BRUNO
[Illustration: The Old City Gates, St. Augustine.--_Frontispiece._]
BRUNO
BY
BYRD SPILMAN DEWEY
New Edition
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY
CALVERT SMITH
BOSTON
LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY
1908
_Copyright, 1899, 1908,_
BY BYRD SPILMAN DEWEY,
_All rights reserved._
Printers
S. J. PARKHILL & CO., BOSTON, U. S. A.
THIS LITTLE SKETCH
Is dedicated
TO ALL WHO HAVE EVER LOVED ONE OF THOSE FAITHFUL
CREATURES OF WHOM WE, IN OUR IGNORANCE
AND VANITY, ARE WONT TO SPEAK AS
"THE LOWER ANIMALS."
B. S. D.
ILLUSTRATIONS.
THE OLD CITY GATES, ST. AUGUSTINE _Frontispiece._
"I FELL ON MY KNEES TO HUG HIM" Page 25
"HE WAS HISSING AT BRUNO" " 62
CHASING CRABS AND SEA-BIRDS " 111
BRUNO
CHAPTER I
We do not count the first half-year of our married life, because, during
that time we did not live, we boarded.
Then we found we had developed a strong appetite for housekeeping, so we
began to look about us for a house.
In the small northern village where we must live, it was not possible to
rent anything that suited us; so we decided to take what we could get
until we could manage to build what we wanted.
The house we took was one which had originally been built out in the
country, but the town had crept around it until it now seemed to be
almost in the heart of the village.
While we were furnishing and embellishing this our first home, was, I
think, the most entirely happy time of our lives.
Julius often said, "I know now why the birds always sing so joyously
when they are building their nests."
We were just beginning to feel settled, when a letter came to Julius
from his only sister, who lived in a city. It was not unusual for him to
have letters from her, but this particular letter stands by itself.
It had a postscript!
The postscript said: "Would you like a nice dog? The children have had a
valuable puppy, seven months old, given to them, and we cannot keep him
here, in a flat. He is half setter and half water-spaniel; pure on both
sides. We call him 'Bruno.'"
How our dignity increased at the idea of owning live-stock! So far we
had only achieved a cat, who had by this time achieved kittens. But a
dog! That was something like! It did not take us long to decide and send
off an enthusiastic acceptance. Then another letter came, saying that
Bruno had started on the journey us-ward.
The next afternoon a colored car-porter walked into Julius's place of
business escorting a shaggy brown dog by a chain fastened to his collar.
We have never known just what transpired during that eighteen hours'
journey; but something notable there certainly was, for Bruno could
never endure the sight or presence of a negro from that time as long as
he lived. He seemed utterly humiliated and dejected when he was led in.
Julius looked up from his day-book, and exclaimed,--
"Is that you, Bruno? How are you, old fellow?" At the sound of his name,
Bruno raised his ears, wrinkled his forehead, and cocked his head on one
side inquiringly. Julius stroked and patted him, and Bruno was won.
I was sitting at home busily sewing, when I was startled by a great
clatter out on the sidewalk. I looked, and there came Julius
leading--puppy, indeed! A dog nearly as big as a calf! I had expected a
baby-dog in a basket!
He was a beauty,--his hair just the color that is called auburn or red,
when humans have it. He sniffed me over approvingly, and let me hug his
beautiful head.
We took off the chain, and watched him roll and bathe himself in the
high grass of the back yard. He had probably never seen such grass
before, and he could not express his delight with it.
There was a three-cornered discussion at bedtime about where our new pet
was to sleep. Julius and I did the talking, while Bruno sat upright--I
called it "standing up before, and sitting down behind," his ears cocked
up, looking from one to the other as we spoke, seeming to understand all
that was said. It was finally decided to make him a bed on the floor
beside ours, so that he would not be lonesome.
Several times in the night we were startled by his cries. He moaned and
whined in his sleep,--evidently having bad dreams. Julius would call to
him until he was broad awake, then reach down and pat him till his tail
began to thump the floor, and he would rise and wind himself up by going
round and round on his bed, then drop, to go off again into an uneasy
snooze. We did not sleep much. Towards morning we were awakened from a
first sound nap, finding ourselves violently crowded and pushed. Julius
sprang out of bed and lighted a candle. There was Bruno monopolizing
half of our bed.
It was daylight before we could convince him that his bed was on the
floor and that he was expected to occupy it.
The next afternoon, I ventured to take Bruno for a walk. I had tied a
broad light-blue ribbon in a big bow round his neck, which contrasted
beautifully with his auburn curls. I felt very proud of his appearance,
and he also eyed me with a look of satisfaction. Alas! "Pride goeth
before a fall, and a haughty spirit before destruction."
As we crossed a street that ran at right angles with the one we were
gracing, Bruno, looking down its vista, caught sight of what was
probably the first flock of hens he had ever seen.
All the setter in him sprang to the fore, and in a flash he was off
after them. Without a thought, I followed. Up and down the street we
sped,--he after the one speckled hen he had singled out, and I after
him, shrieking to him, and making lunges at him with my parasol, as he
and the hen rushed by me.
Finally the distracted Biddy, squawking, cackling, and with outspread
wings, found the hole under the fence through which the others had
escaped and disappeared, leaving us to view the ruins, heated and
dishevelled, with smashed parasol, muddy feet, draggled ribbon, and
vanished dignity.
After some half-hysterical reproaches from me, which Bruno listened to
with drooping ears and tail, we turned, demoralized and dejected, to
wend our way homeward, I mentally congratulating myself that the streets
were deserted. I shuddered to think of the probable consequences if it
had happened after school hours when the small boy was abroad.
So far we had managed to prevent a meeting between Bruno and Rebecca.
Bruno was to us such an uncertain quantity that we feared the result of
their first glimpse of each other. So the box containing Rebecca's
kittens had been kept out in the stable, and her food carried out to her
to prevent the dreaded meeting. I wearied of the daily forced marches
stable-ward, though, and longed to have them within reach. So, one
evening after Julius came home from the office, we, in fear and
trembling, brought in the box, and mounted guard to watch developments.
Bruno looked curious, sniffed, and then drew nearer. I sat down on the
floor to be ready to defend them, while Julius stood behind Bruno.
As soon as he spied the kits, his ears rose and he was all alert. Then
gradually he seemed to realize, from our way of proceeding, that they
were not fair game. His ears drooped forward, his tail began to wag,
and I drew back from the protecting attitude I had instinctively
assumed. His tail continued to wag, his ears drooped lower and lower,
until presently he was licking the little kits and rooting them over
with his nose regardless of their ineffectual clawing and spitting.
At this stage of the game, who should arrive on the scene but Rebecca!
She came dashing in, having returned from a hunting excursion to find
her nest of babies gone; coming, as she always did when anything went
wrong, for our help and comfort. As soon as she saw Bruno, her back went
up as if a spring had been touched; she stood at bay, growling and
spitting.
He started towards her, but Julius grasped his collar. Then Rebecca
caught sight of her kits. She darted to them, sprang into the box, and
covered them with her body.
Julius loosened his hold of Bruno, who advanced eagerly.
Rebecca received him with a flash of her paw which left a long deep
scratch on his nose. He retreated whining and growling. Julius comforted
him, while I took Rebecca in hand. For some time we reasoned and
experimented with them, until finally we had the satisfaction of seeing
Rebecca let down her bristles and begin to purr while Julius smoothed
her head and back with Bruno's paw.
After that they kept the peace fairly well, though Rebecca always boxed
his ears when she came in and found him licking and nosing her kittens.
We tried to keep him away from them, but he did love them so. He would
watch Rebecca out of one eye as he lay dozing, and as soon as she
started on a hunt, he would go tiptoeing to the kitten-box for a frolic.
Soon they grew quite fond of playing with his big curly ears, and forgot
to spit and scratch.