|Rover was a large black Newfoundland dog. He weighed one hundred and
sixty pounds. But he knew more than he weighed.
[Illustration: 0099]
When he wanted to come into the house he would ring the front door bell
The knob pulled down, so that he could press on it with his paw. How
many times black Sally brushed her hair in a hurry and ran to the door!
There she would find Rover, who said "Bow-wow" very politely. It is a
pity, but Sally was not always as polite as Rover. Sometimes she said
cross words to him.
One day Thomas, the gardener, shot a woodchuck on the hill back of the
house. He brought it down to the garden, where the four children were
playing with Rover. The little ones flocked about him, greatly pleased
to see the strange animal. Then Master Minot spoke up, and said he
thought there ought to be a grave for the woodchuck. He would be
captain, he said, and they would all march to the grave and bury the
animal.
* A small burrowing animal, a pest to farmers in America.
And so they did. Thomas dug the grave near where the beans grew. The
woodchuck was put in an old raisin-box. Minot was captain, but then he
drew the woodchuck in his little cart. He also played a tune on his tin
whistle. Thomas went first, and then the children. Rover marched behind.
The raisin-box was put in the hole near the beans and covered up. An old
shoe was set up as a tombstone. Then the children all scampered back to
where they had been playing "I spy."
[Illustration: 0100]
But Rover sat by the grave a long time. After dinner he went there
again. Two or three times in the afternoon Thomas found him there. At
supper time he was nowhere to be seen. "Dear old Rover," Captain Minot
said, "has he run away?"
To bed they all went, but there was 110 Rover to watch over them. The
first thing in the morning the children heard him barking in the with
a dear little pussy cat which he had killed. He had brought it to the
place where the woodchuck lay the day before. Captain Minot scolded
Rover, you may be sure, the cruel dog that he was! And then they buried
poor kitty. But that night Rover was gone again, and in the morning he
brought another dead pussy. And so he did for three or four nights. Then
he stopped, for there were no more cats near by.
You see, poor Rover loved to march after Captain Minot. He knew no
better way to make Captain Minot march than to bring home something to
bury. This was very bright of Rover; but it was cruel, and a very bad
example for other dogs.
--C. BELL.
[Illustration: 0101]