"It seems his dog was so intelligent that he could do almost every thing but talk. Among other things, he was in the constant habit of attending church with his master. The old gentleman wore a wig, and having purchased a new one, donned it for the first time on Sunday morning, leaving the old one hanging on a chair in his bed room.
"It happened that Bose had been taking a nap that morning in the garden, and did not awake in time to accompany his master to church. He entered the house, and perceived at once that he was late; but on seeing the wig, he imagined it had been forgotten, and catching it in his teeth, before he could be stopped, disappeared with it into the street.
"The old gentleman"s feelings may be imagined, when, in the commencement of the sermon, he saw Bose quietly trotting along the aisle, in full view of all the congregation, with the wig in his mouth, not stopping till he reached the familiar pew."
"I fancy the good man wished his dog had remained at home," said Mrs.
Lee, laughing heartily; while Minnie, who did not seem exactly to understand, exclaimed,--
"I thought, mamma, that wigs were fastened on like hair. I"m sure aunt Mary never takes hers off."
Mr. Lee suddenly started up. "This is not doing my business," he exclaimed. "If I don"t look out sharp, I shall miss an appointment.
Run, Minnie, to the barn, and tell John to put the black mare into the buggy as quickly as possible."
Before he had put on his boots, she came back, out of breath, calling out,--
"John has harnessed, father; so you can go at once."
Soon after he had gone, Mrs. Lee went up stairs to make farther preparations for their journey. She had already directed Anne, a woman who had long been in the family, to put Minnie"s dresses into a trunk.
What was her surprise, when she entered the room, to see Tiney sitting on them, the trunk being left open!
Poor creature! He had taken this method to ascertain the moment of their leaving, probably that he might follow them, as he was sure they would not go without Minnie"s clothes.
CHAPTER III.
LEO AND THE MONKEY.
Leo had two very strong friends at the stable, with whom he pa.s.sed much of his time. These were some large pigs, occupying a nice, warm pen on the south side of the barn.
When Leo left his own house to make them a visit, they received him with a grunt of welcome. One cold night, the hostler went, at a late hour, into the stable with his lantern, to see that all the animals were comfortably bedded. As he approached the pig-pen, he was surprised to hear a loud snoring, unlike the noise pigs make in their sleep. He entered cautiously, fearing a straggler had sought shelter there. This fear was quickly changed to mirth, however, as he saw Leo lying on his back between the two pigs, his feet extending some distance below them, while they were pressed closely up to his body, to impart to him as much as possible of their warmth.
A few weeks after this, one of the pigs was carried away by the butcher to be killed. Leo mourned for his friend, and paid redoubled attention to the one who was left, as if to make up to him for the loss of his companion.
I don"t know that I have described Leo.
He was a large, s.h.a.ggy dog, of the Newfoundland breed, black as jet, with a white tip to his bushy tail, and three white feet.
Leo"s eyes were very bright, and his whole countenance remarkably intelligent. He was a most useful animal about the stable, always giving notice by a loud, fierce bark, when a stranger, and particularly an ill-dressed one, tried to enter. He was good-natured, too, and was never but once known to bite or seriously injure any person.
One day, the hostler, having gone into the city, left Leo in charge of the stable, as usual. About noon, a man entered and began to walk around.
After a few loud, prolonged barks, which brought no one to his aid, Leo concluded he must take care of the man himself. Every step that the stranger went he followed him, not molesting him in any way until the man took down a handsome fur robe from the shelf, and secreted it in the hay, near the window. He then proceeded to leave, when Leo caught him and held him fast.
Nearly an hour later, when the hostler returned, they were still in this position, the robber frightened almost out of his wits, and not daring to move lest the dog should kill him.
Being closely questioned by the hostler, he acknowledged his theft, and said that he had intended to come in the night and take away the robe, which he knew was valuable, by removing the window.
While he was talking, Leo watched him narrowly, and then followed him from the barn, growling continually.
Leo was very fond of his young mistress, whom in her babyhood, he had many times carried on his back around the gravelled walks near the house.
Minnie was fond of him too, and sometimes put her arms around his neck and kissed him.
When he saw her coming, he always ran to meet her, wagging his tail with pleasure.
But there was one member of the family Leo did not like at all, and no inducements which his master could urge would bring him on even decently friendly terms with him.
This was Jacko, the monkey, who by his grinning and chattering, and uncouth gestures, so disgusted the great dog, that he kept as far from his cage as possible.
One morning, about three months after Minnie"s cousin Ida had come to reside with them, the little girl was taken suddenly ill. When she was partially recovered, it was curious to see her sitting bolstered up in bed, with so many pets around her.
First, there was Poll, hopping up and down from her perch to the floor of the cage, chattering continually between her fits of coughing, "I"m sick! I"m sick! O, what a cold!" and then, changing her tone, "better now! better to-day!"
On the bed were Fidelle and Tiney, the latter nestled closely under his little mistress"s arm.
By the side of the couch, with his fore paws resting on the white counterpane, stood Leo, grave and dignified, seeming to realize more than any of them what a sad thing it was for Minnie to be lying there, instead of running over the grounds as usual.
Just at this moment, Anne came into the room bringing Jacko, who began to grin and chatter with delight.
Mrs. Lee directed the woman to fasten the monkey"s chain tightly to the post of the bedstead, and let him have his liberty; but she soon regretted having done so, for Leo, who had bristled up the moment Jacko came in, with a deep growl sprang upon him, and would have torn him in pieces, had not the united force of several persons present caught the little fellow away, and shut him in a closet.
The excitement proved too much for Minnie, and she began to sob hysterically.
Leo came to lick her hand, apparently aware that he had done wrong, but she cried out,--
"Go away, you naughty dog. I don"t love you at all now."
Leo was presently sent from the room. Jacko, after overturning every thing in the closet, was returned to his cage, and then, in order to soothe the little girl, Mrs. Lee proposed that Ida should bring the book, and read some anecdotes about dogs.
The first one she read was this:--
"Rev. James Simpson, of Edinburgh, had a large Newfoundland dog. At one time he resided at Libberton, about two miles out of the city, in a pleasant house surrounded with a garden.
"One sacrament Sunday, the servant, who was left at home in charge of the house, thought it a good opportunity to entertain her friends, as her master and mistress were not likely to return home till after the evening service, about nine o"clock.
"The company a.s.sembled, and wandered together over the house and grounds, the dog accompanying them wherever they went in the most attentive manner, and seeming greatly pleased.
"As the time approached for Mr. and Mrs. Simpson to return, the party prepared to separate, and at last proceeded to do so; but the dog, the instant they went to the door, interposed.
"Planting himself firmly before the entrance, he would not allow one of them to touch the handle. While they were quiet, he offered no force; but the moment they attempted to move, he became furious; and with deep, angry growls and a menacing manner, drove them back into the kitchen, where he kept them till the arrival of his master and mistress.
"The surprise of the good clergyman and his wife may be imagined, when, on entering the house, they found a party a.s.sembled there at so late an hour, and the dog standing sentinel over them.
"Being thus detected, the guilty servant acknowledged her crime, when her friends were allowed to depart, after being admonished by the worthy divine in regard to the proper use of the Sabbath.