taken the screen-door off that morning, to mend a -place Freya and I had torn in the wire, and the other door happened to -be open. So I looked around very carefully and then ran into the big -room. Just then there was more thunder and a flash of lightning and -I hid under the couch. But I knew that wouldn’t do because some one -would surely find me there and put me out. So I listened and didn’t -hear any one and went upstairs very quietly. And when I got to the top -of the stairs there was a door open and I went in and crept under the -bed. It was nice and dark there and I couldn’t see the lightning. But -every time it thundered I trembled and whined and had a pretty bad time -of it. I could hear the rain drumming on the tin roof outside, and it -seemed to me that the storm lasted for hours. But after a while it -stopped and the thunder got farther and farther away and at last it -died out in little growls and grumbles and I rolled over on my side and -went to sleep, quite worn out. - -When I awoke I heard some one moving around in the room and just to be -friendly I thumped my tail on the floor. Then some one came near the -bed and looked under. It was too dark to see who the person was, but -I thumped harder than before, and, will you believe it, it was that -Old Lady Who Didn’t Like Dogs! She gave a most horrible scream and -just flew through the door into the hall. Why, she almost scared me -out of a year’s growth! She cried “Help! Help! There’s some one under -my bed!” and I heard the Master shout from his room and come running. -And the first thing I knew the room was full of folks and the old lady -was telling how she had heard a noise and had looked down and seen two -“fierce yellow eyes glaring at her.” Delia shouted “’Tis a burglar, -mum! We’ll all be murdered, sir!” But the Master told her to be quiet. - -“I dare say it is only the cat,” he said, and then he knelt down and -looked under the bed and I thumped my tail harder than ever and the -Master sat right down on the floor and laughed and laughed! Then the -Mistress said: - -“What is it, George? Do stop that silly laughing! Is it Ju-ju?” - -So the Master reached in and pulled me out by the scruff of my neck and -held me up. “Here’s your burglar,” he said. And then they all laughed; -all except the Old Lady Who Didn’t Like Dogs. She was very angry about -it. - -“I am glad you all think it so funny,” she said with a sniff. “For my -part I fail to see the humour. And what is more I refuse to remain in a -house where I am to be pestered by dogs and scared out of my wits every -minute. I’m thankful my trunk is not fully unpacked.” - -But she didn’t go, after all, for which Freya and I were sorry. And -even though we stayed around the house a lot in the hope that she -would come out so we could run at her and jump on her, she didn’t once -set her foot off the piazza, and all we could do was get close to the -screen and growl at her. The Mistress said: “It’s too bad you don’t -like dogs, Miss Mumford, they’re such company for one, and living alone -as you do a dog would be a great comfort to you. Just see the little -dears begging to be let in. Wasn’t it funny how they took to you at -once the day you came? They seem quite fond of you.” - -And the Mistress glanced at me and then smiled at the thing she was -sewing on. And Freya and I looked at each other and laughed. And the -Old Lady Who Didn’t Like Dogs said “Humph!” Just like that. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -THE LITTLE BOY FROM THE CITY - - -More company came after that. It was in the Fall, when the leaves were -turning to beautiful colours and falling off the trees and when the -mornings and nights were quite cool and the best place to take a nap -was in the stable doorway where the sun shone warmly on the floor. -Freya and I were about six months old then and were getting to be -pretty big for puppies. We weren’t as big as Father or Mother, but when -we romped with either of them Freya and I together could do just about -as we pleased with them. Lots of times Mother used to run away from us -because we were so strong that we could roll her over on her back and -bite her and shake her until she yelped. - -Others had grown up, too. All the fluffy little yellow chicks that -Freya and I used to watch through the chicken yard wires were quite -big, almost as big as their parents. And all the little ducklings had -grown up into ducks and could say “Quack!” just like their mothers and -fathers. In the garden the flowers had gone, all but a few, and it -was a great relief to me. I was always very fond of flowers and liked -to pick them and eat them, but William didn’t like me to and would -get after me whenever he caught me at it. I got a lot of cuffings -on account of my love for flowers. I couldn’t understand why it was -they were so selfish with them when they had so many. It seemed to -me that one or two more or less would not have made any difference. -But Two-Legged Folks are peculiar in many ways. They aren’t nearly so -sensible as dogs. - -Even the Baby was getting bigger and older. She could talk quite nicely -by Fall, although you had to listen very closely to understand all she -said. You see, she talked very quickly and ran her words together. It -was the Baby who told me about the company coming. It was one morning -on the piazza. The screens had been taken off then and the Baby and I -were in the hammock together. Freya didn’t like the hammock. She said -it made her feel funny inside when it swung. I did, though. It was full -of nice soft cushions and I was very proud when I found one day that I -could jump up on it all by myself and didn’t have to be lifted up or -pulled up any more. Well, the Baby and I were there together, swinging, -and she was pulling my ears the way she liked to do, and chatting all -the time. I wasn’t paying very much attention to what she was saying -because I was a little bit sleepy. It always makes me sleepy to have my -ears pulled. Well, pretty soon the Baby said: - -“Booful little boy’s coming to play wiv Mild’ed. All way f’om City. -Coming to-day, I dess.” - -I pricked up my ears then. At least, I pricked up one of them, the one -that wasn’t being pulled. I had never seen a little boy very near, but -I had heard Mother speak of them and from what she had said I didn’t -think I should like them. So I didn’t look very pleased at what the -Baby said. Perhaps she saw it, for she went on: - -“Is very nice little boy. Is coming all way f’om City to play wiv -Mild’ed. Little boy’s name is A’fed.” - -I thought Afed was a very silly name for any one, even a boy. I found -out afterwards that his name was Alfred, but I didn’t like it much -better. I hoped he would be nicer than his name. The Baby talked on -about him for a long time and I pretended to listen. Finally I got -tired hearing about him and jumped down and went away. I made up my -mind that I wasn’t going to like A’fred, and when I told Freya she -made up her mind she wasn’t going to like him either. We decided that -we would bite his legs when he came. - -William drove to the railway station to meet Alfred and his mother, -and Freya went along. William was very partial to Freya and used to -take her with him quite often. He took me once and said he would never -do it again because I barked at everything I saw and fell out of the -carriage. I didn’t mean to fall out, though, and it hurt a good deal. -Anyhow, he took Freya with him that day and I found a warm place on a -flower bed beside the house and waited for them to come back. William -didn’t like to have us lie on the flower beds, even after the flowers -were through blooming, but I knew he wouldn’t see me and I meant to go -away when I heard the carriage coming up the drive. - -But it was so warm there and the earth smelled so nice that I fell -asleep. When I woke up the first thing I did was to howl and the next -thing to run. Because William had come back without my hearing him and -had crept over to me, and what had wakened me up was the carriage whip! -I thought it was rather a mean thing to surprise me like that. When I -had stopped hurting and running I looked back and there was the little -boy with Freya in his arms going into the house. And, would you believe -it, Freya was actually licking his face! Isn’t that like a girl-dog, to -break her promise the very first thing? Just pat Freya and she thinks -you are perfectly lovely and follows you all around. For my part, I’d -have more self-respect and pride. Folks can’t make friends with me by -just patting my head and saying “Nice doggie!” No, sir! - -I was quite disgusted with Freya and I told her so later. - -Alfred’s mother was a very sweet looking lady and I knew right away I -should like her. I did, too. Not two hours afterwards she came out to -see us and fed us peppermint drops. I am very fond of peppermint drops -because they make your tongue feel sort of cold and tingley, and I -liked the lady at once. Oh, not just because of the candy, of course, -but because she was nice to look at and understood dogs and loved them. -We can tell right off whether a person likes us. Alfred came out with -his mother, and the Baby followed Alfred. She wouldn’t let him out of -her sight and paid almost no attention to me. Alfred was really rather -nice looking, for a boy, with golden hair, dark eyes and a sun-burned -face. He was older than the Baby. When he saw me he cried: - -“Oh, there’s another of them! Come here, puppy! What’s your name?” - -Of course I paid no heed to him. I meant to show Freya that I had more -sense than to grovel to folks just because they whistled to me and paid -me a little attention! When he saw that I didn’t mean to come to him he -started after me, and I showed my teeth and growled. He stopped then -and made a face at me. “You’re not as nice as the other one,” he said. -Then he picked up a pebble and threw it at me and I growled again. -“What’s this one’s name, Mildred?” he asked the Baby. - -“He name F’itz. Him booful dogums!” - -Alfred laughed. “Fits! That’s a funny name, isn’t it? Does he have them -often?” - -“She means Fritz, dear,” said his mother. “Here, Fritz, come and see -me.” - -So I went, but I wouldn’t let Alfred touch me, and he didn’t like it a -bit. He fed candy to Freya and she fairly licked his shoes! Girl-dogs -have no pride. It so disgusted me that I turned right around and went -down to the stable and crawled behind the flower-pots. - -Even Father and Mother seemed to like Alfred, and they and Freya played -with him and the Baby a lot. I didn’t. I stayed away. It was pretty -lonesome, though. Now and then Alfred would try to make friends with -me. He begged cake from Cook and tried to get me to take it, but I -wouldn’t. I’m fond of cake, too. I spent a good deal of time behind -the flower-pots those days. You see I was afraid that some time when I -was fearfully hungry Alfred would offer me cake and I’d take it. And -I didn’t want to, for I had made up my mind not to be friends with -him. One morning he and the Baby came out of the house when we were -having breakfast at the back door and called to us. Of course Father -and Mother and Freya trotted right over to them, but I stayed and made -believe I had found something more to eat in the dish. When Freya saw -that she came back, but I growled at her and she went off again. - -“Come, F’itz!” called the Baby. “Come F’itz, booful dogums!” - -And Alfred called me too, but I wouldn’t go, and finally Alfred said: -“Oh, come on. We don’t want him anyway!” - -So they went off toward the orchard to hunt squirrels. Of course I felt -pretty lonesome and wanted to go with them very much. Hunting squirrels -is awfully exciting, even though we never catch any. I licked the -breakfast dish quite clean and then went to the corner of the house and -peeked around. They were all over in the orchard and Father was barking -at a great rate, making believe he had found a fox’s nest or something, -and Freya was trotting behind Alfred and trying to lick his hand. The -Baby was toddling along, laughing, and Mother was barking at a bird. It -looked very jolly and I crept along after them, keeping out of sight. - -They didn’t find any squirrels. I never saw but one in the orchard -and he wasn’t much to look at, having almost no hair on his tail. But -we always pretended the trees were full of them. After they had been -all around the orchard they climbed the wall on the other side, which -they were not allowed to do, and went into the thicket over there where -the ground is all soft and squishy. I could have told them that they -would soon find themselves in trouble, and I came very near barking and -warning them, but I didn’t. It was no affair of mine. - -After a bit I heard Alfred shout and then Mother barked and the Baby -began to cry and I knew just what had happened. I went back to the -house and sat on the lawn and waited, and pretty soon they came back -looking very sorrowful. The Baby had fallen down in the swamp and she -was covered with black mud from head to toes. Alfred was leading her -with one hand and trying to wipe off the mud with the other, and -Freya, who never knows when she isn’t wanted, was getting in the way -and barking and acting perfectly stupid. Father and Mother stayed -behind, trying to look as if nothing much had happened. When they all -passed me I just looked at them without a word and I can tell you they -felt silly! The Mistress saw them from a window and came hurrying out -to meet them, and Alfred’s mother came out, too. - -“Oh, Mildred, what have you done?” cried the Mistress. “Just see that -nice clean dress I put on you not half an hour ago!” - -“She――she fell down in the mud over there,” said Alfred. “We――we were -hunting Indians.” - -Did you ever hear anything so foolish? Just as though there were any -Indians around there! Even if there had been Freya and I would soon -have scared them away. Well, the Mistress led the Baby into the house -and Alfred’s mother said: “Alfred, come with me, please,” and Alfred -said “Yes’m,” in a voice that seemed to come from his shoes. Father and -Mother went down to the stable in a hurry and Freya came over and sat -down beside me. - -“A nice thing you did,” I said. - -“It wasn’t my fault,” said Freya with a whine. - -“You should have watched out for the Baby,” I said sternly. “You’ll -catch it when the Mistress finds you.” - -So Freya suddenly remembered that she had left a bone behind the stable -and trotted off after it, looking back now and then at the front door. -Presently Alfred came out all alone. He had one arm over his eyes, -but he couldn’t fool me. I knew he was crying. I guess his mother had -whipped him, or maybe just scolded him, for letting the Baby fall in -the mud. He didn’t see me and he went around the house and sat down on -the back door-step and sniffled. I followed him. If you don’t like -a person you enjoy seeing them cry. At least, you ought to, I think. -But Alfred kept on crying kind of softly, just as though his heart was -broken, and I couldn’t stand it. I wanted to go away and leave him -there, but――but somehow I couldn’t do that either. - -So after a bit I crept over to him and got up on the step beside -him and licked his face. He peeked out and saw it was me and was so -surprised that he forgot to cry for a minute. Then he put his arm -around me and I licked his face some more and――and, oh, well, after -that we liked each other a lot. - -Mother said afterwards that it was just jealousy that had kept me away, -and I guess it was. Alfred stayed a whole week after that and we had -some fine times together. When he went back to the City I missed him a -great deal. The place seemed very lonely. I think I missed him almost -as much as the Baby did, and the Baby cried all one day. I tried my -best to comfort her and I licked her nose and her cheeks and her ears, -but it didn’t do much good. She kept right on saying that she wanted -her “booful A’fed.” The Mistress told her that she would see him again -very soon because they were all going to the City to stay a long, -long time. But that didn’t help me any, because I was quite sure they -wouldn’t take me. - -And they didn’t. They all went off, bag and baggage, about a week -later, and only William and Cook and Delia were left. Mother and I were -very sad and lonesome at first. I don’t think Father minded so much, -because he and William were great chums, and as for Freya, why, as long -as she had enough to eat and some one to say “Good dog” to her, she -didn’t care what happened. But Mother and I missed the Baby a whole -lot, and the Mistress too, and the Master not so much because he was -busy a good deal of the time and we saw less of him. - -And then one day we woke up and the world was all white, and Mother -said it had snowed in the night. And William picked up some of the -white stuff and made a ball of it and threw it at Delia at the back -door. And Delia squealed and ran inside. William said: “Well, well, -winter’s here at last!” - -I think I have told you enough for now. You have almost fallen asleep -two or three times. Besides, it is time for my nap. I always like a -short nap before dinner. And really I have talked an awful lot. I hope -you liked my story. - -[Illustration] - - - - -PART TWO - -WHEN I GREW UP - - - - -CHAPTER I - -HOW WE WENT HUNTING - - -Bow! - -So you want to hear some more of my story, do you? Very well. It’s a -very good day to sit here by the fire and tell stories, because it is -raining hard and there isn’t much a dog can do in the City on a rainy -day. For my part I think cities are rather stupid places, anyway. Of -course, on bright days, there’s the Park and the Avenue, and I like -those very much. But it’s a bother always having to be on a leash. When -I see a dog on the other side of the street whom I am quite sure I -should like to know, all I can do is just say “Hello!” In the country I -could trot over to him and make friends and, like as not, we’d go off -on a nice long hunt in the woods. There’s lots to see in the City, but -it is awfully noisy and crowded and at first it made me quite nervous. -I’m getting used to it now. I do think it’s a mistake to have so little -yard about the house, though, especially when it is paved with stone -and brick. Even the stable floor is stone and I’m sure there are some -fine fat rats under it if I could only get at them. Why, I haven’t had -but one good dig since I got here! And that was that day in the Park -when the big Policeman came running over, waving a funny short stick -at us, and said he would have us both taken to jail if I didn’t stop -digging. - -Yes, I do miss the digging. The other day I made believe I smelled -a fox in the corner of the back hall and was scratching away at the -boards and having a real good time when Cook came and drove me away. I -forgave her, though, for she gave me a chicken leg to eat. I _do_ have -good things to eat here; better than I used to in the country; more -different kinds of things, anyway. And a dog likes variety as well as -you Two-Legged Folks do. I don’t want you to think I am at all unhappy -here, for I am not. If only there was a garden bed to dig in now and -then I wouldn’t ask for more. And, anyhow, what a dog wants most is -love and kindness, and I get lots of that. I guess I don’t care about -the flower bed. Excuse me just a moment while I lick your face. - -Well, I left off where the Family had gone to the City, didn’t I? We -dogs had a good deal of fun in that snow. It was the first snow I had -ever seen and I had a fine time running around in it and biting it. -Freya said it made her paws cold and she sat in the stable door and -just looked at it and shivered until I chased her out and rolled her -over in it. After that she didn’t mind it a bit. William made snowballs -and threw them for us to chase. It was great fun for they went into the -snow, quite out of sight, and we had to burrow down and dig them out. -And then when we tried to take them in our teeth to bring them back to -William they would fall to pieces! - -After that there was no more snow for quite a long time and we hunted -a good deal. Jack used to come over and he and Father, and sometimes -the rest of us, would go trotting off into the woods and stay for -hours. Sometimes Jack would see a pheasant or a grouse and get awfully -excited and run and run after it and get so tired that when he came -back he would have to throw himself down and rest. Usually, though, we -never saw much except chipmunks and squirrels; but one day Jack found a -rabbit in a clump of bushes and we all had a merry time chasing him. Of -course the rest of us, with our short legs, couldn’t keep up with Jack -and he and the rabbit were soon way ahead of us. And when we came up to -him he was sitting by a hole in the ground where the rabbit had gone. - -Freya and I began to dig at a great rate and just made the dirt fly. -Mother wanted to stop us, but Father said “No, let them have their -fun.” Freya kept getting in my way, so I had to nip her on the leg and -chase her away. Pretty soon all you could see of me was just the tip -of my tail sticking out of the hole. And just then I heard a lot of -barking and when I had backed out all the others were tearing across -the field after that rabbit! He had crept out of a hole on the other -side of the little hill where he lived and run off again. I felt rather -silly. The others came back pretty soon without the rabbit. Mother said -that rabbits lived in houses with a great many doors, and when you went -in one door they came out another. I don’t think that’s a fair way -to play, do you? Afterwards, though, I was glad we hadn’t caught the -rabbit, for he was such a tiny, pretty little thing that it would have -been a shame to hurt him. - -The weather got colder and colder and there was more snow. We didn’t -mind the cold, though, for our coats had been growing thicker and -warmer since summer, and our house was nice and cosy. One day Mother -took Freya and me down to the pond and when we got there it looked -very queer. I asked what had happened to the water and she said it had -frozen into ice, and while I was looking at it she gave me a push and I -had to run down the bank and when I got to the bottom and came to the -pond my feet went up in the air and I went over on my back and I slid -way out on the ice. Mother and Freya stood there and laughed at me, and -when I tried to get on my feet they just slipped from under me and I -was scared and whined. But Mother told me not to be a baby and pretty -soon I got back to the shore and then I pushed Freya down the bank and -she slid, too, and made a worse fuss about it than I had. Then Mother -showed us how we could walk quite nicely by taking very short steps and -soon we were all three chasing each other about and falling down and -rolling over and having a grand time. - -One morning we awoke to find the snow above the bottom of the Kennel -windows, and there was William out there with a red muffler around his -neck digging a path to us with a wooden shovel. The snow that time was -so deep that we could only go where William had made paths. But Father -showed us how to have a lot of fun by digging tunnels and Freya and I -dug one all the way from the Kennel to the stable door. The funny thing -was that in the tunnels, under all that cold snow, it was warmer than -it was outside! - -When William went to the village for the mail and other things now he -went in a sleigh, and one afternoon he took all us dogs with him and -we had the finest sort of a time. We barked at everything we saw, -and once Freya fell out of the sleigh into a snowbank and went out -of sight! (I pushed her off the seat, but William didn’t know it.) -In the village a lady who kept the little store where William bought -his newspaper came out and petted us and fed us peanuts. Peanuts are -very nice. The part you eat is inside a shell and you have to crack -the shell open first. Sometimes you eat some of the shell too, without -meaning to, but it doesn’t hurt you. The lady thought it was very funny -to see us eat the peanuts and she laughed a lot and said we were clever -dogs. - -“Sure, ma’am, they’ll eat anything at all,” said William, and the lady -laughed some more and said: - -“I know one thing they won’t eat.” - -“What’s that?” asked William. - -So she went back into the little store and came out with something that -looked like a lemon but wasn’t. “Let me see them eat that,” she said -to William. - -“A pickled lime, is it?” said William. “They’re that fond of ’em, -ma’am, I can’t keep enough of ’em on hand, but they’re bad for dogs, -ma’am.” - -The lady laughed again. “That’s a fib,” she said. “You know they -wouldn’t touch it.” - -“Won’t they then,” said William. “Just watch ’em, ma’am.” So he took -the pickled lime and looked at us, trying to make up his mind which of -us to give it to. I hoped he wouldn’t give it to me, but he did. “Eat -it, Fritzie,” he said coaxingly. “Good dog.” - -Well, William was a friend of mine and I wanted to help him out of his -fix, and so I took it and laid it down on the seat and ate it. It was -quite the worst tasting thing I ever had. It was sort of sour and sort -of salt and full of puckery juice. But I ate it, and when it was all -gone I tried to make the lady think that I wanted more, and William -was so pleased with me that afterwards he stopped at the butcher’s and -brought out a piece of meat for each of us. I’m sure that meat saved -me from being a very sick dog. Even as it was I felt quite unhappy for -awhile and didn’t bark once all the way home. - -A few days after that the Family came back and maybe I wasn’t glad -to see them again. William brought them from the station in the big -sleigh, and as soon as they were in the house William called to us dogs -and we all went running in to see them. And the Master said how well -we all looked and how Freya and I had grown, and the Baby sat down on -the floor and we all jumped about her and licked her face and I ran -off with one of her fur mittens and took it under the couch and chewed -it a little. It was a very happy time. William told the Master how I -had eaten the pickled lime for him in the village and the Master and -Mistress laughed and laughed about it and said I was a fine dog, and -after that for a long time the Master called me “the limehound”! - -It was wonderful the way the Baby had grown in such a short time. I had -to jump now when I wanted to lick her face! She was awfully glad to see -us and cried a little when William took us back to the Kennel. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -HOW WE SPENT CHRISTMAS - - -The next day the Master, the Mistress, the Baby, William and us dogs -went for a walk together. William carried an axe and a piece of rope. I -thought we were going hunting. The snow was quite deep and the Master -and the Mistress wore funny flat things under their shoes which kept -them from sinking through the snow. The Master carried the Baby in his -arms until we had got to the woods, and she kept saying “Kismas twee! -Kismas twee! Booful Kismas twee!” all the way. When we were at the -edge of the woods the Master and William walked around and looked at -the trees and at last the Master said “This one, William,” and William -swung his axe and down came the tree. It was only a small one and I -tried to tell them that there were very much larger ones further on, -but no one paid any attention to me. When the tree was cut down William -tied the rope to it and we went home, William dragging the tree after -him over the snow. I thought it was a pretty poor sort of hunt. - -It began to snow again before we were back at the house and William put -us to bed early that evening. The next morning the snow had stopped and -the sun was shining brightly. William let us out and we all tore up to -the back door, very hungry indeed. And when Cook gave us our breakfast -what do you suppose it was? What’s the nicest thing you can think of? -Mince pie? Why, of course not; dogs don’t care for mince pie. No, nor -candy――much. What we had that morning was liver and corn-bread, with -lots of gravy! How was that for a feast? And Cook and Delia and William -stood around and saw us eat it and laughed and seemed very gay and -happy. And after that William took us into the house. - -There was the Baby and the Master and the Mistress, and they all -cried “Merry Christmas!” as we came tumbling in; only the Baby said -“Maykismas!” instead, which was the best she could do. Between the -windows in the big room was that tree we had brought home the day -before, but you would never have known it for the same tree. I didn’t -know whether to bark at it or wag my tail. So I growled. That tree -was all covered with the most wonderful sparkly things! There were -glass balls of red and yellow and green and white and blue, and long -strings of shiny stuff that glittered in the sunlight, and strings of -pop-corn――only I’d never seen any pop-corn just like it before, because -it was pink!――and all sorts of little toys and coloured paper bags and, -at the very tip-top of the tree, a little white angel with wings like -a dragon-fly! And underneath the tree were many things wrapped in paper -and tied with red ribbons. - -“Just see Freya!” laughed the Mistress. Would you believe it, that dog -had helped herself to one of the packages and had taken it under the -table and was tearing the paper off it! I was terribly ashamed of her, -I can tell you! But the Master and the Mistress didn’t seem to mind -it. They only laughed. And the Master looked at what Freya had taken -and said: “Smart dog! It had her name on it!” And the Baby clapped -her hands and every one seemed to think that Freya had really done -something very clever! - -The Master reached under the tree then and picked up one of the -packages and looked at it and said: “Now then, Young Fritz, here’s a -present for you. Sit up and ask for it, you rascal!” - -So I sat up on my hind legs and begged and he put it in my mouth and I -took it off to a corner and smelled of it. It didn’t smell very nice, -I thought. It made me think of something but I couldn’t remember what. -So I tore the paper off it and――can you guess what I found? A pickled -lime! Wasn’t that a mean joke? I backed away from it in a hurry and -they all laughed at me and I crawled under the couch where Freya was -chewing on a rubber ball with her eyes closed. I took it away from her, -but the Mistress said “No, no, Fritzie! You mustn’t take Freya’s ball -away. Here’s something nice for you.” - -So I sat up and begged again and the Master gave me another present and -when I’d got the paper and ribbon off it there was a rubber cat that -squeaked every time I bit it! It looked a little like Ju-Ju, who was -sitting on the window-sill with a new pink bow around her neck, and -when I saw that I bit it harder. - -Father got a new collar and a rabbit made of cloth, Mother got a -Teddy bear and a tin bug that walked across the floor and went -_click-click-click_, Freya got the ball and a cloth cat which was -bigger than mine but didn’t taste so good and I got a wooden duck that -flapped its wings and opened its mouth when you moved it. I didn’t -think that the Family knew about the time the duck made me fall into -the brook, but they must have. I suppose Ju-Ju told them. That cat -talks too much, anyway. - -And we all had sweet biscuits and candy which the Baby fed to us until -the Mistress told her we had had enough. After that we were allowed -to stay there and play a long time. I chewed that rubber cat until it -stopped squeaking and then tried the duck. The paint tasted very good. -Freya stole a bag of candy from the tree and ate half of it before I -found out about it and took it away from her. Really, her manners were -awful that day! - -[Illustration: I chewed that rubber cat until it stopped squeaking and -then tried the duck] - -I ate the rest of the candy so as to punish her for stealing it, but I -didn’t really want it and after I had eaten it I began to feel sick. -It was just as well, I think, that they let us out just then. I don’t -know what the rest did, but I hurried right down to the stable and -got behind the flower-pots and had quite a miserable time of it for a -while. You see, besides the sweet biscuits and all that candy, I had -eaten most of a rubber cat and one wing of a wooden duck. I think, -though, that it was the yellow paint that made me sick. - -I felt better in the afternoon and crawled out and went back to the -house. The Baby had a new sled and she was coasting down a little hill -behind the house. She would sit on the sled and take one of us dogs in -her arms and then Nurse would give her a push and off she would go. I -coasted twice but didn’t care much for it. I wasn’t feeling quite well -yet. For dinner that day we had turkey, and it was fine; almost as -good as liver and corn-bread. I was very glad that I felt well enough -by that time to eat all that was given to me――and some of Freya’s. Then -William took us down and put us to bed and that ended that Christmas -Day. I had had a very good time, on the whole, but I was a little glad -that Christmas didn’t come very often! - - - - -CHAPTER III - -MORE LESSONS - - -It was in February that Father and Mother began going away from home -for three and four days at a time. William usually went with them, but -once the Master went. Each time they came back they brought a bunch -of pretty ribbons, blue and red and yellow and white, and William put -them in a glass case in the harness room where there were lots more. Of -course we asked Mother where the ribbons came from and she said from -the dog shows and told us about them. But we didn’t understand very -well. It seemed that the ribbons were prizes given to Father and Mother -because they were such fine dogs, and William and the Master and every -one was very pleased and proud each time Father and Mother came home. - -Father was proud, too. He got more ribbons than Mother. I didn’t think -that was fair, but Mother didn’t seem to mind. After each show Father -would be very lazy and just lie around and look proud and Mother would -fetch him bones. But after a day or two Father would forget to be proud -and find his own bones. It wasn’t much fun for Freya and I when Father -was being proud, because he slept a lot and if we made the least noise -Mother would say “Hush, children! Your father is taking a nap and you -mustn’t waken him. Go somewhere else and play.” So we were glad when -the dog shows stopped for a while. - -Freya and I were to learn about dog shows for ourselves, though. When -we were almost a year old William began putting a leash on my collar -and Freya’s and walking us about. At first I didn’t like it at all. It -made me quite nervous to have that strap holding me back. The first -time William put it on I stood still and he kept tugging at it and -saying “Come on, now, Fritzie! Come on now!” I was quite willing to go -with him, but I didn’t like the feeling of that collar up around my -ears. Still, it didn’t do any good to put my feet out and hold back -because William dragged me, and when I found that out I decided I’d run -away from him. So I started off in a hurry. But there was that horrid -strap, and when I’d gone a little ways my feet went out from under me -and I turned a somersault. That frightened me and I ran off in another -direction. But each time that leash stopped me. Then I began to run -around William in circles and howl and presently, when I couldn’t run -any more, because the leash was wrapped around William’s legs, I gave -a final tug and William fell over on his back in a flower-bed where -there were some sweet peas just coming up. He was very angry. I saw -that at once and so I tried my best to get away from there. But the -more I tried to run the angrier William got. You see, he couldn’t get -the strap from around his legs and so he couldn’t get on his feet. And -just then I heard the Baby clapping her hands and Nurse saying “Why, -William! Whatever are you doing there?” - -And then William was so surprised and felt so silly that he let go -the leash and I pulled it loose and ran as hard as I could run to the -stable and crawled behind the flower-pots. But of course he found me -and pulled me out. He always did. Sometimes now I wonder why I didn’t -find a better place to hide in. - -Well, William had his way in the end and I got so I didn’t mind being -on the leash and would walk along ahead of him quite nicely. Freya had -to learn too. She didn’t mind it as much as I had, but then she never -had much spirit. After we got used to the leash William would put a -flat box in the middle of the carriage room floor and make us get up -on it and stand there for minutes at a time. I didn’t see much fun in -that, and at first when he got me on the box I jumped right down again. -But he was very――very――Now what was it that Mother said he was? Oh, -patient; that was it; very patient. That was what Mother called it, but -I said he was stubborn. - -Anyway, he kept at me until I did just what he wanted me to, and after -a while I didn’t mind standing on the box, although I couldn’t see much -sense in it and it seemed a dreadful waste of time. But Mother told us -what it was all for, and then I was quite willing to do what William -wanted. You see, we were being trained for the dog shows. I thought -that was very nice because it meant going on a journey, just as Father -and Mother had, and bringing back a lot of pretty ribbons. Father -said, though, that if I didn’t behave better than I’d been behaving I -wouldn’t get any ribbons. Father can be quite gruff at times. Freya was -so excited about it that she could talk of nothing else. - -“Won’t it be fine,” she would say, “to be in a show and have hundreds -of people admiring you and patting you and saying what a lovely dog you -are? I know I shall just love it, Fritz!” - -Girl-dogs are always vain, you see. Vanity is not becoming in dogs any -more than in Two-Legged Folks and so I growled and said: “I guess no -one will look twice at you, Miss Stuck-Up! You’re much too homely.” - -That made Freya cry and she ran off to ask her mother if it was so. -Of course she really wasn’t homely. I only said that so she wouldn’t -be vain and proud. Freya in some ways was a better looking dog than I -was. Her coat was what the Master called “perfectly wonderful.” It was -very black and very shiny; just like satin. And her ears were fine and -long and silky. And she had nice eyes, too, and a good tail. My tail -had a place on the tip where there was no hair. Poor William troubled -a lot about that spot and rubbed it with grease for weeks and weeks. -The grease didn’t seem to do much good, though. Perhaps I licked it -off too soon. That place never has got quite right and I don’t think -it ever will. But even if Freya was a little better looking than I, -she couldn’t run as fast or dig as deep or do useful things as well as -I could. I was lots stronger and bigger. Mother said that was as it -should be; that girl-dogs were not supposed to be as big and brave and -strong as boy-dogs. - -Well, William taught us all sorts of things that Spring. It was a good -deal of a bother, but the thought of being taken to the dog show helped -me to be patient and go through with it. After we had been in training -for a month or more I asked Mother when the show was to be and she -said she didn’t know; that maybe it wouldn’t come for a long time. I -didn’t like that and I had made up my mind that there wasn’t any use in -going through with so many lessons if nothing was to come of it when, -one morning, the Master came down to the stable. - -“Well, how are they getting on, William?” he asked. - -“Fair, sir,” said William. “Freya takes to it like the lady she is, -sir, but Young Fritz is slower. He’s as stubborn as his father, sir.” - -Now I thought that very unkind of William after all the trouble I had -taken to please him, and just to show that my feelings were hurt I -sneaked off and got behind the flower-pots. But I could hear what they -were saying in the carriage room, and pretty soon the Master said: - -“Well, I think we’ll try them out at the Oak Cliff Show in June. It’s -nearby and there’s only one day of it. They’re bound to be nervous the -first time and a small show is a good one to start them with.” - -I pricked up my ears at that, because it was already the last of May, -and crawled out from back of the flower-pots. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -A VISIT TO JACK - - -“Freya won’t mind it a bit, sir,” William was saying. “She’s the sort -that loves a bit of fuss and excitement. She’ll show well, she will, -sir.” - -William always thought whatever Freya did was all right. I made up my -mind to show them that I could behave just as well as she could, and so -I went back to the carriage room. - -“Well, let me see how they act,” said the Master. - -So William snapped the leash on my collar and walked me slowly around -in a circle several times. Then he stopped and I stopped and stood -quite still. Then he led me to the box and said “Up, boy!” and I jumped -up on the box and stood there very straight, with my head up and my -body stretched as long as I could stretch it. Then William took hold -of my tail and lifted my back legs up by it, and felt me all over and -opened my mouth and looked at my teeth and went through with all the -things he always did when I was on the box. And finally he said “All -right, boy!” and I jumped down and looked at the Master and wagged my -tail. I could see at once that he was very pleased. - -“Why, there’s nothing wrong with him, William!” said the Master. “I -never saw a dog have any better ring manners than that.” - -William scratched his head and shook it and looked at me in a puzzled -way. “Well, sir,” he said at last, “I never knew him to do it like that -before. Seems as if he was sort of showing off, don’t it, sir?” - -“Why, yes,” laughed the Master, “and that’s what we want him to do!” - -Then Freya went through with it and didn’t do as well as I had because -she kept wiggling all the time, wanting the Master to speak to her and -pet her. Girl-dogs are silly that way. There’s a time for everything, -but they don’t understand it. They always want to play when it’s time -to work, which is quite wrong. Well, the Master was much pleased with -both of us and said that we’d surely be shown at the Oak Cliff Show -next month, and that he’d send in the entries at once. I ran off to -tell Mother about it and she was pleased too. - -“You must be a very good dog,” she said, “and do just as William tells -you to. And when you get to the show you must mind your own affairs and -pay no attention to other dogs or to people. I don’t think your father -or I will be there, so you must look after yourself and Freya.” - -I was sorry Father and Mother were not going, but I was quite excited -at the thought of Freya and I going alone, and I hunted up Freya to -tell her. When I found her she was looking very sad and I asked her -what the matter was. - -“I have a pimple,” she whined. “William just found it. He says if I -don’t get rid of it before the show I won’t get a prize.” - -And she absolutely began to cry! Aren’t girl-dogs funny? I looked at -the pimple and it was so small I couldn’t see it at first. It wasn’t -worth bothering about. I’d had them five times as large as hers. Why, -the time I ate the crow that I found in the truck garden I had dozens -of great huge ones! And William put some smelly stuff on them and -gave me a dose of nasty medicine and they went right away again. So I -laughed at Freya and she stopped crying, and after William had rubbed -something on the pimple I told her what Mother had said. I thought she -would be quite pleased about it, but she wasn’t. You never can tell -what a girl-dog will do! - -“Oh,” said Freya, “I should be frightened to death to go away without -Father and Mother! I just couldn’t do it!” - -“Well,” I said, “you’ll just have to. Besides, William will be there -and maybe the Master, too.” - -“But it isn’t the same as having your own parents,” said Freya, looking -teary again. “Suppose――suppose anything happened to us!” - -“What could happen?” I asked. “Besides, _I’m_ going to be there!” - -That ought to have satisfied her, I thought, but it didn’t, and she -went running off to tell Mother how frightened she was. That was too -much for me and I trotted over to call on Jack and tell him the news. - -I found him in the back yard eating a fine big veal bone. “Hello, -Fritz,” he said, pushing the bone to me. “Want to chew on that? It -isn’t half bad. I’m afraid I’ve eaten the best of it, though.” - -It was very nice and sweet, that bone, and I settled down to enjoy it, -and between crunches I told him about Freya and I going alone to the -dog show. He didn’t seem to think it was so grand, though. He kind of -turned up his lip at it. - -“The Oak Cliff Show?” he said. “Oh, that’s just a small affair, a -one-day show, managed by the women folks. It’s pretty good fun, of -course, but even if you do bring back some ribbons they don’t amount to -much.” - -I guess he saw that I was disappointed, because he went on: “Not that -it isn’t worth while, of course. I used to go to it when I was a little -fellow. You’ll like it and I dare say Freya will get a ‘blue.’ You too, -maybe. A ‘red,’ anyhow. I have five or six ‘blues’ that I got there.” -He yawned. “When is it to be?” - -“Some time in June,” I said. - -“Of course; it always is in June. I meant what day?” - -I couldn’t tell him that, though. - -“Well, you’ll have a good time. Don’t let folks handle you too much, -Fritz. It upsets you and you don’t do so well in the ring. And don’t -pay any attention to the judges. Act as if you didn’t see them. When I -was a puppy I was too friendly and bit one of the judges on the nose -when he was bending over me. I just did it in play, but I guess I bit -too hard, because he made a great to-do about it and sent me right out -of the ring and I didn’t even get a mention.” - -“I suppose,” I said, “a great many dogs go to it?” - -“Oh, about a hundred, I think. You’ll meet all kinds. Don’t have much -to do with them. Some of them are no-account dogs. It takes all sorts -of dogs to make a world, you know.” - -“A hundred!” I said. “My, but that’s a lot of dogs, isn’t it? I didn’t -know there were so many in the world, Jack!” - -Jack laughed. “A hundred’s nothing,” he said. “In the New York show -I’ve seen nearly five hundred! That’s a show that is a show, Fritz! -Maybe if you do pretty well at Oak Cliff the Master will send you there -next winter.” - -“I wish he would,” I answered. “It must be fine.” - -Jack yawned again. “It’s rather good fun until you get used to it,” he -said. “Going? Well, come again. I’ll drop over and see you before the -show.” - -So I thanked him for the loan of his bone and trotted home. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -THE TURTLE - - -A week before we were to go to Oak Cliff William began to groom us -every morning and evening. We were rubbed all over with a cloth that -was wet with something that smelled good and left our coats smooth and -glossy. We were brushed, too, and our claws were cut and our teeth were -cleaned and he even washed our ears! I stood everything very well but -that. I do hate to have my ears washed. Don’t you? - -As for that bare spot on the end of my tail, poor William worked and -worked and fussed and fussed and worried and worried over that. “I’m -thinking,” he told me once, “that it would be fine if you’d wag your -tail hard when the judge is looking at you and maybe he won’t see where -the hair’s off!” I suspected that William put some sort of medicine -in our food those days. I couldn’t find it, but there was a little -different taste to things. I think that is a very mean thing to do to -a dog. Poor Freya had a hard time getting enough to eat that week, -because William said she was a little too fat and so he only gave her -about half what he usually did. Sometimes, if I wasn’t awfully hungry -and William wasn’t looking, I’d leave a little in my dish and let her -finish it. - -Of course all the attention we had took a lot of time and it was hard -to stay quiet so long. But I went through with it as best I could -because I knew that the nicer I looked at the show the more likely I -was to get a pretty ribbon. The worst of it was that after William had -groomed us we were supposed to be very good and keep ourselves clean. -That wasn’t much trouble for Freya. She liked being fussed over and I -think she was glad of an excuse to be lazy and lie around in the sun -and not go hunting. But it wasn’t so easy for me, and try as hard -as I might I seemed to be always getting into scrapes. Like the time I -caught the turtle. - -William had just fixed me all up until I felt much too clean for -comfort and told me to be good and not get dirty. I really meant to -obey him, but I didn’t think it was much fun to just lie around the -stable and so I asked Freya to go for a run with me. She wouldn’t, -though. She said William wouldn’t like it if she did. So I went off -alone and wandered down into the meadow and chased grasshoppers for -awhile. There isn’t much fun in that, though. They’re not good to eat -when you catch them. So I went on down to the brook and presently I saw -the funniest looking thing you can imagine. When I told Mother about -it afterwards she said it was a turtle, but I didn’t know what it was -then because I had never seen one before. It lived in a shell that -was a sort of greenish-brown on top and yellow underneath. There were -two funny little paws on each side and a funny little tail behind and -a much funnier little head in front, and it was crawling along very -slowly toward the brook. I watched it a minute and then I ran up to it -and barked. Then it did the queerest thing! Instead of barking back or -saying “quack” like the ducks or “cluck” like the hens it just pulled -itself inside that shell until there wasn’t anything in sight but the -place it lived! - -[Illustration: I had never seen one before] - -I thought that was very impolite and so I turned it over with my nose -and barked again. But it wouldn’t come out. I barked at it a long time -but it did no good, and then I lay down a little ways off and watched. -Pretty soon the turtle thought I’d gone away and out came his head -very, very slowly and he looked around with two little glittering -yellow eyes. I think he was quite surprised to find himself on his -back. He looked surprised, anyway, and he worked his paws and tried to -turn himself over. Then he saw me, I guess, for he went back into his -house very quickly again. - -“You are a very stupid fellow,” I said, “whatever you are. Come on out -and play.” - -But he wouldn’t, and so pretty soon I went over to him and patted him -with my paw. That didn’t bring him out, either. I made up my mind then -that I’d take him home to Mother and ask her what he was. So I just -picked him up in my mouth, house and all, and started along the brook -with him. I had gone just a little ways when I felt a sharp pain in my -lip, and I looked and that turtle had put his head out and was biting -me! You may believe that I let go of him pretty quick! But he wouldn’t -let go of me. He hung right on to my lip and swung there. I pawed at -him and rubbed my head on the ground and howled, but it did no good. -That turtle held on tight. By that time he was hurting a lot and I -began to yelp and roll around and shake my head and do everything I -could think of to get rid of him. And in the middle of it I slipped -over the side of the bank and rolled down into the brook on my back! - -After that I don’t remember just what did happen for a minute or two. -I know that the turtle was still there and that I stuck my head into -the mud and rolled over and over in the water and had an awful time -and almost drowned myself before that horrid turtle finally let go of -me. When I crawled out I was covered with mud and water and my lip was -bleeding and I was shaking all over. I laid down for a while on the -bank to get my breath and then I went back to the stable, hoping I -could get behind the flower-pots before William saw me. But I didn’t. -He was washing a carriage, and Father was helping him, when I got -there, and he saw me before I could get by. My, but he was angry! -He just took hold of me by the neck and held me with one hand and -turned the hose on me with the other. Being washed with a hose is very -unpleasant. The water gets in your eyes and mouth and ears. I had a -very bad time of it. William scolded and scolded until he saw the place -on my lip where the turtle had bitten me. Then he was sorry for me and -dried me with a big chamois-skin and put some salve on the wound and it -felt better. And I crawled behind the flower-pots and went to sleep. - -Turtles and toads and ducks and bees are not good for dogs. They don’t -play fair. It’s funny the lot of trouble I got into down by that brook. -There was the time the duck “quacked” at me and I fell into the mud and -the time the toad poisoned my mouth and the time the turtle bit me. You -would think that I’d have learned to stay away from the brook, but I -never did. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -AT THE DOG SHOW - - -We started out, William and Freya and I, very early one morning for the -dog show. I think it was a Saturday. Anyhow, I remember that we had -liver for breakfast the next day, and we usually had liver on Sundays. -Freya and I were put in the dog crate and the crate was put in the -little wagon and William drove. The Master, the Mistress and the Baby -went in the carriage. Father and Mother were left at home. Father made -quite a fuss about it and climbed into the wagon twice and had to be -put out, but Mother just told us to be good children and not get into -trouble and went back and laid down in the stable doorway. - -Freya was so excited that she couldn’t keep still. I was excited, too, -but I didn’t show it. I just laid down on the bottom of the crate and -peeked out between the slats and tried to see the world. It was hard -work, though, because the slats were very close together and the wagon -bumped a good deal. After a while the wagon slowed down and we heard a -lot of barking and knew that we were almost there. When William lifted -the crate down and opened it the Master looked in and said “Hello, you -rascals! Have a good trip?” Freya and I licked his hand and he put -chains on our collars and we jumped out. - -[Illustration: At the dog show] - -I was a little frightened at first. Never had I seen so many people -or heard so many dogs. And as for carriages and automobiles, why, I -suppose there must have been hundreds! Folks were walking around over -the grass and dogs were being taken out of hampers and crates and it -was a strange and wonderful scene. In front of us was a monstrous big -tent, oh, quite the largest tent you can possibly imagine! And from the -tent came such a barking and yelping as I’d never heard. Freya tugged -at her chain and seemed very anxious to get to it, but I held back and -sort of wished myself back home. But just then the Mistress and the -Baby came up with some other folks, and the Baby put her arms around my -neck and said I was her “booful dogums” and I felt braver. So we all -went into the tent. - -It was full of platforms, or “benches” as they called them, which were -open in front and closed at back and divided into little pens by wire -screens. William led us to one of the pens and as we went all the dogs -who saw us barked and yelped and said things to us and made a frightful -noise. We jumped up on the bench and William tied our chains to rings -in the back of the pen. There were two pieces of paper with numbers on -them tacked there, and the Master tied tags to our collars, and the -tags had the same numbers that were on the back of the pen. Mine was 86 -and Freya’s was 87. William brought a big armful of nice clean straw -and put it on the bottom of the pen and I got as far away into a corner -as I could and laid down and shivered a little. But Freya jumped and -tugged at her chain and barked and went on very rudely. William took a -piece of cloth and rubbed us hard with it and then he brought us some -water. - -While I was lying in the corner a dog in the next pen tried to put his -nose through the grating and I turned around quickly and nipped it. It -didn’t hurt him much, I guess, but he made an awful fuss about it and a -lady who was sitting on the edge of his pen scolded me and said I was a -horrid dog and that if I did that again she’d have me taken away. She -took that other dog in her arms and petted him and gave him something -to eat out of a little bag, and the dog whined and sniffled and acted -terribly silly. I made up my mind that if he put his nose into our pen -again I’d give him another nip. And just then he saw me looking over at -him and he winked at me, and I knew that he had been making all that -fuss so his Mistress would give him something out of the little bag! - -I asked him later on what it was she gave him and he said it was raw -meat. He said I didn’t hurt him much but he wanted the meat. He was the -same kind of a dog as I, only he was all brown and very fat. We got to -be very good friends later. His name was Sigismund. He told me that his -Mistress took him to all the shows but he never got a prize but once -and then there were only two other dachshunds there. He said he didn’t -mind not getting prizes, but that his Mistress always felt very badly -about it and was quite cross to the judges. - -“She thinks I’m a very fine dog,” he said, “but I’m not, you know. You -can see yourself that I’m too short in the body and too high at the -back. Besides, my teeth are bad. That comes from too much meat. It’s -all rather tiresome, this sort of thing, but she likes it and I put up -with it. Who is the dog with you?” - -I told him she was my sister and he said she was very pretty and he -guessed she’d get a blue ribbon. All this was later in the day, though, -after I’d got sort of used to the noise and all the people. They kept -walking around and walking around until it made my head spin to see -them. I did wish they’d sit down somewhere or go away. They’d stop in -front of us and say the rudest things! Why, one lady looked at us and -said “Did you ever see such funny things, Tom? The idea of any one -thinking them nice!” Freya let folks pat her but I didn’t. I growled. - -Across the aisle from us were a lot of big, long-haired dogs with -pointed noses. I heard William say they were collies. They did nothing -but bark all the time. They were the most excited dogs I ever saw. -Further along were some fox terriers, and besides those there were all -kinds of other dogs whose names I didn’t know. - -All the time dogs were going by on chains, and Sigismund said they were -going to the judging pen. I couldn’t see the judging pen but I could -hear people clapping their hands, and every little while a dog would -pass us with a blue or a red or a yellow ribbon on his collar which -the judges had given him. And if it was a blue ribbon he would look -very, very proud, and if it was another coloured ribbon he looked just -a little bit proud. I asked Sigismund if it was very hard being judged -and he said it wasn’t and that he usually took a nap while it was going -on. - -It got very warm in the tent after a while and William gave us some -fresh water and a piece of biscuit, which was all we had for dinner. -Pretty soon after that a man in overalls went around saying: “Class -49, Dachshunds! All entries to the judging pen!” Then William made us -jump down and he and the Master led us to where there was a square -pen fenced off with boards. All around it on the outside were people -looking over the top of the fence. Inside there were many dachshunds -when we got there and more followed us through the gate. Sigismund was -there, too, with his mistress. He winked at me and then closed his eyes -and looked exactly as if he was going to sleep! - -Presently we all began to walk around in a circle at the end of our -chains while two men stood in the centre of the pen and watched us. -Then we stopped walking and the two men came and looked us all over, -and one by one we stood on a little platform in the centre and the two -judges felt of us and pulled us and looked into our mouths and made -me very nervous. But when my time came I remembered what William had -taught me and what Mother had said and stood very quiet and held my -head up and stretched my legs out. It really wasn’t bad at all because -the man who judged me was very gentle and I didn’t mind what he did. - -After me three other dogs went on the box and were judged. And then the -two judges talked together a minute and went over to a little table in -one corner and picked up some ribbons and came back. I wondered whether -they would give one of them to William, and they did, but it was a red -ribbon and William didn’t look very pleased even if he did say “Thank -you” quite nicely. A very handsome dog named Champion Hillside Carl got -the blue ribbon, which was the first prize. I was sorry I had got only -the second prize because William looked so disappointed. - -Then it was Freya’s turn to try and she and five other girl-dogs were -put on the box one after the other, and Freya looked so pretty that the -people watching over the fence clapped their hands. That pleased Freya -and she wagged her tail and smiled at the judge and he patted her head. -And when it was all over the judge walked right up to the Master and -gave him the blue ribbon, and every one clapped some more and all the -dogs barked. William didn’t feel so badly after Freya had got the first -prize. - -I thought then that we would be led back to our bench, but it seemed -that we were to try for other prizes first. There were prizes for what -they called “novices,” which were dogs who had never been in a show -before. There was a prize for boy novices and one for girl novices, -and Freya and I each won a first, and by that time William was all -smiles. Then Freya and I were judged as a pair and we each got a second -prize. The first prize went to Champion Hillside Carl and a girl-dog -who was quite good-looking but not nearly so pretty as Freya. - -Then we went back to the bench and William and the Master said how -well we had done and how nicely we had behaved in the pen. Besides the -lovely ribbons, which had gold letters on them and which William at -once hung up at the back of the bench, we had won money. Freya had won -eleven dollars and I had won nine. The Master said we should each have -a fine new collar. I wanted to wear my ribbons, but William wouldn’t -let me. Sigismund had not won anything at all and I was very sorry for -him, and told him so. But he only laughed. - -“I didn’t expect to,” he said. “I never do. For my part I’d much -rather stay at home, but my Mistress likes this sort of thing. She -told the judges that they didn’t know their business. She always tells -them that. You did very well, you and your sister both. You’d have got -that other blue if that Hillside Carl dog hadn’t been there. He’s been -winning first prizes for two years now. I meet him everywhere I go. -He’s an awfully stuck-up chap.” He yawned and stretched himself. “Well, -it’s about over now and I shall be glad to get home again.” - -I curled up and took a little nap and when I awoke William was taking -the ribbons down and it was time to go home. We jumped back in the -crate and pretty soon we were bumping along the road once more. Freya -was still too excited to keep still, but I managed to get a few more -winks of sleep on the way back. When we reached the stable Father and -Mother were waiting for us and maybe they weren’t pleased when we told -them about the prizes! Mother jumped around and licked our faces and -barked. Father didn’t say much, but I could see that he was every bit -as glad as Mother. When I told him about Champion Hillside Carl he sort -of growled. - -“Humph,” he said, “was that dog there to-day? I’ve beaten Carl twice -and I could have done it again. He isn’t so fine. His ears are too -short, and he is deaf in the left one. Only the judges are too stupid -to find it out! I wish _I’d_ been there!” - -We had a supper of broth and bread and went to sleep early, being -pretty well tired out. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE STRANGE MAN - - -There were no more dog shows for us that summer, although Father and -Mother went to one in August and Father came back with three blue -ribbons and Mother with a blue and two reds. Father had beaten Champion -Hillside Carl quite easily and was very proud for several days and -Mother trotted her feet off finding bones for him. - -It was just after the show that Alfred and his mother came to visit -us again, and I was awfully glad to see him. He had grown a good deal -since the summer before. But then I had grown too and he said he would -scarcely have known me! I don’t know which of us was gladder to see -him, the Baby or I. We had some fine times in the next two weeks. We -hunted squirrels in the orchard and had picnics in the woods and played -all sorts of games. But we didn’t look for Indians in the swamp, I can -tell you! - -Alfred liked me best of all the dogs and one evening he came down to -the Kennel after it was dark and carried me to the house and took me to -bed with him and I slept there all night curled up in his arms. In the -morning we had a fine romp when we woke up, but I guess we must have -made too much noise, for Nurse heard us and came in and said, “Why, -Master Alfred, wherever did you get that dog? Put him right off the bed -this very instant!” - -[Illustration: Alfred took me to bed with him] - -Nurse had left the door open and so I ran out as hard as I could and -down the stairs. It wasn’t my fault that Delia was coming up just then -with a tray of toast and coffee for Alfred’s mother, was it? Besides, -she might have seen me if she had been looking. She didn’t, though, and -I was in a great hurry and tried to run between her feet. I was almost -at the bottom of the stairs when I heard the tray fall, and a piece of -toast came rolling down after me. I thought it best not to stop for -it, however, although I am very fond of buttered toast. Fortunately, -William was shining the brass knocker on the front door and I was able -to get out without more trouble. - -I went right down to the stable and got behind the flower-pots and -stayed there until the middle of the forenoon, but nothing happened, -and so, when I heard Alfred whistling, I came out. William was there, -too, and when I saw him I laid down on my back and put my feet up. But -he only laughed. - -“Don’t be letting Delia get hold of you to-day,” he said. “Keep away -from the kitchen, Fritzie, my boy.” - -And then he and Alfred both looked at each other and laughed again, and -Alfred and I found the Baby and Freya and went down to the brook and -waded. When I saw Delia she had a piece of white cloth tied around her -head. I don’t know why she did it, because it didn’t make her look any -prettier. - -After that Alfred took me to bed with him several times and I liked it -a lot. And Nurse didn’t say a thing when she found me there. Delia and -I made it up and were good friends again in a day or two. And then it -came time for Alfred to go back to the city and I felt very sad and -lonesome. So did the Baby, and she and I used to sit together in the -hammock on the piazza and talk about Alfred and wish him back again. I -was a great comfort to the Baby, I’m sure. - -I was a year and a half old that Autumn, which, for a dog, is quite -grown-up, you know. When I did anything silly Mother would say: -“Remember, Fritz, you are no longer a puppy.” It was hard to do that, -though, and I was just as fond of play as ever. But, of course, I -had grown much more sensible and wise. Experience is a great teacher. -I heard Father say that once, and I guess it must be so. I didn’t get -into scrapes any more; at least, not many. I did dig a hole under the -stable one day and then couldn’t get out again until William had taken -some of the stones out of the wall. But that was because I didn’t know -that the ground under the stable was so much lower than it was outside. -It was rather a jolly place down there and I think there were rats -there, but I was too frightened when I found I couldn’t get out again -to do any hunting. And after that William put a stone where I’d gone in -and I was never able to get back to make sure. - -And then there was another scrape, too, which was quite the worst I -ever got into. I shall not forget that very soon, I can tell you! It -happened that October and this was the way of it. - -Freya cared less for hunting and running around than ever that Fall and -so I used to go about a good deal alone. Sometimes Father would take -me to look for foxes, but that wasn’t very often, and we never found -any. And sometimes Jack and I would go for a run together. It wasn’t -much fun for him, though, because my legs were so short that he had -to wait for me to catch up to him every little while. So very often -I went alone. I didn’t mind. There is so much to see if you use your -eyes and so much to smell if you use your nose. And there are lots of -nice things to listen to, besides. Like the songs that the birds sing -and the whispers the breezes make in the trees and the chattering of -the squirrels and chipmunks and so many, many other sounds. There are -lots of wonderful and interesting things in the world, and a dog who is -treated kindly and has a nice home to live in has a very good time. The -nice home has a lot to do with a dog’s happiness, as I found out when -I didn’t have one. - -One nice sunny day, when the leaves on the trees were all yellow and -red and were fluttering down, I found myself on the road that passes -our gate. I had been chasing a chipmunk. He ran along on top of the -wall and the fence, making a funny little squeaky noise, and every -time I got near him he would give a long jump and get away again. And -sometimes he would run down to the ground and hide and I’d have to -hunt him out. When I lost him finally in a hole that went down under -the stone wall I was nearly half a mile from home and there was a man -walking toward me along the road. - -He didn’t look quite like a nice man and I started to trot away from -him. But he called to me in a kind voice and so I stopped and looked -back. And when I looked he stooped and held something toward me in his -hand and it had a very good smell. William doesn’t give us raw meat -except once in a great while when we aren’t feeling very well, but -I knew the smell of it and I knew that it was raw meat that the man -wanted to give me. I was hungry and so I thought it over and decided -that if he really didn’t want the meat himself I might as well have it. - -But I was a little bit afraid and didn’t go right up to him. He tossed -a piece toward me and I went back and got it and it surely tasted -awfully nice. Then he tossed me another piece and I ate that, and -almost before I knew it I was eating the rest of the meat out of his -hand and he was patting me and saying “Good dog.” And then he slipped -a piece of string through the new collar that the Master had bought -me with the money I had won at the dog show and when I tried to turn -around and go home he wouldn’t let me! Instead of that he pulled me -down the road right in the opposite direction. At first I went along -without any fuss, but when we got farther and farther away I began to -pull back and whine. Then he got very angry with me and when he saw I -would not go unless he pulled me he called me names and kicked me! - -I had never been kicked before and it frightened me even more than it -hurt, and it hurt a good deal. I yelped and tried to run away then, -but the string held me, and every time I sat down and wouldn’t walk he -kicked me with his boot. I soon saw that if I didn’t want to be kicked -I must go with him, and so I went. But I was awfully frightened and I -wanted to bite him but didn’t dare to. Pretty soon we came to a cross -road which was winding and narrow and we turned into that and walked -and walked for the longest way before we came to a house. It was a very -small house and it needed paint and the yard in front was dirty and -untidy. And when we went through the gate a horrid ugly big bulldog -came running toward us, barking and growling. But the man kicked him -too, and the bulldog howled and ran into a shed near the house. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -HOW I WAS STOLEN - - -The man took me into the house, which was just as dirty and untidy as -the yard and smelt badly, and tied the string to the leg of a table -there. He went into another room for a few minutes and I sat there -and shivered until he came back. Then he took off my nice new collar, -with its silver name-plate and silver buckle, and slipped a horrid old -leather strap around my neck. He read what it said on the name-plate -and then tossed the collar aside. - -“You ought to fetch a good price, old boy, if they give you a collar -like that,” he said. “Come on now.” - -So he led me outdoors again and across to the shed where the bulldog -was. When the bulldog saw the man come in he howled and ran out -quickly. There were some boxes in one corner of the shed that had bars -in front of them and I was put into one of these. Then the man went out -and closed the door behind him. - -It was quite dark in there, and cold and damp too, and there was -nothing in the box to lie on, and I was very unhappy. I sat and -shivered and whimpered for a long time, and it got darker and darker. -No one came to see me. I heard the bulldog prowling about outside and -sniffing at the door and I heard the man whistle to him once. Then it -got quite dark and after a while I cried myself to sleep. But I was too -cold to sleep soundly and I was very glad when the light began to come -back and I knew that it was morning again. - -The man brought me two or three bones without much meat on them and a -broken dish with some water in it. I didn’t care much for the bones, -but wanted the water a good deal. The man left the door open a little -when he went out and pretty soon the bulldog came sneaking in. - -“Well,” he said gruffly, “and where’d he pick you up?” - -I told him. - -“So you’re one of those pet dogs I’ve heard of,” he sneered. “Lie on a -cushion and eat cake, they tell me. Well, you won’t get any cake here. -Bones and kicks are all you’ll have now for a while. I know. I’ve lived -here four years. Pass out one of those bones. They’re mine by rights, -anyway.” - -I told him he could have them all and pushed them through the bars -where he could get them, and he seemed more good-natured after that. He -ate them just as though he was half-starved, and growled and growled -over them. He had very bad table manners. After he had chewed them -until there was nothing left on them he laid down and we talked. - -He wasn’t really a bad sort of dog at heart, only he had been treated -cruelly all his life, kicked and beaten and half-starved. Dogs, you -know, are very much like you Two-Legged Folks. Be gentle and kind to -us and we will be gentle and kind, too. Treat us crossly and we may -grow to be cross and snappy like you. You are the ones we serve, and -so it is not strange that we should learn our manners from you. Poor -Jim――for that was the bulldog’s name――had had only blows and ugly words -ever since he was a puppy and he didn’t know what it was to be well-fed -and petted and looked after. He had heard of dogs who had nice homes -and kind masters and he pretended to make fun of them and called them -“pets,” but I knew very well that he envied them all the time. - -[Illustration: “Jim”] - -I asked him what his master would do with me and why he had taken me -from my home, and he said that I would be taken to the City and sold. -“You’re not the first dog who has been here,” he said. “Every month or -so he brings one home with him. I’ve met a lot of them in my time.” - -“But he has no right to do that,” I said. “If I did a thing like that -William would say I was stealing.” - -“Of course,” said Jim. “He’s a thief. He makes his living by it. He -will get twenty or thirty dollars for you, perhaps. He would have sold -me long ago if I had been worth selling. Besides, he needs me here to -keep people away.” - -“Did――did he steal you, too?” I asked him. - -“I don’t know. I suppose so. I’ve been here ever since I can remember. -Probably he stole me when I was a very little puppy. Sometimes I’ve -thought I’d run away, but I never have. I’m afraid to. I’m such an ugly -looking dog that no one would want me, I guess. So I just stay here and -take what comes. I wouldn’t mind what he did if he would only give me -a kind word once in a while.” - -Just then there was a noise outside and Jim sprang up with a growl and -went to the door. - -“Some one coming along the lane in a carriage,” he said. “I must be -off.” - -He went out and in a moment I heard him begin to bark loudly. Then his -master spoke to him and he was still and I heard another voice that I -knew. - -“Hello,” said William. “Seen a stray dachshund around here?” - -“What might that be?” asked the man. - -“A black dog with tan markings; long body and short legs,” answered -William. - -“No, I ain’t seen any dog except this one here. Want to buy him?” - -What William said to that I don’t know, because I began to bark as -loudly as I could. But as soon as I barked Jim barked too and barked a -lot louder than I could, and I suppose William couldn’t hear me at all. -At any rate, when I stopped a moment to listen all I could hear was -the sound of the buggy rattling off down the road. I felt very sorry -for myself then and I laid down in a corner of the box and whined and -whimpered as though my heart was broken. After a while Jim came back. - -I think he pitied me a little. “I’m sorry I had to do it,” he said. “If -I hadn’t he’d have beaten me, you know.” - -“You could have run away for awhile,” I whimpered. - -“I’ve tried that. It doesn’t do. He doesn’t forget. When I come back I -get the beating just the same. Cheer up, Fritz. Maybe you’ll have luck -and find a nicer home than the one you had.” - -“It couldn’t be nicer,” I said, “and even if it was I wouldn’t like it. -I want to go home!” - -“Where is this home of yours?” he asked. - -So I told him, and told him all about William and the Master and the -Mistress and the Baby and my parents and Freya and everything. It made -me cry some more, but I liked to talk about the folks I had lost and -Jim listened very politely and seemed interested. - -“That must be fine,” he sighed. “You say they fed you twice a day, -regular?” - -“Yes.” - -“Think of that!” he said. “You aren’t making it up, are you?” - -“Of course not!” - -“I didn’t know,” he said. “I’ve heard of such things, but I never -really believed them. Say, if I could help you get away I would, -honest, Fritz! But it’s no use. There isn’t anything I can do.” - -We talked over two or three plans, but there didn’t seem to be any way -out of it. When it was getting dark again the man came in and took me -out of the box and led me into the house. As soon as he let go of the -string I made for the door, but he caught me and cuffed me and closed -the door tightly. Then he took a box and put me into it and nailed a -lid down on top of me. There were some little holes bored in the sides -of the box which barely let in enough air for me to breathe. Pretty -soon he took the box under his arm and set out with it. As we went out -of the yard Jim called “Good-bye, Fritz! Good luck!” But I was too -unhappy to reply. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -IN THE ANIMAL STORE - - -It was a long journey and I was terribly frightened. After the man had -walked a long way there was a lot of noise and then we were in a train, -only I didn’t know what it was at the time. The motion made me very -uncomfortable and I felt a little bit sick at my stomach. But I managed -to go to sleep presently, with my nose close up to one of the holes in -the box. - -The next thing I knew the box was being lifted up and then the man -carried me for awhile. It was very noisy where we went and it smelled -differently from any place I’d ever been. I guessed it was the City, -and I was right. When we reached the end of the journey the cover of -the box was taken off and I found myself in a little room with the -man who had stolen me and another man who looked very dirty and fat. -I could hear a lot of funny noises; dogs barking and cats meowing and -birds chirping. The man who had brought me there said: - -“Thirty dollars takes him, Bill, and not a cent less. He’s a -prize-winner, he is. Belongs to――” - -“I don’t want to hear who he belongs to,” said the other man. “You -bring him to me and say you want to sell him. That’s enough. If he -wasn’t your dog I wouldn’t be buying him. But twenty dollars is all I -can pay for him. There ain’t much call for dachshunds just now. They -ain’t in style.” - -So the two men talked and talked for a long time, the man who had -brought me saying he must have thirty dollars and the other man saying -he could only pay twenty. But after awhile they agreed on a price and -the new man gave the other some money and he went away. Then the new -man took me into another room that was filled with cages and put me -into one and gave me water and food. I was very thirsty and a little -bit hungry, but the place was so strange that I didn’t do more than -drink a little water at first. - -There were lots of dogs there in cages, some of them just little -puppies, and there were cats, too, cats with long hair and bushy -tails and cats with short hair, and one cat with no tail at all! And -there was a goat, too, and parrots and canaries and queer birds whose -names I didn’t know, and lizards and turtles and goldfish swimming -about in tanks of water. Oh, it was a funny, queer place, and as for -noise――well, I’d never heard anything like it! Even the dog show was -a quiet place compared to that store. People came in from the street -outside and stared at us through the bars of the cages and poked their -fingers at us and laughed when we were frightened, as I was, or when -we tried to lick their hands, as the puppies did. - -[Illustration: Oh, it was a funny, queer place] - -Right across the aisle from where I was there was a little cage made -mostly of glass and in it were some tiny white mice with funny pink -noses. Every little while one of the mice would come out of a loaf of -bread where they lived and get in the middle of the cage and go around -and around and around in a circle as fast as he could spin! I suppose -he was chasing his tail, just as I used to do when I was a puppy, but -he did it so fast that my eyes ached. Sometimes two of the mice would -spin at the same time and it made me dizzy to see them. - -Well, I stayed in that store for many days, just how many I don’t -remember. Several times folks asked about me; what my name was, how -old I was, had I any tricks, what my price was; and once I was nearly -bought by a very stout lady who had lots of rings on her fingers. But -I didn’t like her smell――you know we dogs judge folks a good deal by -their smell――and so I snapped at her when she went to stroke me and she -said right away that she wouldn’t take me. I thought that the man would -be very angry with me, but he wasn’t. He just chuckled as he put me -back in the cage. - -After that I made up my mind that I would have to stay right there in -that store all the rest of my days, for I had heard the man tell folks -that my price was fifty dollars, and fifty dollars seemed a great deal -of money and I didn’t believe that any one would ever give that much -for me. The man used to tell folks a great many fibs about me. He said -my name was Kaiser and that I was raised in Germany and had taken -twenty-four prizes at dog shows since I had been in this country. He -said I was just two years old and as sound as a whistle. He wasn’t far -wrong as to my age, and I was sound, but the rest of the things -he said were just plain fibs. I was sorry about the fibs, for he was -rather a nice man and treated us all quite kindly, and I was afraid -something dreadful would happen to him for telling stories. It is very -wrong to tell fibs, of course, and dogs never do it. - -I made several friendships at that store. There was Mouser, who lived -next cage to me. I never thought that I should like a cat, but I did. -He was a big grey cat and had the longest whiskers I ever saw. He and I -would put our heads through the bars and have fine long talks together. -He had seen a great deal of life and had always lived in the City. At -first he wouldn’t believe the things I told him about the country. He -took quite an interest in Ju-Ju and said he thought she was a very -lucky cat. Mouser didn’t know who his parents were or where he was -born. Isn’t that strange? Fancy not knowing your own father or mother! -I wouldn’t like that, would you? - -Mouser said that when he was a tiny little kitten he lived just -anywhere; under doorsteps and on roofs and in sheds; and all he had -to eat was what he could find in the gutters. I guess he had a pretty -hard time of it until a little girl picked him up one day and took him -home with her. After that he had a nice home for nearly a year. Then -the little girl’s family went away and closed the house up and Mouser -was put out into the street again to get along as best he could. It was -harder then than it was before, because he had got used to having his -food given to him and to having a nice warm place to sleep each night. -For awhile he almost starved, he said, and had to fight other cats, and -dogs, too, and even rats sometimes, to get anything to eat. He said he -stayed around the house he had been living in for a long time, hoping -the family would come back again and let him in, but they never did -and so finally he wandered away to another part of the town where there -were many more garbage barrels. He said he was like the cat in the -verse that the little girl used to recite to him. I asked him what the -verse was and he repeated it to me. This was it: - - Poor little Kitty-in-the-Street! - Ain’t got no thing to eat; - Ain’t got no garbage pails, - Ain’t got no fishes’ tails; - Poor little Kitty-in-the-Street - Ain’t got no thing to eat! - -I think it is quite a sad little verse, don’t you? - -One day when Mouser was prowling about looking for his dinner a man -with a net on the end of a pole came along and slipped the net over him -and took him off in a wagon to a place where there were lots and lots -of cats who had no homes, like Mouser. The next day a lady came looking -for a cat who would catch mice and a man whose place it was to find -homes for the cats said: - -“Got just what you want, Lady. Here’s a fine big fellow that’s a -regular mouser.” - -So the lady liked his looks and carried him to her home in a basket and -named him Mouser. Before that he had had another name, but he didn’t -remember what it was. He stayed with the lady for a long time and then -she, too, went away to live in a place where cats were not allowed and -so she brought Mouser to the animal dealer’s, and here he was looking -for a new home. I told him I didn’t think I would like having so many -homes, but he said you got used to it in time and that almost anything -was better than no home at all and being just a “Kitty-in-the-Street!” - -Then there was Prince. Prince was a funny, good-natured dog who lived -in a big cage across the aisle. He wasn’t any regular kind of dog, but -a little of every kind. He had a long brown coat and a shaggy tail and -a pointed nose and very yellow eyes. One of his ears stood up straight -and the other fell over just as if it was tired. But he was a real -nice, jolly fellow, and had the finest, deepest bark I ever heard. He -was just about my age and had been born in the country. One day he came -with his master to the city to sell a load of vegetables at the market -and another dog quarrelled with him and they had an awful fight and -the other dog bit him so that he had to run away. And when he stopped -running he was quite lost! He hunted around and at last he found the -market again, but his master had gone. So he stayed there for a long -time and the marketman gave him pieces of meat and he got along very -nicely. He thought that some day his master would come back again. And -perhaps he did, but Prince wasn’t there because one day a boy tied a -piece of rope about his neck and took him to the animal dealer’s and -sold him for fifty cents. - -He was quite happy and contented, though, and I liked him very much. -And I hope that he and Mouser each found a nice home. There was a -little white and tan dog whose name was Peaches――which is a funny name -for a dog, isn’t it?――and he lived in a cage next to Prince for awhile. -He was sold while I was there and taken away by a big man with a gruff -voice to hunt rats in a stable. Peaches was not a very gentlemanly dog, -but he was full of fun and we all liked him a lot. One of the funny -things he did was to stand on his front legs, with his hind legs in the -air, and walk around the cage. And while he did it he would say: - - “Mary had a little dog, - He was a noble pup; - He’d stand upon his front legs - When you held his hind legs up!” - -The parrots were noisy things. I don’t see why any one should want a -parrot around, do you? There was one that used to look at me by the -hour with his head on one side until I got quite nervous. When I barked -at him he would laugh and say “Here, Fido! Here, Fido! Good dog! Good -dog! Who killed the chicken?” I wished very much that I could have got -hold of that parrot and pulled some of his tail-feathers out! - -Well, I stayed in that store a long time, and I got so I didn’t mind -the noise much. We had plenty to eat and drink and once a day we were -taken into a tiny yard at the back to run around. Of course I wasn’t -happy, and I used to long for my home and Mother and Father and the -Baby and William and Freya and, most of all, I think, for Alfred. When -I got to thinking about them I felt very sad and would often cry myself -to sleep, just as I used to do behind the flower-pots. I tell you I -missed those flower-pots a great deal those days! I had quite given up -the hope of ever getting back to my home, or even getting away from -the animal store, when one day a wonderful thing happened, a thing so -wonderful that it deserves a chapter all to itself! - - - - -CHAPTER X - -BACK HOME AGAIN - - -I was having a little nap at the back of my cage when I heard a lady’s -voice say: “No, thank you, we are just looking about. My little boy -wants to see the dogs.” - -I pricked up my ears, for I seemed to know that voice, but I couldn’t -think whose it was. The lady was out of sight and I waited eagerly -for her to reach my cage. And while she was still at the front of the -store I heard another voice say, “Mother, do you suppose they have any -dachshunds?” and my heart just jumped right up into my throat. For the -voice was Alfred’s! I leaped against the bars and barked and barked, I -can tell you! And Alfred and his mother heard me and came to see what -all the noise meant. And when Alfred saw me he cried: - -“Oh, Mother, here’s a dear little dachshund! Oh, please may I have him?” - -“Why, I don’t know, dear,” said his mother. “He _is_ a nice looking -dog, isn’t he? Are you sure you want him?” - -“Oh, yes, yes!” said Alfred. “Really, I do, Mother! He looks so much -like Fritzie, doesn’t he? Don’t you think he does?” - -Alfred put his hand into the cage to pat my head and I licked it and -tried to reach his face with my tongue and whined and whined. And -Alfred’s eyes got rounder and rounder, and suddenly he cried very -loudly: - -“Oh, Mother, it _is_ Fritzie! It is! It is! He knows me, Mother!” - -And――oh, well, I don’t remember much about what happened after that -for a while! I know the man came and let me out of the cage and I -jumped and barked and whined and went on terribly silly, I guess. But -you didn’t mind, did you? And then, almost before I knew it, I was -snuggled up in――in Alfred’s arms in a carriage and we were rattling -over the cobblestones at a great rate. And Alfred was crying and -hugging me and his mother was smiling and crying a little too. I -wasn’t, though; not then; I was far too happy to cry! - -And then――but you know the rest of my story as well as I do. How the -Master came up to the City and took me home again and how glad I was -to see Mother and Father and Freya and every one else. And how William -blew his nose over and over again and seemed to have a very bad cold in -his head, and how the Baby said “Booful dogums!” and hugged me until I -had almost no breath left! But there was one thing I don’t think you -ever knew about fully, and that was how the brindle bulldog came to be -there. - -I had been home nearly an hour and was lying in the doorway talking to -Mother and Father and Freya, telling them all about what had happened -to me while I was away, when a brindled bulldog came trotting up the -road. He was a very ugly looking dog and when I saw him I growled. But -the others paid no attention to him. As he came nearer he reminded me -of some dog I had seen somewhere and so I asked who he was. - -“Oh,” said Mother, “that’s just Jim. He came here a month ago and -wouldn’t let William drive him away. So he lives here now. He’s a -very nice dog. Rather coarse in his ways and not much to look at, but -good-hearted and kind and a fine fellow to keep watch.” - -Then I remembered him. He was the dog who had belonged to the man who -had stolen me. Of course I ran right out and said “Bow!” to him and we -were very glad to see each other. He told me that after his master had -gone away to take me to the City he got to thinking about my home -and how fine it would be to live in such a place and have regular meals -and be spoken to kindly now and then and he had made up his mind to run -away and go there. You see, he thought that as the Family had lost me -maybe they’d like a dog to take my place. That was quite clever of Jim, -don’t you think? And so he left his home before his master came back -and trotted down the lane and into the big road and so up to the stable. - -At first Father tried to drive him away and there was quite a rumpus, -but Jim wouldn’t go. Then William tried to drive him away and got after -him with the carriage whip. (Of course William didn’t hurt him any, -because he never would hurt a dog more than was good for him.) And -still Jim wouldn’t go. So William felt sorry for him then and gave him -some food and Jim slept outside the stable that night. When William -found him there the next day he tried to drive him away again. But -Jim came right back and so William fixed him up a box in the yard and -ever since Jim had been one of the family. He told me that he was very -happy and that he had never had so much to eat in all his life! The -Master took a great fancy to Jim and Jim to the Master and they were -fine friends. Of course the Family didn’t know that his name was Jim, -because he never told them, and so they called him Tramp. - -It was awfully nice to be back home once more, I can tell you, and -Mother and Father and Freya were so glad to see me that they just -couldn’t do enough for me. Freya hung around so close that she got to -be rather a bother! She never got tired of hearing about the wonderful -things that had happened to me, and about Mouser and Prince and, -especially, about Peaches, the dog who stood on his front legs. Even -Ju-Ju seemed glad to have me back. I may be wrong about that, though. -Cats are queer animals and you can’t tell much about what they’re -thinking. - -But glad as I was to be back home I was a little sad all the time. I -missed Alfred a lot. And when, a few weeks later, the Family got ready -to go to the City for a visit and I learned that I was to go with them -I was awfully pleased because I thought that I should see Alfred again. -And I did, didn’t I? Do you remember when the Baby brought me in here -that morning and said: - -“Afed, here is Kismus present for oo, Mild’ed’s booful dogum!” - -You were almost as glad as I was, weren’t you? - -Well, there, that’s all my story. Next month we’re going back to see -them all, aren’t we? I shall like that. I suppose Freya is fatter than -ever now. She doesn’t hunt enough. I shall tell Mother so, too. - -Heigho! I think I’m getting sleepy. I have talked a great deal for a -dog, and this pillow is very comfy. If you will lean over I’d like to -lick your face. Then I shall take a nap. But don’t forget to call me -when you are ready to go to walk. There’s a squirrel in the Park――he -lives in the fourth tree after you go through the big gate――and he made -a face at me yesterday ... or was it the day before? Anyway, ... he -ought ... to be taught ... manners.... - -[Illustration: He lives in the fourth tree....] - - -THE END OF THE TAIL - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes: - - ――Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_). - - ――Except for the frontispiece, illustrations have been moved to - follow the text that they illustrate. - - ――Printer’s, punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were silently - corrected. - - ――Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved. - - ――Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY MY DOGGIE TOLD TO ME *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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