All that season we lived in a rented cottage, but before the next summer
came we were planting roses in our own grounds. We had been renting just
about a year, when we bought our little home in one of the suburbs; so
we could fully appreciate the joys of being on our own place again.
We found a kitten, the "very moral" of Rebecca, striped black and
blue-gray. She was a dear little thing, and she and Bruno soon became
fast friends.
The only creature we ever knew him to bite--except, indeed, wild
animals, which he considered fair game--was in defending Catsie.
His victim was a handsome coach-dog, following some friends who one day
drove out to call on us. He was a thoroughbred dog, but he had not
Bruno's gentlemanly instincts. The first thing he did was to go trotting
around to the back porch, where he spied Catsie enjoying a fine meaty
bone. He sneaked up behind her, and snatching it in his teeth, made off
with it.
Bruno could not stand that. It seemed to make a perfect fury of him. I
think he felt that the fault was worse, because the coach-dog was so
sleek and plump; there was not even the excuse of hunger.
Poor fellow! Bruno sent him howling and limping from the yard.
The call came to an untimely end, our visitors declaring,--
"That great savage brute of yours has almost killed our beautiful dog!"
I am afraid we did not feel very contrite. We never took our "great
savage brute" anywhere to visit, except when he was especially invited;
and besides, we had our own opinion, which was similar to Bruno's, of
big dogs that robbed little cats.
It took a great deal to rouse Bruno, so much that we sometimes mistook
his amiability for lack of courage.
We had often watched him chasing the animals that lax town laws had
allowed to roam the streets of the only two villages we had ever known.
He would go dashing after a pig or a cow. If the creature ran, he would
chase it until he was exhausted; but if it stood its ground and calmly
returned his excited gaze, he would stop, look at it for a minute, then
turn and come trotting back, with an air that said plainly,--
"I was only in fun; I wanted to see what it would do."
There was a big watch-dog which lived in an enclosure we had to pass on
our way to town. When we took Bruno that way for a stroll, as soon as he
reached this lot, he and the other dog would greet each other through
the picket-fence with the most blood-curdling growls and snarls. They
seemed fairly to thirst for each other's life-blood. Then, each on his
own side of the fence, they would go racing along, keeping up their
growls and snarls, till they reached a place where there were half a
dozen pickets broken out, so that either could have leaped through with
ease.
Then what a change!
Their ears would droop, and their coats and tempers smooth down to the
most insipid amiability. But at their next meeting they were quite as
savage, till they again reached the opening in the fence. It was the
same program, over and over.
Bruno liked to play at anger just for a little excitement, but when he
found anything really worth a spell of the furies, it was quite another
story.
The butcher-boy, who came every other day, took Bruno's tragic
demonstrations for the real thing, and was terribly afraid of him. He
used to shout to me, "Come out and hold the dog!" until he could run to
the kitchen and get safely back outside the gate.
It was all in vain for me to assure him there was no danger. He thought
I did not know what I was talking about. His terror was so real, I
pitied the child--he was not more than twelve or fourteen--so I used to
shut Bruno up in the front hall on butcher-boy days until after he had
made his call.
Our colored woman used to spend her nights in the bosom of her family,
coming back every morning in time to get breakfast. One morning she
failed to appear. It was butcher-boy morning, and the weather was quite
chilly. When I called Bruno in to shut him up, I noticed that the house
next to ours was closed. Our neighbors were off for the day. There were
two vacant lots opposite our place, and on the other side, a church. So
when our neighbors went off for a day's jaunt, as they frequently did,
we were quite isolated.
After I had shut Bruno in the hall, I sat down by the kitchen fire to
toast my toes and wait for the butcher-boy. I was impatient for him to
come, so I could release Bruno, who did not like being shut up. He was
perfectly willing to lie in the hall,--in fact, it was a favorite
dozing-place with him,--but, like some people, he did not enjoy the idea
of being forced to do even what he liked best. I was glad when I heard a
step on the back porch, and sprang eagerly to open the door. There stood
the dirtiest, most evil-looking tramp I had ever seen. He was so taken
aback at the way the door flew open, that I had slammed it and shot the
bolt before he recovered. I hurried in for Bruno, who had heard the
strange step and was eager to investigate. As soon as I returned and
unfastened the bolt, the tramp threw his weight against the door to
force it open. Bruno sprang to the opening with a whole volley of barks
and growls. I caught his collar, saying to the tramp,--
"You'd better run; I can't hold him long!"
I never saw a man make better time. I gave him a minute's start, then
loosed Bruno. He reached the fence just as the tramp had fallen over it
without stopping to open the gate. When I saw all was safe, I felt so
limp I fell back in a chair weak and nerveless. Bruno watched the tramp
around the corner, then returned to look after me. He was much exercised
to find me in such a state, and relieved his feelings by alternately
trying to lick my face, and dashing out to bark again after the vanished
tramp.
After that, Bruno seemed to feel more than ever responsible for me. He
had all along been my especial protector, but seeing me overcome with
fright seemed to make a deep impression on him.