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diff --git a/41444-0.txt b/41444-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..00fbd5f --- /dev/null +++ b/41444-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,8018 @@ +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 41444 *** + +Transcriber's note: + Minor spelling inconsistencies, mainly hyphenated words, have been + harmonized. Italic text has been marked with _underscores_. Bold + text has been marked with =equal signs=. The original capitalization + of words has been retained. + + + + +[Illustration: Romulus and Remus] + + + + + THE DOGS OF BOYTOWN + + BY + + WALTER A. DYER + + Author of "Pierrot, Dog of Belgium," "Gulliver the Great, + and Other Dog Stories," "The Five Babbitts at + Bonnyacres," etc. + + [Illustration: Printer's logo] + + NEW YORK + + HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY + + 1918 + + + + + COPYRIGHT, 1918. + + BY + + HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY + + THE QUINN & BODEN CO. PRESS + RAHWAY, N. J. + + + + +CONTENTS + + + CHAPTER PAGE + + I SAM BUMPUS AND HIS NAN 1 + + II SAM'S SHACK 16 + + III ROMULUS AND REMUS 33 + + IV IN ROME 47 + + V THE WILLOWDALE KENNELS 61 + + VI ANXIOUS DAYS 81 + + VII SOME OTHER DOGS, INCLUDING RAGS 96 + + VIII DOG DAYS 120 + + IX THE TRAINING OF ROMULUS 135 + + X WILLOWDALE DOGS IN NEW YORK 152 + + XI THE BOYTOWN DOG SHOW 166 + + XII CAMP BRITCHES 183 + + XIII THE PASSING OF RAGS 199 + + XIV THE COMING OF TATTERS 215 + + XV ROMULUS AT THE TRIALS 230 + + XVI THE MASSATUCKET SHOW 245 + + XVII THE TEST OF REMUS 265 + + XVIII ON HULSE'S POND 280 + + XIX EVERY DOG HIS DAY 293 + + + + +ILLUSTRATIONS + + + PAGE + + ROMULUS AND REMUS _Frontispiece_ + + ENGLISH SETTER 7 + + CHOW CHOW 30 + + ENGLISH BULLDOG 56 + + WHITE ENGLISH BULL TERRIER 64 + + AIREDALE TERRIER 70 + + POMERANIAN 79 + + PEKINGESE 84 + + GREAT DANE 98 + + TOY POODLE 117 + + IRISH TERRIER 147 + + BOSTON TERRIER 179 + + COLLIE 202 + + BEAGLES 250 + + OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOG 271 + + + + +THE DOGS OF BOYTOWN + + + + +CHAPTER I + +SAM BUMPUS AND HIS NAN + + +There are misguided people in this world who profess to believe that +only grown-ups can fully appreciate the beauties of nature. Oh, the +grown-ups talk more about that sort of thing, to be sure, and know how +to say poetic things about winter fields and sunsets that are usually +locked in a boy's heart. But for the fullest appreciation of blue +skies and autumn woods and sandy shores, and the most genuine +enjoyment of broken sunshine on the forest floor, the smell of falling +oak leaves, and the song of the wind in the pines or rustling across +broad, rolling fields, give me a boy every time. I know, for I have +been one. + +That is why I am going to begin this story about boys and dogs by +telling of a certain crisp October morning--a Saturday morning when +boyhood enjoys its weekly liberty. There had been frost the night +before and the air was still cool and very clear. It was like drinking +cold water to take long breaths of it. The golden sun was rising +high above the rounded hills to the east and the sunlight turned to +glistening silver the shreds of smoke that drifted lazily up from the +chimneys of Boytown in the little valley a mile or so away. + +I must digress for a moment to speak of Boytown. You will not find it +on the map, for that is not its real name. It is not always wise to +call people and places by their real names in a book, and so I have +given this name to the Connecticut town where lived all the boys and +the dogs that I am going to tell about. It was a nice old town, just +about the right size, with a broad main street where the stores and +business buildings were, and in the upper end of which a narrow green +ran down the middle with a row of big elm trees in it. Most of the +people lived on the side streets, some of which ran for quite a +distance up Powder Mill Hill to the west. But most of the pleasant +places in this part of the world lay to the east. The railroad ran +along that side of the town, and beyond it were the brickyards and +Hulse's Pond. If you were in search of adventure, you skirted this +pond, went up over a long, grassy hill, and at length entered the +woods which stretched all the way to Oakdale, broken now and then by +farms and open stretches of hilly meadow or pasture land. + +Here in the woods there was much to be seen on this fine October +day. There were squirrels everywhere, busy with the harvesting of +their winter's supply of nuts, and if you were lucky you might catch a +glimpse of a cottontail rabbit disappearing into a thicket, or a +grouse shooting off among the trees with a great whirring of wings. +The autumn foliage was at its finest, the deep green of pine and +hemlock mingling with the crimson of the oaks, the flaming scarlet of +the maples, and the translucent gold of the silvery-stemmed birches. +Above the trees the sky was that soft blue color that you like to lie +on your back and look at, with here and there fleecy little clouds +constantly changing into all sorts of odd and whimsical shapes. From +the branches of a tall pine a flock of sooty crows, alarmed by the +sound of human voices, arose all together and floated off over a +little clearing in company formation, cawing loudly. + +If you had been one of those crows, you would have looked down at the +figures of two boys emerging from the woods. One was a slender lad of +about twelve, quite tall for his age, with straight black hair and +bright black eyes. The other, who was perhaps three years younger, was +so plump as almost to deserve the nickname of "Fatty." He had lighter +hair and eyes and there were freckles across the bridge of his not +very prominent nose. Both boys were dressed in their old clothes and +carried white cloth flour bags which already contained a few quarts +of chestnuts. They stood gazing with practised eyes at the tree-tops +around the little clearing. + +"There ought to be some here, Jack," said the older boy. "The biggest +trees always grow near the edges." + +"They're the easiest to get at, too," responded Jack. + +They walked together around the margin of the clearing and at length +located a tree to their liking. With much boosting on the part of +Jack, the older boy at last gained the lower branches and was soon +making the brown nuts rattle down upon the leafy ground. + +After they had stripped three or four trees of their treasure, Jack +threw himself upon his back and began squinting up at a hawk sweeping +high up in the blue sky. + +"I'm tired, Ernest," he said. "Let's go over to the Cave." + +"Oh, it's early yet," replied Ernest, "and we haven't got half a +sackful." + +"We have twelve quarts at home," said Jack. "We don't need any more. +Besides, we haven't been to the Cave for two weeks. It rained so hard +last Saturday that it may need cleaning out." + +"All right," said Ernest. "Come along." + +Jack scrambled to his feet and together they set off into the woods +again. A walk of half a mile or so brought them to a brook which they +followed upstream until they came to a leaky dam of stones and logs +which they had built the previous spring and which held back enough +water to make a small pond above. This they called their Beaver Dam +and Beaver Pond, and in the sandy bank at one side was Trapper's Cave. + +Beaver Pond lay just within the edge of the wood, and from the Cave +one's eyes commanded a view of an old, disused pasture, now grown up +to sumacs and blueberry bushes, which stretched up and over a long +hill that seemed to bear the rim of the blue sky on its shoulder. One +could sit unobserved in the mouth of the Cave, quite hidden by the +saplings and undergrowth of the wood's edge, and watch all that went +on outside, with the depths of the dark, mysterious, whispering forest +at one's back. + +The Cave itself would hardly have housed a family of real +Cave-Dwellers. It was neither very large nor very skilfully built, but +it amply served the purpose for which it was intended. It was dug out +of the soft sand of the bank. Two boards in the ceiling supported by +two birch props did not entirely prevent the sand from falling in, and +every visit to the Cave was attended by housecleaning. Nevertheless, +it was a delectable rendezvous for adventurers. + +At one side was a low bench built of fence boards and at the other a +soap box with a hinged cover, hasp, and padlock, which served as a +treasure chest and which contained, among other things, a hatchet, an +old and not very sharp hunting knife, a dozen potatoes, and a supply +of salt and pepper. At first the boys had attempted to build a +fireplace at the back of the Cave, with a hole cut through the roof to +the surface of the ground above to serve as a chimney, but it proved +unsuccessful, and a circular pile of stones in front, with a rusty +kettle supported on two forked sticks, now served as campfire and cook +stove. + +The boys filled the kettle at the little pond, not because they wished +to boil anything, but because it made a fire seem more worth while. +Then they kindled a blaze beneath it, and when there were enough red +coals, they thrust four of the potatoes among them. + +"Now for a good feed," said Ernest. + +At length, when the potatoes were burned black on the outside, they +pronounced them done and drew them out of the coals. They broke them +open gingerly, for they were very hot, and disclosed the mealy +insides, not at all troubled by the fact that the edible portion was +liberally sprinkled with black specks from the charred skins. Adding +salt and pepper, and using their jackknives as spoons, they proceeded +to eat with a relish which their mother would have found it +difficult to understand. + +As they were engaged in this pleasant occupation, Ernest suddenly rose +to his feet and peered out through the saplings. + +"What is it?" demanded Jack. + +[Illustration: English Setter] + +"Sh!" cautioned the older boy. "It's a man. He's coming down the hill. +He's got a gun and a dog with him." + +Jack arose and stood on tiptoe beside his brother. Together they +watched the approach of a strange figure--a tall, lanky, raw-boned +individual wearing a rusty old felt hat and with an old corduroy +hunting coat flapping about him. In his hand he carried a +double-barreled shotgun which appeared to be the best-kept thing about +him. Running ahead of him was a beautiful English setter, speckled +white with black markings. Her every motion was swift and graceful as +she ran sniffing from one clump of shrubbery to another. Sometimes the +man would give a peculiar little whistle, and then the dog would pause +and look up, and then dart off to right or to left in obedience to a +wave of the man's arm. + +Suddenly the dog stopped and stood rigid as a statue, her tail held +out straight behind, one foreleg raised, and her neck and nose +stretched toward a patch of sheep laurel. The man stealthily +approached while the dog stood perfectly motionless with quivering +nostrils. + +They were quite near the boys now. There was a sudden movement in the +sheep laurel, a whir of wings, and four or five birds rose swiftly +into the air and shot off toward the woods. + +"Bang!" went the man's gun, and both boys jumped so that they scarcely +noticed a bird fall. + +"Bang!" went the other barrel almost immediately, and another bird +fell fluttering to earth. Then the dog broke her point and brought the +birds back to her master in her sensitive mouth. + +To tell the truth, the boys were a little frightened at this +gun-fire so close at hand, especially Jack, and they watched anxiously +as the man reloaded his gun. But the birds had disappeared and the man +started off in the direction they had taken. He whistled to his dog, +but a new scent had attracted her attention, and she trotted down +toward the brook and began sniffing the air. + +"She smells our potatoes," said Ernest. + +Jack forgot his fears in this new interest. + +"Let's call her over," said he. + +"Come here, sir!" called Ernest, making a kissing noise with his lips. +"Come here!" + +The dog lightly leaped the brook and came slowly up the bank toward +the Cave, her tail waving in a friendly manner. Ernest scraped out a +bit of potato and held it out to her. She stood for a moment, +sniffing, as if in doubt. Then she came forward and daintily took the +proffered food. In a few minutes both boys were smoothing the silky +head, looking into the fine eyes, and talking to their visitor. + +"Tryin' to steal my dog?" + +They had not noticed the man's approach, he had stepped so softly, and +the gruff voice so close beside them startled them. + +"Oh, no," protested Ernest, hurriedly. "She--we----" + +The man's face was very solemn, but there was a humorous twinkle in +his eyes that somehow made the boys feel easier. The dog placed her +paw on Jack's arm as though begging for more petting. + +"Won't you sit down?" asked Ernest, in an effort to be polite. + +The man's face broke into many wrinkles and he laughed aloud. + +"Don't know but what I will," said he, "if you ain't afraid I'll hurt +your parlor chairs." + +It was now the boys' turn to laugh, and the ice was broken. The man +squatted down beside the fire as though glad of a chance to rest, and +the dog stretched herself out at his feet. + +"I'm glad you didn't mean to steal her," said the man, "because then I +wouldn't have no one to find birds for me. Then what would I do?" + +There seemed to be no answer to this, so Ernest asked him if he had +shot many. + +"Five this morning," said the man, and tumbled the pretty dead things +out of his pockets. + +"They're quail, aren't they?" asked Ernest, stroking one of them. + +"Yep," said he, "Bob-Whites. They're runnin' pretty good this year, +too." + +Something in the man's friendly manner inspired a sort of boldness in +young Jack. + +"Don't you hate to shoot them?" he asked. + +The man looked into Jack's frank brown eyes for a moment and then +moved a little closer. + +"Say," he said, "I'll tell you a secret. I s'pose I've shot more birds +and rabbits than any man in this county, if I do say it, and I never +bring down a partridge or kill a chicken that I don't feel sorry for +it. I ain't never got over it and I guess I never shall. But it's the +only thing old Sam Bumpus is good for, I reckon, and it has to be +done. Folks has to eat and I have to make a livin'. I don't do it for +fun, though I don't know any finer thing in this world than trampin' +off 'cross country with a gun and a good dog on a fine mornin'. It's +my business, you see." + +"Gee!" exclaimed Ernest. "I'd like that business better than +insurance, I guess. That's what my father is." + +"Who is your father?" inquired Sam Bumpus. "You see I'm very +partic'lar who I know." + +"He's Mr. Whipple. We're Ernest and Jack Whipple." + +"Oh, you live down on Washburn Street?" + +Ernest nodded. + +"Well, that's all right," said Sam. "I guess you'll pass." + +He seemed in no great hurry to be getting on. Taking an old black pipe +from his pocket he filled it from a greasy pouch and lighted it. He +took a few reflective puffs before he spoke again. + +"What do you know about dogs?" he asked, abruptly. + +"Why--not very much, I guess," confessed Ernest. + +"We like them, though," added Jack. + +"Well, that's half the game," said Sam. "There's two kinds of people +in this world, them that likes dogs and them that don't, and you can't +never make one kind understand how the other kind feels about it. It +just ain't possible. And if you don't like dogs you can't never know +dogs, and if you don't know dogs you're missin'--well, I can't tell +you how much." + +"I've known Nan here," he continued, stroking the setter's head, while +she looked up at him with adoration in her eyes, "I've known Nan for +goin' on seven years, and I learn somethin' new about her every day. I +raised her from a puppy, broke her to birds, and lived with her summer +and winter, and I tell you I never seen a man or a woman that knows +any more than what she does or one that I could trust so far. That's +the thing about a dog; you can trust 'em. There's bad dogs and good +dogs, and no two is just alike, but if you once get a good one, hang +onto him, for you'll never find another friend that'll stick to you +like him." + +The man seemed so much in earnest that the boys remained silent for a +time. Then Jack asked, "Can she do tricks?" + +"If you mean sit up and roll over and play dead, no," said Sam. "I +don't believe in spoilin' a good bird dog by teachin' 'em things that +don't do 'em no good. But what she don't know about huntin' ain't +worth knowin'. It positively ain't." + +For half an hour more Sam Bumpus told the boys of various incidents +that proved the sagacity of Nan and the other dogs he had owned. He +told how once, when a burning log rolled from his fireplace in the +night and set his little house on fire, a pointer named Roger had seen +the flames through the window, had broken his collar, plunged through +the mosquito netting across the window, and had wakened his master by +pulling off the bedclothes and barking. + +"If that dog hadn't known how to think and plan, I wouldn't be here +to-day talkin' to you boys." + +Suddenly he jumped to his feet. + +"That reminds me," said he. "I've been sittin' talkin' here too long. +I've got to be about my business and your folks'll wonder why you +don't come home to dinner. Come, Nan, old girl." + +The setter sprang up, yawned, and then stood ready for the next +command. Both boys patted her and then held out their hands to Sam. + +"I hope we'll see you again sometime," said Ernest. "We like to hear +you tell about your dogs." + +The man's tanned face seemed to soften a little as he shook hands with +the boys. + +"Well," said he, "I guess you can see me if you want to. My social +engagements ain't very pressin' just now. I ain't got one of my +business cards with me, but you can just call anywhere in these woods +and ask for Sam Bumpus. The dogs'll know me if the men don't. So long, +boys," and he strode off down the bank with Nan dashing joyously +ahead. + +"Good-by, Mr. Bumpus," called Ernest and Jack. + +He paused in the act of leaping the brook and looked around, with the +twinkle in his eyes. + +"Say," he called back, "if I ever hear you call me that again I'll set +the dog on you. My name's Sam, d'ye hear?" Then he slipped in among +the underbrush and was gone. + +Talking animatedly about their new acquaintance and about dogs, the +two boys hastened to lock up their treasure chest and depart. + +"Say, Ernest," said Jack, as they started off through the woods with +their bags of chestnuts over their shoulders, "the Cave is a great +place for adventures, isn't it?" + +That evening, as the family were gathered in the living-room on +Washburn Street, and Mrs. Whipple was trying to repair the damage +that chestnutting had wrought in a pair of Ernest's stockings, the +boys asked their father if he knew Sam Bumpus. + +"Bumpus?" he asked. "Oh, yes, he's that queer fellow that lives all +alone in a shack in the woods off on the Oakdale Road. An odd +character, I guess, from all I hear, but they say he's a wonderful +shot and people take their bird dogs to him to be broken. How did you +hear about him?" + +The boys told their story, and then Ernest asked wistfully, "Papa, +when can we have a dog?" + +"When your mother says you can," replied Mr. Whipple, with a smile. + +Sorrowfully the boys went off to bed, well knowing what that meant. +For Mrs. Whipple was one of the people that Sam Bumpus had spoken +of--the kind that don't like dogs. + + + + +CHAPTER II + +SAM'S SHACK + + +The next Saturday was gray and chilly, but the weather did not deter +Ernest and Jack Whipple from starting off early for the woods. They +carried their chestnut bags as a matter of course, but this time the +chestnut trees offered them very little enticement. The ones they knew +best had already been robbed of their nuts, and they soon wearied of a +somewhat profitless search. It was Jack who voiced what was in the +minds of both boys. + +"I wish we could run across Sam Bumpus again," he said. + +Sam had said they could find him in the woods, but the woods had never +seemed so extensive and it was like hunting for a needle in a +haystack. They arrived at Beaver Pond and the Trapper's Cave without +encountering any sign of the man and his dog. + +Chiefly as a matter of habit they built a small fire in front of the +Cave and sat down beside it on their log seat to consider the problem +of finding an elusive hunter in the wide woods. They did not even open +the treasure chest. + +"He said anybody could tell us where to find him," said Jack, "but +there's no one to ask. People don't live in the woods, do they?" + +Ernest sat pondering. "Well," said he at length, "there's that old +woman that gave us the doughnuts one day. Do you remember? She had a +lot of white hens that went right into her house, and a little dog +named Snider that was so old he could hardly breathe." + +"Oh, yes," responded Jack, brightening up. "Where does she live?" + +"I don't know exactly," said Ernest, mournfully, "but I think it was +over that way. We might find her if we hunted." + +The boys arose, put out their fire carefully, as all good woodsmen +should, and started off through the woods again. They must have +tramped for nearly an hour, but the very uncertainty of the outcome of +their quest gave it a touch of adventure and kept them going. At last, +after following various false clues, they came out unexpectedly and +abruptly into the clearing behind the old woman's house. The cackling +of fowls and the wheezy barking of little old Snider greeted them. As +they approached, the old lady herself appeared in the doorway of her +kitchen, clad in a faded blue dress and leaning on her stick. As soon +as she saw that it was boys her face broke into a smile. + +"Come right in," she said, "and I'll get you some cookies." + +The boys entered and sat in the kitchen chairs to eat their cookies. +They were anxious to be on their way in search of Sam Bumpus, but +politeness demanded that they linger a few minutes. Ernest inquired +after the health of old Snider. The widow shook her head sadly. + +"He's failin'," she replied. "I can see he's failin'. His teeth is all +gone so he can't eat much and he has the azmy pretty bad. It's what us +old folks has to expect, I s'pose, but I don't know what I'll do when +Snider goes. He's all I've got now." + +She wiped away a tear with the corner of her apron while the boys +fidgeted in their chairs. They felt sorry for her, but they didn't +know what to say on an occasion like this. Ernest reached down and +patted the little dog's head. + +"Poor old Snider," he murmured. Somehow that seemed to comfort the old +lady. + +At last Ernest found it possible to ask her if she knew Sam Bumpus. + +"Lor', yes," she responded. "Queer old codger, Sam is, but the +best-hearted man in the world. Many a good turn he's done me. He was +here only this mornin' with some bones to make into soup for Snider." + +"Where did he go?" inquired Ernest. + +"He didn't say where he was goin', but I reckon if you was to go over +to the Poor Farm you could find out. He was headed that way." + +The boys had ridden by the Poor Farm on several occasions but had +never visited it, and they felt a slight hesitation about doing so +now, but the woman assured them that the inmates were all quite +harmless and gave them directions for a short cut. Thanking her for +her kindness, and patting Snider good-by, they set off along a rutty +woods road and in a little while came to the Poor Farm. They crossed +an inclosed field where a small drove of hogs were feeding, and went +around to the front of the big white house. + +They did not have to inquire for Sam Bumpus, for there he was, as +natural as life, sitting on the steps of the veranda with Nan +stretched out beside him. As the boys turned the corner of the house +he arose with alacrity and held out his hand to them. + +"Well, well," he cried in his gruff voice, his face wreathed with +smiles, "this is a sight for sore eyes. Come right up and set down +here. I can't invite you in because this ain't my house. I'm just a +visitor here myself. I have a lot of old cronies here, and besides, I +want to get familiar with the place because I may have to come here to +live myself sometime." + +He rattled on so that the boys didn't have a chance to answer. He +led them up on the veranda to an old man who sat in a rocking chair, +bundled up in a blanket, smoking a pipe carved wonderfully in the form +of a stag's head. + +"These are my friends Ernest and Jack Whipple," he said to the old +man, "and they like dogs." + +At this the old man took his pipe from his mouth with a thin, +trembling hand, looked at them out of pink, watery eyes, smiled, and +nodded his white head. + +"This is Captain Tasker," Sam told the boys. "He don't talk much, but +he's forgotten more than you or I ever knew. Some day I'll tell you +about his dog that followed him to war. He's a Civil War veteran, and +he got wounded at Antietam. Show 'em your Grand Army badge, Captain. +See?" he added to the boys. "I told you I was partic'lar who I knew." + +Nan got up and stretched herself and looked up at her master +inquiringly. + +"Yes, old girl," said Sam, "it's time we was gettin' along." Then, +noticing that the boys looked disappointed, he added, "Come walk a +piece with us, won't you? I'd like to talk with you." + +The boys readily acquiesced, and bidding good-by to Captain Tasker, +they set out with Sam along a leafy woods road, with Nan ranging +ahead. All about them the forest beckoned alluringly, and Sam told +them of spots where grouse and quail abounded, or where one might +reasonably expect to "jump" a rabbit. + +Arriving at length at the Oakdale Road, Sam and the boys seated +themselves for a little while on a fallen log, while the former +concluded a discourse on bird dogs and hunting. + +"Setters," he was saying, "are usually supposed to be the keenest and +pointers the strongest, but in my opinion it all depends on the +partic'lar dog. Nowadays I hear a good deal about the pointer bein' +the best dog, and I've owned some good ones myself. There's nothing +prettier than a strong, wiry pointer doublin' and turnin' in the brush +and freezin' to a steady point. But for my own part, give me a +well-bred Llewellyn setter; they're the humanest dog they is. They've +got the bird sense, too. Oh, you can't beat 'em." + +"Is it hard to train them?" asked Ernest, who was of a practical turn +of mind. + +"Not so hard, if you know how," said Sam. "They have so much brains +that they learn about as fast as you teach 'em. But you've got to know +how to go at it. I've seen good sportsmen make a mess of it. First +off, you've got to find out if they've got a nose. That's easy enough +if you live with 'em and watch 'em. Hide something they want and see +how quick they find it. You've got to take 'em when they're young, +of course. You can't teach an old dog new tricks, you know. But a good +bird dog has got it bred in him, and he picks it up quick enough if +you can only be patient and if you show half as much sense as the dog +does." + +Then he told, in his own peculiar fashion, how he started with the +puppies, teaching them to retrieve objects such as sticks and balls, +and later dead birds that they must learn to carry gently without +using their teeth. + +"Never let 'em think it's just a romp they're havin'," he continued. +"I like to play with puppies as well as anyone, but when I'm breakin' +'em I let 'em understand that it's business. Never let 'em have their +own way if they want to do the wrong thing, and never give 'em an +order without seein' that it's carried out if it takes all day. That's +where the patience comes in. Teach 'em to obey, and you can do most +anything with 'em." + +"Do you whip them if they don't obey?" asked Ernest. + +"Never whipped a dog in my life," said Sam, decidedly, "except a fox +terrier I had once. They're different. A whipped setter is a spoiled +setter, and if you can't make 'em do what you want 'em to without +whippin' 'em or bribin' 'em, you'd better get out of the business. Of +course, I sometimes give a puppy a piece of cookie or something to +show him he's done what he ought to, but I never use the whip. There's +other kinds of punishment that work better and don't break their +spirits. Just keep 'em from havin' what they want, and tease 'em into +wantin' it awful bad, and you can make 'em do most anything." + +He then went on to explain his method of teaching a young dog to hold +his point in the field. He used a long rope tied to a stout collar, +and led the dog to a thicket where a dead bird lay. When the dog got +the scent and started to dash in, a sharp jerk on the rope restrained +him, and in time he was thus taught to stand rigid when the scent came +strong to his nostrils. + +"That's one way to teach a dog not to chase chickens, too," he added. +"But a puppy born of trained parents gets the pointin' habit almost by +instinct, and retrievin', too. The main thing is to make him +understand that he's got to do the trick and not something else that +happens to pop into his head. After that, you can teach 'em to answer +your whistle or a wave of your hand and hunt just where you want 'em +to." + +"Aren't they afraid of a gun at first?" asked Jack, who had never +learned not to jump when a gun went off. + +"Some of 'em are," said Sam. "If a dog is gun-shy he's got to be +broken of that before he's any good in the field. Some folks say you +can never break a dog that's really gun-shy, but I never seen one yet +that I couldn't cure." + +"How do you do it?" asked Ernest. + +"Well, one way is to give the dog something he wants every time you +shoot off a gun. You can shoot over his dinner, and not let him have +any till he comes up to where you and the gun are. Keep at it, and +after awhile he begins to connect the sound of the gun with things +that he likes. Always take a gun when you go out for a walk with him, +and after awhile he will bark and act happy every time you take it +from the rack. The whole idea of breakin' a bird dog is to make him +think that the thing you want him to do is the thing he wants to do, +and never let that idea get away from him." + +The boys continued to ply him with questions, for this was a subject +that they had never heard about before, and Sam willingly added more +details of the process of training. At length he took a big dollar +watch from his pocket and consulted it. + +"Jumpin' Jehoshaphat!" he exclaimed. "I didn't know it was gettin' so +late. I'll have to be hurryin' along. Say," he added, a little +wistfully, "come up to my house and see me sometime, won't you? I +ain't got anything very elegant up there, but I could show you +something in the line o' dogs and guns that might interest you." + +"Oh, we'd love to, if our folks'll let us," said Ernest. "Where do you +live?" + +Sam gave them careful directions. + +"First and third Tuesdays used to be my days for callers, but nobody +came," said he, as he started up the road with Nan. "So now any old +day will do--if I'm home." + +"How about next Saturday?" asked Ernest. + +"Saturday it is," said Sam Bumpus, and with a wave of his hand he +vanished around a bend in the road. + +Clothes do not make the man, and boys are apt to overlook certain +superficial peculiarities and defects which seem more significant to +their elders. In Sam Bumpus they saw only a man of good humor and +wonderful wisdom, a man whose manner of life was vastly more +interesting than that of the common run of people, whose knowledge of +the lore of woods and fields, of dogs and hunting, entitled him to a +high place in their estimation. They overlooked the externals, the +evidences of poverty and shiftlessness, his lack of education, and saw +only his native wit and shrewdness, his kinship with the world of +nature, and his goodness of heart. They considered it a piece of rare + good fortune to have made the acquaintance of so wise and +sympathetic a person and they felt indebted to him for permission to +visit him, to hear him talk, and to glean from him something of the +knowledge that had come to him through experience. + +To Sam Bumpus, however, the obligation seemed to be on the other side. +The boys did not know it, but Sam Bumpus was a lonely man and craved +human companionship. He lived like a hermit in his little shack in the +woods and his peculiarities had set him somewhat apart from the world +of men. He had no living relatives, and apart from the old lady in the +woods road, the inmates of the Poor Farm, and a few other +out-of-the-way people with whom he had been able to win his way +through his natural generosity and kindness, he had practically no +friends but his dogs. He understood dogs better than he understood +men, and, to tell the truth, he esteemed them more highly; yet he +sometimes hungered for human comradeship. That two frank-hearted, +unspoiled boys should seek him out and seem to desire his company gave +him a feeling of unaccustomed satisfaction, and he looked forward to +their promised visit fully as eagerly as did the boys themselves. + +This proposed visit was such an unusual affair that Ernest Whipple +considered it advisable to speak to his father about it. Mr. Whipple +was reading his paper and made but little comment, but Mrs. Whipple, +who was in the room at the time, raised objections. + +"Don't you think it might be unsafe for the boys to go away off there +alone?" she asked anxiously. "We don't know anything about this man. +He may have a bad influence on them, even if nothing more serious +happens to them. He's a very uncouth person, I should say, and hardly +a fit companion for little boys." + +"Oh, I don't think he'll hurt them," said Mr. Whipple from behind his +paper. + +But the mother wasn't satisfied, and after the boys had gone to bed +she again brought the matter up. + +"Well, mother," said Mr. Whipple, "he probably isn't the sort of +guide, philosopher, and friend that we would have picked out for the +boys, but parents can't always do the picking. They are getting older +all the time, and sooner or later they must be thrown on their own +resources. Self-reliance doesn't come from constant protection and +hemming in. We can't keep them from striking up acquaintances, and +before we raise objections we should be sure that they're well +grounded; then we shall be able to make our objections count for +more." + +"But I should think there was good ground for objection in this case," +she persisted. "This man seems to be so crude and rough, if nothing +worse." + +"Oh, he's all right," responded the father. "Don't think I'm careless +about these things. I've made some inquiries, and though I find that +Bumpus is unconventional and queer, as they say, and improvident and +uneducated, he's honest and law-abiding. So far as I can find out, the +worst thing he ever does is to give tobacco to the inmates of the Poor +Farm. I know people right here on Washburn Street that would do the +boys more harm. Just because he doesn't live like folks on Washburn +Street doesn't make him bad." + +"Well," said Mrs. Whipple, doubtfully, "I suppose you know best, but +for my part I would much prefer to keep them safe home with me, for +some years to come." + +"That's because you've never been a boy," said Mr. Whipple, with a +smile in his eyes. "I have, and it doesn't seem so very long ago, +either." + +Mrs. Whipple was not satisfied, but she did not forbid the proposed +visit. The next Saturday, therefore, found them early on their way, +filled with joyful anticipations. + +Sam's shack, when at last they arrived, proved to be a forlorn affair, +built of boards of different widths, some red, some white, and some +unpainted. The sagging roof was of corrugated iron and the only +chimney was built of cement pipe guyed up with wires. But to the eyes +of the boys it was a most attractive abode. Never before had they +seen such an interesting house. There must be an element of sport in +living in a cabin like this, they thought. + +Sam heard their footsteps and met them smilingly at the door. He +ushered them at once inside, where he had a wood fire roaring in his +stove, for the day was chilly, and he promptly set before them glasses +of milk and hot corn bread. Though they had breakfasted only two hours +before, they fell to with gusto, for that is the way of boys. + +"How do you like my corn bread?" asked Sam. + +"M-m!" murmured Jack, taking a fresh bite. + +"Do you bake it yourself?" inquired Ernest. + +"Sure," said Sam. + +"Gee!" exclaimed Ernest, looking up at him with admiration. + +After they had fully refreshed themselves, Sam took them out through a +back door, from which they could see a number of small structures that +looked as though they had been made out of dry-goods boxes. The sound +of excited barking smote their ears, a chorus of canine cries and +yelps. Old Nan came bounding forward to greet the boys, for she knew +them now, and behind her loped a big pointer. + +"This is Hillcroft Dick," said Sam, by way of introduction. "He's a +famous dog, a champion on the bench and at the trials. He ain't my +dog, though. I'm just boardin' him for a man that's gone to +California. I wish I owned him, though. He's a great dog." + +[Illustration: Chow Chow] + +The boys didn't understand the reference to bench shows and field +trials, but they gathered that Dick was some sort of nobleman among +dogs and they were visibly impressed. + +"Now we'll go out to the kennels," said Sam. + +There were seven dogs, all told, besides Nan and Dick. There were +two cocker spaniels, in the first place, that Sam said he was training +for a man in Oakdale. + +"I like a bigger dog, myself," said he, "but there's a lot of good dog +wrapped up in these small bundles. They're smart as whips, and though +I've got to make 'em forget their foolin' and parlor tricks, I'll soon +have 'em able to find and retrieve. Sometimes you can even teach a +spaniel to point." + +The other five were all Sam's dogs, another pointer, a little smaller +than Dick, and four beautiful English setters. + +"They've got the best blood in the land," said Sam, proudly, "and +every one of 'em is letter perfect on his job. This is Rex and this is +Robbin and this is Rockaway." + +The boys patted and spoke to each in turn, hugely enjoying this +introduction to Sam's family. + +"And this one over here is the best of all," he continued. "That's +Nellie, own sister to Nan, and what she don't know wouldn't hurt a +flea. But I guess I'd better keep you away from her to-day. She ain't +feelin' very well." + +After they had fondled and played with the dogs to their hearts' +content, the boys followed Sam again into the house, where they spent +the rest of the morning smoothing Nan's silky hair and listening to +wonderful stories about the sagacity of Nellie and the other dogs. + +So pleasantly was the time employed that it was eleven o'clock by +Sam's big watch before they thought it possible, and as they had +promised to be home in time for dinner, they were obliged, +reluctantly, to take their departure. + +As they turned the bend in the road they looked back and saw Sam +standing in his low doorway with Nan sitting picturesquely beside him. + +"Come again soon," called Sam. + +"We will," the boys shouted in reply. + + + + +CHAPTER III + +ROMULUS AND REMUS + + +They did call again, once on the Saturday before Thanksgiving Day and +again in December, when the woods and fields were white with snow and +they wore their warm sweaters and arctics. On each occasion they +became better acquainted with Sam's dogs and learned something new +about training dogs and finding game, and Sam showed them the +mechanism of his shotguns and rifles. He also explained to them his +method of curing the pelts of muskrats and the beautiful silver-gray +fur of the little moles that the people in charge of the Poor Farm +were very glad to have him trap in their garden. And as the boys came +to know Sam's dogs better they began to see how each differed from the +others in character and disposition and in the way they understood and +did things. + +"Just like people," said Sam; "just like people." + +Even Mrs. Whipple was unable to discover that the boys' manners had +been damaged greatly by their association with Sam Bumpus, though she +was surprised at their continuous talk about dogs and the strange +jargon, as it seemed to her, which they used in that connection. She +was no less surprised to find that her husband appeared to understand +the meaning of "bird sense" and "freezing to a point" and "retrieving" +and "blood lines" and "cross-breeding" and to be able to discuss these +mysterious matters with the boys. + +"But what is the good of their filling their heads with all that +stuff?" she asked him. + +"My dear," replied Mr. Whipple, "you may not believe it, but it is +just as much good as arithmetic and geography, and you're always +worrying because they don't take more interest in those things. There +are more ways than one to get an education." + +But Mrs. Whipple only shook her head perplexedly. + +It was on the day before Christmas that the great event occurred that +I have been leading up to. Ernest and Jack Whipple had returned from +an hour's coasting on the long hill over by the brickyard and were +standing on their sleds beside the front gate bemoaning the fact that +the snow had melted so badly and speculating on the surprises which +the morrow might have in store for them. It was vacation, and they +were considering how best to spend the long hours that would intervene +between dinner and time for lighting up the Christmas tree, when +Ernest stopped abruptly in the middle of a sentence and stood +looking up the street. + +"Jack!" he exclaimed. "Look who's coming!" + +Jack turned and beheld the familiar, lanky figure and long, easy +stride of Sam Bumpus. Both boys set up a yell and started on a run up +the street. + +"Merry Christmas, Sam!" they cried. "Merry Christmas!" + +"Merry Christmas, men," replied Sam, grinning. + +One on each side of him, they escorted Sam down the street. + +"Have you come to see us?" inquired Ernest. + +"Why, no," said Sam. "I came to see the President of the United +States, but I found he wasn't in town, so I thought I'd drop in on +you. You haven't seen anything of him around here, have you?" + +The boys laughed delightedly; they had come to understand Sam's kind +of joking. + +"Well, you must come into our shack," said Ernest. "We'll introduce +you to mother, and father will be home soon." + +"Well, I don't know as I'll exactly go in," replied Sam, doubtfully. +"Maybe your mother ain't asked to be interduced to me. Anyway, I can +talk better outside." + +"Where's Nan?" asked Jack. + +"I left her home, doin' up the dishes in the kitchen," said Sam. +"The city don't agree with Nan. It don't agree with me much, either. I +won't stop but a minute." + +"Aw, come on in," pleaded Ernest. + +But Sam shook his head. "No," said he, "I just want to show you +something, and then I must be goin'. Can't we go over to the barn?" + +"Sure," said the boys, and led the way to the stable in the yard that +was now used only as a tool house and garage. + +"We'll show you our carpenter shop," said Ernest. + +But Sam did not stop long to examine the carpenter shop. There was +something very mysterious about his attitude which aroused the boys' +curiosity to top pitch. + +"Come over here," said Sam, stepping toward an unused stall. + +He began fumbling in his capacious pockets, and the boys crowded close +about him, expecting to see some unusual sort of game he had shot. +Suddenly before their astonished eyes there appeared two fuzzy, +dappled puppies, running and sniffing about the floor of the stall. + +"Puppies!" cried the boys in unison. + +"Yep," said Sam. "English setter puppies." + +"Where did you get them?" demanded Jack, catching up one of the +sprawling little dogs in his arms. + +"Nellie gave them to me," said Sam. + +A look of comprehension began to dawn in Ernest's eyes. "So that's why +you wouldn't let us go near her kennel last time we were there," said +he. "She had them all the time." + +Sam grinned. "They're pretty young to take away from their mother," +said he, "but she has three more. She's a good mother, Nellie is. You +ought to see her chase the other dogs away. I had a job of it gettin' +these two weaned before Christmas." + +"Why did you have to get them weaned before Christmas?" asked Jack. + +"Now you jest think that over, and see if you can tell _me_," said +Sam. + +Ernest had already half guessed the wonderful truth, but he didn't yet +dare to say what he thought. + +"Don't be afraid of 'em," said Sam. "They won't bite--or leastways, +not serious. Besides, they're your own dogs." + +"Our own dogs?" gasped Jack in astonishment, the glad light beginning +to break in upon him. + +"Sure," said Sam. "What else would they be here for? I thought Santa +Claus might happen to forget you, and so I brought 'em down." + +"Oh!" cried Ernest. "Christmas presents! To be our very own dogs! I +guess none of the other boys will have such fine presents as these, +Jack." + +But Jack was speechless with joy. + +"Have they got names?" asked Ernest. + +"Sure," said Sam. "I told you how I name all my dogs with names +beginning with the same letter. All my own puppies, I mean. It's for +good luck. There's Rex, you know, and Robbin and Rockaway. These two +are Romulus and Remus and they're twins. This one with the black ear +is Romulus, and this one with the little map of Africa on his side is +Remus. That's how you can tell 'em apart." + +"Which is mine and which is Ernest's?" inquired Jack, at last finding +his voice. + +"Well, now, I hadn't thought of that," confessed Sam. "Suppose you +draw lots for 'em. Here, I'll hold these two broom straws so you can't +tell which is longest. You each draw one, and the one that gets the +longest straw can have first choice of the puppies. Is that fair?" + +The boys agreed to the plan and drew the straws. Ernest's proved to be +the longer one. + +"Well, he's older, anyway," said Jack. "Which one do you choose, +Ernest?" + +"I'll take Romulus," said Ernest promptly, having noted that the one +with the black ear was a shade the larger of the two. + +"All right," said Jack, "and Remus is mine." And he asserted stoutly +that he would have chosen Remus anyway. + +"That's good," said Sam. "Then you're both satisfied. Grown people +would have made more fuss about it, I'll warrant you. + +"Well, I must be steppin' along," he continued. "Take good care of the +puppies, because they're valuable. Remember that they're used to +sleepin' close to a warm mother and see that they have a good bed. I'd +put some rags in a box for 'em if I was you. Let 'em have fresh air +and sunshine and a chance to stretch their legs, but don't let 'em get +wet or chilled through and put their bed where they ain't no draughts. +Remember they ain't got their warm coats yet. + +"Give 'em a saucer of milk with the chill taken off, six times a day, +and break a little bread into it at supper time. In a few weeks you +can cut down to three meals a day, with more solid food, but I'll be +down to see you before then, if you don't get up to see me, and I'll +tell you just how to manage. Let me know if you have any trouble of +any kind, but I guess you won't." + +The clicking of the front gate announced the return of Mr. Whipple to +his noonday meal. The boys ran to the stable door and shouted, +"Father! Oh, father, come see what we've got for Christmas!" + +They dashed toward him and dragged him by main force to the stable. +But when they got there, Sam Bumpus had mysteriously disappeared, +without giving the boys a chance to thank him or to wish him another +Merry Christmas. + +Mr. Whipple examined the puppies with interest and watched their +clumsy antics with amusement. Like most people he could not resist the +charm of a wet-nosed, big-footed, round-bellied, fuzzy little puppy. +Presently, however, a look of doubt came over his face. + +"What do you propose doing with them?" he asked. + +"Why, having them for our dogs," said Jack, surprised that his father +should ask so obvious a question. + +"I mean, where do you plan to keep them?" + +"Why, in our room, I guess," said Ernest. + +But Mr. Whipple shook his head doubtfully. "I don't imagine they've +been taught yet how to behave themselves in the house," said he. "And +anyway, I don't believe your mother will want them there. She doesn't +like dogs, you know." + +"Aw, she wouldn't mind little bits of soft dogs like these," protested +Ernest. + +"Well, you can try it and see," said Mr. Whipple, "but I wouldn't get +my hopes up too high, if I were you." + +Mrs. Whipple did object quite decidedly, and for a time it looked as +though Romulus and Remus were unwanted guests in that household and +that their young masters would be forced to part with them. Tears were +shed, but of that we will say little. At last Mrs. Whipple was +persuaded to grant a truce in order that the Christmas Eve festivities +might not be entirely spoiled. Besides, it was too late now to take +the puppies back to Sam Bumpus, and even Mrs. Whipple was not +hard-hearted enough to think of merely putting them out into the cold. +The upshot of it was that, Delia having been given the evening off, +Romulus and Remus were banished to the kitchen for the night, with a +bed prepared in a box and another box of sand placed hopefully near +by. The boys insisted on serving their supper in two separate saucers +with the idea that each would recognize his own and observe the rights +of the other. + +Occasional stealthy visits to the kitchen that evening disclosed two +remarkably wakeful and active puppies engaged in unexpected +explorations, but at last they curled up together in their new bed, +two innocent little balls of fluff, and Ernest and Jack bade them +goodnight with much ceremony. + +On Christmas Day there was trouble from the start. In fact, it was one +of the liveliest Christmas Days in the history of the Whipple +household. In the first place, when Delia came back early in the +morning to get things started for the Christmas dinner, she +discovered the two little strangers in her kitchen, and promptly made +known the fact that they were puppies whose manners were not at all +what they should be. Mr. Whipple averted a domestic storm by taking +the puppies out into the yard, where he had his hands full to keep +them out of the snow. + +By this time the boys had finished the examination of their bulging +stockings and the larger contributions of St. Nicholas which stood +beside the fireplace, and bethought themselves of Romulus and Remus. +They dashed pell-mell out into the yard where their father was +pondering what he should do with them next. The boys promptly solved +this problem by picking up the puppies, each taking his own, and +carrying them forthwith into the house. + +Mrs. Whipple was in a good humor that Christmas morning, and she +really wanted her boys to be happy all day, so although she added one +admonition to another, she allowed the boys to play with the puppies +in the sitting-room. They would have to part with them soon enough, +she thought, and meanwhile they might as well have as much fun as they +could. + +But as the day wore on her good nature and kind intentions were sorely +tried. Romulus and Remus appeared to think that the house was some +sort of hunting ground especially provided for little dogs, and that +it was their duty to pursue, worry, and kill every sort of strange +creature they could find. Evidently they were imaginative puppies, for +they discovered enemies in overlooked corners of the room, on closet +floors, and everywhere. These enemies might be the discarded paper +wrappings of Christmas presents, or they might be perfectly good balls +of darning cotton. It mattered not to Romulus and Remus so long as +their primitive impulse to catch and slay was satisfied. They were +very bloodthirsty little dogs. + +But it ceased to be a joke, even to the boys, when Mrs. Whipple, for +awhile put off her guard by a period of unusual quiet, discovered +Romulus and Remus engaged in the joint pastime of reducing to small +woolly bits a new gray felt slipper which she herself had presented to +her husband that very morning. Hastily she cleared out the bottom of a +closet, thrust the puppies inside, and ruthlessly closed the door, +deaf alike to the piteous little squeaky whines of Romulus and Remus +and the louder protests of Ernest and Jack. + +"Now you see what they've done!" cried Mrs. Whipple, holding up the +forlorn and tattered remnants of the slipper. "I guess this will about +finish it. Wait till your father comes home." + +Mr. Whipple had gone out for a little while that afternoon, and the +boys awaited his return without much optimism. When his key was at +last heard in the latch they looked at each other with eyes big with +apprehension. + +Somebody had given Mr. Whipple a big cigar, and a lot of people had +wished him Merry Christmas, and he was in a very jovial mood indeed. +Mrs. Whipple and the boys expected to see this mood suddenly change +when he observed the ruined slipper. + +Mrs. Whipple handed it to him without a word. He took it, examined it +carefully with a puzzled expression, and then (strange to relate) +began to grin. (I wonder if the fact that Mr. Whipple detested felt +slippers could have had anything to do with it.) + +The grin broke into a hearty laugh, and Mr. Whipple sank into a chair, +still holding the slipper before him. + +"Well," said he, "they certainly made this look like a last year's +bird's nest. My eye! I should like to have seen them at it. The little +rascals! How did they ever escape your eagle eye, mother?" + +But Mrs. Whipple did not reply. Two red spots glowed in her cheeks and +her eyes were snapping. She turned and left the room. Mr. Whipple +puffed thoughtfully at his cigar for a moment and then rose and +followed her, leaving the boys to engage in whispered conjectures as +to the outcome of the affair. + +I don't know what Mr. Whipple said to his wife in the other room, +but he doubtless apologized for his ill-timed mirth and then talked +over certain things with her. The upshot of it all was that a +compromise was reached in that household. It was decided that Ernest +and Jack might keep the puppies they had so set their hearts upon +provided they were kept entirely away from Mrs. Whipple and were not +permitted to intrude themselves upon her affairs. The boys must assume +entire charge of them and be responsible for their actions, must feed +and care for the dogs themselves without bothering their mother, +paying for their food out of their own earnings and savings, and must +on no condition bring them into the house. That was the ultimatum; +Mrs. Whipple vowed that she would never allow another dog to enter her +doors. + +"It's up to you, boys," said Mr. Whipple. + +Strangely enough, the boys did not feel that these restrictions +imposed great hardship. In fact, it gave them a sense of pride and not +unpleasant responsibility to be given sole charge of Romulus and +Remus. Nothing, indeed, could have suited them better. And they were +so relieved to find that they were not to be deprived of their new +possessions after all that they were quite excitedly happy. + +The only question that now seriously concerned them was to find a +warm, dry place to keep the puppies in during the cold weather, +while they were still so delicate and helpless. It was here that their +mother came to their rescue. Having won her main point about keeping +the dogs out of the house, she was mollified, and perhaps her +conscience troubled her a little. She was really a very tender-hearted +woman, and it occurred to her that her ultimatum might be the cause of +real suffering on the part of the puppies. So it was she who sent for +a carpenter and had him make a sort of room out of one of the old +stalls in the stable, quite tight against draughts, and with a door in +the front for convenience. + +When Mr. Whipple learned of this he laughed and patted his wife on the +shoulder. "I always knew you were a cruel monster," he said. + +He inspected the new abode of Romulus and Remus and expressed his +approval. + +"It's the best thing in the world for them," he said to the boys. +"They will be really better off here than in a heated house. They'll +grow up sturdier and stronger. They only need to be protected against +draughts and dampness, as Bumpus said. But you mustn't forget to keep +both doors closed and to warm their milk and water a little, while +their stomachs are still tender. They'll curl up close together and +never mind the still, dry cold. They'll be all right here." + + + + +CHAPTER IV + +IN ROME + + +Furnishing and decorating the new home of Romulus and Remus proved to +be a most enjoyable task. They took a good-sized box over to the +planing mill and got it filled with sawdust, and dragged it home on +Ernest's sled. They swept out the old stall carefully and sprinkled +the floor liberally with sawdust, holding the rest in reserve, so that +there might always be a clean, fresh supply. Housekeeping was thus +made easy by simply hoeing out the old sawdust. + +For a bed they set a soap box on its side, put in a thick layer of +straw, and tacked a piece of old carpet loosely over it so that it +would be soft and yet the puppies could not scratch it out. They +bought two enameled tin dishes, one for food and one for water, for +they discovered that the puppies did not understand the system of each +having his own. They nailed bits of wood to the floor to hold the +dishes so that they would not be pushed about and overturned. The +puppies enjoyed all this activity immensely, making laughable +efforts to help, and only wailed and wept when their young masters +left the room. + +When it was done, the boys surveyed their handiwork with immense +satisfaction, but Jack would not be satisfied until they had tacked to +the wall several pictures of dogs clipped from papers and magazines, +for Jack insisted that the place must be made homelike. + +They had read somewhere about the original Romulus and Remus of +history, and so they named the apartment Rome. They thought Sam Bumpus +would approve of this since it began with the letter R. Then they +nailed an old horseshoe to the door for luck, called it a day, and +knocked off. + +The next thing to consider was the education of the puppies, and here +the boys felt somewhat at a loss. Romulus and Remus didn't seem to +understand a word of English, and the boys couldn't speak Latin. All +attempts to secure the prompt obedience that Sam had advised ended in +utter failure. Romulus and Remus were very willful and headstrong +puppies. Further advice from Sam seemed desirable. + +Furthermore, about the end of the second week, both puppies appeared +to be ailing. In spite of plenty of milk they had grown thin, and +Romulus appeared to have trouble with the action of his hind legs. +Remus seemed to be chiefly afflicted with itching, and had worn a bare +spot under each foreleg. + +Ernest and Jack became alarmed, and their father could not seem to +tell what the trouble was. Various things prevented the boys from +making the trip to Sam's shack, and besides they wanted him to take a +look at the dogs. They had noticed his free delivery mail box and so +Ernest sent him this brief summons on a postal card: + + DEAR SAM:-- + + Romulus and Remus are sick and we don't know what to do. + + Could you come down some day after school and see them? Also we + want to ask you some things about disaplining them. + + Yours truly, + + ERNEST AND JACK WHIPPLE. + +Sam did not fail them. A couple of days later he appeared at the +Whipple gate and gave the low whistle that he used with Nan. The boys, +humoring his desire not to go into the house, led him at once to Rome. + +"Well, now," said Sam, inspecting the puppies' home with evidences of +approval, "this is quite a palace for the little princes. Some day I +s'pose they'll have hot and cold water, electric lights, and a +doorbell." + +Then he proceeded to examine the puppies while the boys looked on +anxiously. + +"Hm," said he at length. "Just as I expected. Nothing but worms." + +"Worms?" echoed the boys in chorus. + +"Sure," replied Sam. "Most all puppies get 'em sooner or later, and +sometimes they do a lot of harm if you don't get rid of 'em. But we'll +get rid of 'em all right. Get a pencil and paper and write down what I +tell you to get at the drug store and the directions." + +When they reappeared with the necessary articles, Sam continued: +"There's several things that'll take care of worms, but the best and +surest is santonin and calomel. Write that down." + +Ernest wrote as Sam spelled the words. It seemed to be much more of an +accomplishment to be able to pronounce and spell such words than +fulfilment or handicraft. + +"Tell the druggist," said Sam, "to make you up half a dozen pills with +half a grain of calomel and half a grain of santonin in each one. For +big dogs we make 'em one grain each. To-morrow mornin' give the pups a +little milk and then don't feed 'em again till after they've been +dosed. About noon give 'em each a pill, and then, a couple of hours +later, give 'em each a teaspoonful of castor oil. A couple of hours +after that, feed 'em again, and I'll guarantee they'll be all right, +though you may have to do it all over again in a couple of months. Big +dogs have to fast longer and have to have a tablespoonful of castor +oil." + +"How do you give them the medicine?" inquired Ernest, looking at the +squirming puppies doubtfully. + +"Easy enough when you know how," said Sam. "I'll show you. Pick him up +like this and take hold of his nose, pushin' his lips between his +teeth with your thumb and fingers. He can't bite and he has to open +his mouth. Of course, with a bigger dog it's harder if he don't want +to stand still. Then take a pill in your other hand and put it down +his throat as far as you can reach. Then shut his mouth and hold his +head up till he has to swaller. He'll never know what went down. It's +the same way with the castor oil, only you'll have to get Jack to hold +the spoon and put it in when you give the word. Put it way down in, +Jack, and don't get excited and spill it. Get a spoon and I'll show +you how easy it is." + +Jack ran for a spoon and Sam illustrated with a spoonful of water. +Then the boys tried it until they felt themselves sufficiently expert. + +"There's a way of pourin' medicine into the side of a dog's mouth +outside his teeth," said Sam, "but he's apt to spill some of it +before he gets through. Besides, he gets the taste of it that way, and +may run from the sight of a spoon or a bottle ever after. I like my +way better." + +He looked at his watch and announced that he must be going. + +"I'll look in on you again one of these days," he said, "but I know +they'll be all right if you do like I said." + +"And you like Rome, don't you?" asked Jack. + +"Rome?" repeated Sam. + +"We named it that because Romulus and Remus were Romans," explained +Ernest. + +"Yes, it's a mighty good place for them," said Sam. Then he considered +a moment. "Do you expect me to get down and roll in the sawdust and +try to bite things?" + +The boys laughed at the idea, though they didn't exactly know what he +meant. + +"Why?" asked Ernest. + +"Because I've always been told that when you're in Rome you must do as +the Romans do," said Sam, and went away laughing silently. + +The boys followed Sam's instructions to the letter, and when he came +again a week later the puppies were as healthy and lively as crickets. + +"Now," said Ernest, "we want to ask you about training them. We +forgot about that the other day." + +"You don't expect to go gunnin' with 'em for a few days, do you?" +asked Sam. + +"No," said Ernest, "but we want them to learn to come when we call and +do what we say." + +"Well," said Sam, "all it needs is patience. Keep talkin' to 'em and +the first thing you know you'll find they understand words. Then try +to make 'em do what the words mean. Remember they're only babies yet +and be patient with 'em. Keep at it until they answer to their names. +Don't be discouraged. Of course, it'll be harder gettin' 'em +housebroken if you don't let 'em into the house, but I'll guarantee +you'll do it. + +"It ought to be about time to cut down to four meals a day now, and +give 'em shredded wheat or puppy biscuits. And now I'm here, I might +as well give you a little advice about feedin' in gen'ral. You'll +remember it all later. In another month you can cut down to three +meals and maybe add a little chopped meat and gravy at night. Keep +that up till they're six or eight months old, and then you can begin +to feed 'em like grown dogs. + +"In feedin' dogs," he continued, "remember they're like humans. They +ought to have meat and grain and vegetables to get all they want to +build 'em up and keep 'em healthy. Some dogs is very finicky and +won't eat vegetables, but you can learn 'em to eat right if you begin +right. A grown dog don't need but one meal a day, near night, but +sometimes a dog gets so hungry that he overeats or bolts his food, and +then it's a good plan to give him a little breakfast, too. Bones they +can have any time. Bones amuse 'em and help keep their teeth and +digestion in good shape. A good rule is to give a dog a little bread +and milk for breakfast, a bone without too much meat on it about noon, +and a good dinner at night, with all sorts of things in it. Get shin +of beef or some other cheap meat at the butcher's and boil it good. +Save the bone and the soup. Cut the meat up in small pieces, mix it +with bread or rice and any vegetables left over from the +house--onions, cabbage, carrots, or anything but potatoes. They ain't +very good for dogs. Mix the food all up together and moisten it with +the soup, but don't have it too wet. Stale bread is better for 'em +than fresh bread. Never give 'em chicken or rabbit bones that may +splinter and injure 'em inside. Don't give too much pork or fat of any +kind. Don't give 'em much candy or sweet stuff. Some folks bake bread +or cakes specially for dogs, but if you do that, don't use much corn +meal. It's too heatin' in summer and it's apt to cause skin trouble. +If anything seems to disagree with 'em, like baked beans, or sweet +corn, or rice, cut it out; you can tell. Last of all, always keep +plenty of clean, fresh water where they can get it. A thirsty dog is +never happy." + +These and other instructions the boys obtained from Sam Bumpus from +time to time, and as the days went by they were pleased to see their +dogs growing bigger and stronger. Slowly, too, they began to learn the +meaning of things and to obey their masters' voices. Raising dogs +proved to be the most fascinating thing that Ernest and Jack Whipple +had ever undertaken. + +By February they were very proud of their charges and anxious to show +them off. Consequently they welcomed a visit one Saturday morning from +Harry Barton, a chum of theirs. Harry appeared unannounced and +accompanied by his big, bow-legged English bulldog, Mike. He went +directly to the barn, from which issued the voices of the Whipple boys +and their dogs, and entered Rome. The unexpected appearance of Mike +startled Jack, and he picked Remus hastily up and held him in +protecting arms. But Harry only laughed. + +"What you 'fraid of?" he inquired. "Mike wouldn't hurt a kitten. He +looks ugly and that's what scares tramps away, but he never bit +anything. You ought to see the baby walk all over him." + +"Come on in, then," invited Ernest. + +Mike went slowly up to Romulus and sniffed at him noisily. At first +the puppy was frightened, but finding that he was not attacked he +made one or two playful little lunges at the bulldog and then stood +off and barked shrilly at him, Remus joining in the chorus and +struggling to be set down. + +"They've got spunk, all right," said Ernest, proudly. + +[Illustration: English Bulldog] + +Mike sniffed at Remus also, then yawned in a bored sort of way, +waddled out of Rome as though his years and dignity forbade his +association with such frivolous company, and thumped down on the floor +outside. All three boys laughed. + +"Well, what do you think of 'em?" Ernest asked presently. "Some dogs, +eh?" + +"Oh, they'll prob'ly be all right when they grow up," said Harry, +unwilling to concede too much. "They'll have to grow a lot, though, +before they know as much as Mike." + +"But a bulldog can't hunt like a setter," said Ernest, flying to the +defense of his breed. + +"Who wants to hunt?" demanded Harry. "Hunting isn't all a dog's for, +is it? A bulldog's a better watchdog than a setter." + +Ernest, not knowing whether this was so or not, made no reply. + +"But aren't they cunning, Harry?" asked Jack. + +"Oh, sure, they're cunning," said Harry, satisfied that he had scored +his point. "Can they shake hands yet?" + +"Not yet," said Jack. + +"Mike can shake hands," said Harry, "and take the mail from the +postman, and do lots of things." + +"But he can't hunt," insisted Ernest, returning to the attack. + +"I'd rather have a bulldog than a setter, any day," said Harry. "Why, +the bulldog is one of the best kinds of dogs. It's an older kind than +the setter. They used them in England for fighting bulls hundreds of +years ago. A bulldog is brave and faithful, and he sticks to things. +He isn't a flyaway kind of a dog." + +"But they're so homely," objected Jack, glancing out at Mike. + +"Ho," cried Harry, "who ever heard of a pretty bulldog? We don't want +'em pretty. Mike's just like a bulldog ought to be, thick-set, +muscular, with wide chest, elbows set far apart, and undershot jaw. +See?" + +It sounded very much as though he were reading it out of a book, and +the other boys were much impressed. Ernest found himself wondering +where Harry had picked up his dog lore. + +"What do you know about setters?" demanded Harry. + +Ernest, in the face of superior wisdom, admitted that he didn't know +very much. + +"Well, you ought to," said Harry. "What's the use of having dogs if +you don't know all about them?" + +"Sam Bumpus has told us a good deal about training and hunting," said +Jack. + +"Yes, but what do you know about the breed, where it came from and all +that? Do you want to find out?" + +"Sure," said Ernest. + +"Well, I'll tell you where you can find out," said Harry. "I know a +man that knows more about dogs than anybody else in the world, I +guess." + +"Who is he?" demanded Ernest. + +"Did you ever hear of the Willowdale Kennels?" asked Harry. + +Ernest was forced to admit that he had not. + +"Well, they're over at Thornboro," said Harry. "They have twenty-eight +dogs there. Mr. Hartshorn owns them, but the man that takes care of +them is Tom Poultice. He's an Englishman, and he used to have charge +of kennels in England once. He knows all about collies and greyhounds +and--and every kind of dogs there are." + +"I bet he doesn't know more about setters and pointers than Sam Bumpus +does," said Ernest, loyally. + +"Bet you a hundred dollars he does," said Harry. + +"Bet you a thousand he doesn't." + +The bidding bade fair to be unlimited, and though the millions and +billions and trillions remained to be called upon, Harry desisted. + +"Tell you what I'll do," said he. "I'll take you over there and then +you can see for yourselves." + +Ernest and Jack promptly forgot their controversy with Harry and +accepted his proposal with animation. + +"And can we see all those dogs?" asked Ernest. + +"Sure," said Harry. + +"How many did you say there were?" + +"Twenty-four besides four puppies." + +"Whew!" Jack exclaimed. + +"When can we go?" asked Ernest. + +"Why, this afternoon, if you want to. It's over five miles to +Thornboro, but we can take the 2:10 train and be there in no time. You +come along by my house after dinner and whistle," said Harry. + +"Bully," said Ernest, and Harry turned and walked jauntily out of the +stable with old Mike lumbering at his heels. + + + + +CHAPTER V + +THE WILLOWDALE KENNELS + + +As Harry Barton had said, it was only a short run on the train to +Thornboro. The three boys disembarked at the station and walked up a +winding, muddy road, for the sun was gathering strength and the snow +had been melting fast. The fields and hillsides lay brown and dry, but +not uninviting. It was a glorious day to be out of doors, especially +upon such a quest. + +They came at length to an entrance in a privet hedge and passed up a +long driveway with maple trees along both sides. At the end of it they +could see a large brick house with white pillars along the front. + +"My, but this is a big place," said Ernest. + +"Sure," said Harry. "Mr. Hartshorn is a rich man. If he wasn't, how do +you s'pose he could keep so many dogs and hire a man just to take care +of them?" + +"What does he do with so many?" inquired Jack, to whom the care of one +small puppy seemed a considerable responsibility. + +"Oh, he shows them," was Harry's somewhat vague explanation. "He takes +prizes with them at dog shows. Some of them are champions. He breeds +them, too, and he sells the puppies he doesn't want to keep. I guess +he makes a good deal of his money that way." + +"What kind of dogs are they?" asked Ernest. + +"Mostly Airedale terriers and white bull terriers," said Harry. "Not +common bull terriers, like Frank Symonds's, but the finest kind, all +white." + +As they neared the house, Harry led them into a path through the +shrubbery which brought them at last around to the rear, where there +was a big stable and garage, a greenhouse, and some other buildings. + +"That long low building is the kennels," said Harry. "The dogs are in +their runs out back, I expect, and prob'ly Tom is out there, too." + +"Why!" exclaimed Jack, "it's just like a house for people." + +The Willowdale kennel house was indeed a more elaborate affair than +the boys had imagined could ever have been built just for dogs. It +made Rome appear very humble in comparison. It was a well-built house, +long and low, with windows all along the front and a door in the +middle. Over this door was an ornamental gable and there was a cupola +at the top. The whole was painted white. + +The boys passed around the end of the building, from behind which +issued the voices of many dogs which they presently saw running +about in yards built of wire fencing. Some of the dogs were smooth and +pure white and some were wiry-coated and a rich black and tan--tan on +the legs and head and black or a very dark grizzle on the neck and +body. They all appeared to be very lively, active dogs, and some of +them seemed rather pugnaciously anxious to get at one another through +the wire fences. + +"There's Tom," announced Harry, and the other boys, following his +pointing finger, observed a man in brown clothes and leather leggings +apparently engaged in mending the fence at the rear of one of the +runs. As they approached he straightened up and came forward to meet +them, with a little smile on his broad face. + +"Well," said he, "'ere we are. An' 'ow's the little man to-day? An' +'ow's the dog Mike?" + +"Pretty well, thank you," said Harry, in a rather more subdued tone +than he had been using toward Jack and Ernest. "These are my friends, +Ernest and Jack Whipple. They want to see your dogs." + +Tom Poultice regarded the newcomers quizzically. "Sure you aren't +afraid o' gettin' bit?" + +"Oh, no, we aren't afraid of dogs," asserted Ernest. + +"Right-o," said Tom. "Come along and I'll show you our new Hairedale, +Bingo's Queen Molly. She's a 'ummer, Molly is." + +He led the way through a wire gate into one of the runs and called the +new dog to him, whereat the dogs in the neighboring runs set up a loud +barking. + +"They're all jealous," said Tom, "but they wouldn't touch 'er. A male +dog scarcely ever attacks a female." + +[Illustration: White English Bull Terrier] + +Molly proved to be a sweet, gentle creature, and allowed the boys to +pat and stroke her hard little head. + +"She's the genooine harticle," said Tom. "See the straight legs of 'er +an' the square muzzle. She'll win something, or I'm no judge." + +"She's a little smaller than some of them, isn't she?" asked Harry. + + +"Yes, but she's just about the right size for showing," said Tom. +"Thirty-seven she weighs. I'm partial to the bigger dogs, myself, but +the judges generally favor a smaller dog if he's got the points. +Molly's certainly got the points." + +Much to the edification of the boys, Tom went on to describe the +standard points of the Airedale, illustrating with several of the +dogs, all of whom seemed to be very fond of the kennelman. Then he +took them in to see the bull terriers. + +"'Ere's a different kind of dog entirely," he said. "As good a fighter +and watchdog as the Hairedale, but not useful in so many ways. It's an +older breed than the Hairedale. I can remember when the bull terrier +was a heavier dog, and brindles were just as good as whites, but now +they want only this kind in the shows, with a long skull and pure +white. Eyes small and shaped like almonds, and set wide apart. That's +the kind. The ears have to be cropped in this country to win prizes. +Beastly custom. They don't do it in Hengland any more. I'm glad they +let the Hairedales' ears alone." + +For some time Tom Poultice discoursed learnedly on these two breeds +and answered numerous questions. + +"What-ho," he exclaimed suddenly. "'Ere's Mr. 'Artshorn coming. Get +'im to tell you about dogs. 'E knows a thing or two 'imself." + +A well-dressed gentleman in a gray overcoat and hat, with a gray +pointed beard, and carrying a cane, appeared around the end of the +kennel house. The boys appeared a little ill at ease. + +"Don't be scared of 'im," said Tom. "'E likes boys." + +"Well, Tom," said Mr. Hartshorn, stopping now and then to poke his +stick through the fence at the dogs that came yelping down their runs +to greet him, "how's Molly?" + +"Mighty fine, sir," said Tom; "mighty fine." + +"Some of your friends?" he inquired, indicating the boys. + +"Yes, sir," said Tom. "This is Harry Barton, sir, from Boytown, and +these--what did you say your names were?" + +"Ernest and Jack Whipple," said Ernest. + +"Ah, yes," said Mr. Hartshorn, just as though he had been reading +about these boys in the paper. "Glad to meet you, I'm sure. Came up to +have a look at the finest dogs in Connecticut, I suppose." + +He had a pleasant, friendly face, and though the boys were a little +awed by his imposing appearance and courtly manner, they soon lost +their shyness and found themselves asking him many questions about +dogs. + +"Come up to the house," said he at length. "I can explain things +better up there, where I have some pictures." + +Tom went back to his work and the boys, bidding him good-by, followed +Mr. Hartshorn up to the big house. He took them into a room that he +said was his den. There was a big desk in it, all littered up with +papers, and well filled bookcases around the room. + +"Are all these books about dogs?" inquired Harry. + +"Well, a good many of them are," said Mr. Hartshorn. "I have about +every book on dogs that has been printed, I expect." + +On the walls above the bookcases were photographs and colored pictures +of dogs and horses in frames, and at one side of the room was a long +leather sofa. Mr. Hartshorn seated himself at his desk and began +rummaging in a drawer full of photographs, while he told the boys to +be seated on the sofa. + +"Now, then," he said when they were all settled, "you were asking me +about the different kinds of terriers, and I guess I've got pictures +of good specimens of about every kind. How many kinds of standard +breeds of terriers do you suppose there are?" + +"About eight, I guess," said Harry, who was a little more forward than +the Whipple boys. + +"Wrong," said Mr. Hartshorn. "There are nearly a hundred recognized +breeds of dogs in this country, all different, and eighteen of these +are terriers. To make them easier to remember, I will divide them into +three classes, smooth-coated, wire-haired, and long-haired. The +smooths are the bull terrier, the Boston, the smooth fox terrier, the +Manchester, and the Doberman pinscher. The wires are the wire-haired +fox terrier, the Airedale, the Bedlington, the Irish, the Welsh, the +Scottish, the West Highland white, the Dandie Dinmont, the cairn, and +the Sealyham. The long-haired ones are the Skye, the Clydesdale, and +the Yorkshire." + +"My!" exclaimed Ernest. "I never heard of some of them before." + +"Lots of people haven't," said Mr. Hartshorn, "but they're all worth +knowing. You can see nearly all of them at a big show like the one +held every year in New York. I'm going to tell you something about +them all, if you'd like to listen." + +"Oh, yes, please do," said Ernest. + +"Well," said Mr. Hartshorn, arranging his photographs, "first let me +explain what a terrier is. Most of them come from England and +Scotland. A few from Wales and Ireland. Terrier means earth dog, and +that's what they were called hundreds of years ago when they were +first used to hunt animals that run into the ground or under stones. +They had to be brave and gamey and not too big, and they became very +active little dogs and mighty efficient. At first, some were +smooth-coated and some wire-coated. Finally, however, Englishmen began +to breed certain favorite kinds, and so the different breeds were +gradually established. + +"One of the oldest kinds is the Manchester or black-and-tan terrier. +He was first bred by the mill hands in the Midland counties of England +where he was famous as a ratter. Here's a picture of one. Handsome +chap, isn't he? Nice, intelligent dog, too. His ears are cropped but +his tail isn't. The white bull terrier is a near relative of the +Manchester. I've already told you about him. + +"Now here's the Boston. I guess you know this kind." + +"Oh, yes," said Ernest. "Theron Hammond has one named Alert." + +"This is an American-made breed," said Mr. Hartshorn, "out of British +raw material. Some Boston fanciers developed it from the brindle bull +terrier about 1890. It's one of the most popular breeds here now. A +smallish dog--sometimes too small, I think--brindle and white. And +here's the smooth fox terrier. You've seen lots of those. Another +small one, not over twenty pounds. He was developed from the old +English working terrier about fifty years ago. + +[Illustration: Airedale Terrier] + +"Now here's one that I don't believe you know. It's a Doberman +pinscher. Funny name. Wonderfully smart dog, though. They call him the +dog with the human brain. He comes from Germany, where he was first a +watchdog and was later trained as a police dog. I believe the first +ones were brought over here in 1907. A muscular dog, weighing forty or +fifty pounds. He is marked like the Manchester but his coat is less +silky. + +"Now we come to the wires. The wire-haired fox terrier is really just +like the smooth, but he looks quite different because of his stiff, +wiry coat. Then there's the Airedale. You know about those. Best +all-round dog in the world in my opinion. This is a Bedlington. You +won't see many of those. Has a head like a lamb, hasn't he? And notice +the silky topknot. He's a good little sporting dog if he does look so +mild. They're mostly blue-gray and tan, and weigh about twenty-four +pounds. + +"Here's the liveliest one of the lot, the Irish terrier. Sometimes +they call him the dare-devil. He's a great little scrapper. He comes +from Ireland, of course. He's a red dog, weighs twenty-four pounds, +and makes one of the best comrades a boy can have. The Welsh terrier +is related to the wire-haired fox, though he looks more like a small +Airedale, being black and tan. He's a little smaller than the +Irishman. + +"Several terriers come from Scotland, and as you can see from these +pictures they're a short-legged, strong-headed, long-bodied lot. +That's because they were bred to go into the ground and the piles of +rocks after badger and such-like game. They had to be pretty tough to +manage it, too. This is the cairn terrier. He used to be called the +Highland terrier, and I guess he's more nearly like the original +terrier of Scotland than any of the others, He came from the +Hebrides Islands. I expect you've never seen one, for they aren't +common in this country. But they're jolly little beggars. They're the +smallest of the lot, weighing only twelve to fifteen pounds, but +mighty hardy and gamey. They are various sandy and grizzled colors and +always have this foxy little head. + +"You may have seen one of these. It's a Scottish terrier, once called +the Aberdeen, and we have a lot of good ones over here now. Some call +him the Scottie or the die-hard. See how wise he looks, with his +bright eyes under his big eyebrows. Notice the big head and short legs +and upright tail. There are some sandy ones, but mostly they're a dark +grizzled gray. They weigh eighteen to twenty pounds. Here's his first +cousin, the West Highland white terrier. He comes from Argyllshire, on +the west coast of Scotland, and he's always pure white. Like most of +the other Scotchmen he has a harsh outer coat and a soft under coat, +which are practically waterproof. He has a more pointed muzzle than +the Scottie and he's smaller." + +At the next picture the boys all laughed. It was such a queer-looking +dog, with such a big head and long body, and a face like that of an +old Scotchman. + +"He's a Dandie Dinmont," said Mr. Hartshorn. "If you ever read 'Guy +Mannering' by Sir Walter Scott, you may remember that he speaks of +Dandie Dinmont's pepper and mustard terriers. The book was published +in 1814, and Dandie Dinmont terriers have been popular in the border +countries of Scotland ever since. The Dandie is related to the +Bedlington. You see he has the same drooping ears and the topknot. +Gray and fawn are the colors. + +"This is the last of the wires. It's a Sealyham. He looks as though he +might be related to the Scotch breeds, with his short legs and strong +head. He was, in fact, bred for badger hunting, as they were, but he +comes from Wales. We have had them in this country only since 1912. +The Sealyham is a mighty lovable little dog. He is white, often with +black or brown markings, and he's about the same size as the West +Highlander. + +"Now we come to the long-coated ones, and the first of them is the +Skye, another of the Scotch breeds. He's a close relative of the +cairn, but he has a long coat and hair over his eyes. He's about the +same size as the West Highlander and he's blue-gray or fawn. They used +to be much more common than they are now. By the way, did you ever +read the story of Greyfriars Bobby?" + +None of the boys had read it. + +"Well, do so the first chance you get. That's on of the loveliest dog +stories ever written, and it's true. Greyfriars Bobby was a Skye +terrier. + +"This is the Clydesdale or Paisley terrier. Not at all a common breed. +I doubt if you'll ever see one in the United States. He looks +something like the Skye, but his coat is silkier. He's steel blue on +the body and head, with golden tan feet. The Yorkshire comes from the +other side of the border, and he's something like the Clydesdale, only +with longer legs and shorter body. He's a fancy dog with a wonderful +coat, parted down the middle and sweeping the ground. He's steel blue +with tan markings on the head, chest, and legs. + +"There you have all the terriers," he concluded, "and I guess you've +had a long enough lesson for one day. These facts are all very +interesting, but they become prosy and confusing if taken in too large +doses. Here, take this book home with you, and look it over at your +leisure. You'll find in it all the things I've told you and a lot more +besides." + +"Terriers are the smartest dogs there are, I guess," said Harry. + +"Well, I don't know as I should want to say quite that," said Mr. +Hartshorn. "Smartness and other qualities are as much a matter of +individuals as of breeds. However, the terriers certainly have won +that reputation." + +"Do you know any good stories about them?" asked Harry, who was +never backward in such matters. Mr. Hartshorn laughed. + +"Unfortunately my memory for stories isn't very good," said he, "but I +have lots of stories in books, and before you boys come up again, I'll +look up some of them. Meanwhile, see if they have a book in the +Boytown Library by Edward Jesse, called 'Anecdotes of Dogs.' It was +published in London in 1858, and it isn't very common, but if you can +find a copy, it's a dandy. It contains most of the historic dog +stories. It includes several stories about terriers, chiefly +illustrating their intelligence, but also their devotion. Many of +them, I recall, are stories of dogs that found their way home over +unknown roads after being carried away for long distances. This homing +instinct seems to be very strong in the terrier. The breed has always +been a very close and intimate companion of man, and that has +sharpened his wits and deepened his sympathies. + +"The only terrier story that I recall at the moment is a little +anecdote that illustrates the terrier's shrewdness rather than his +uprightness of character. A lady music teacher was going to the home +of one of her pupils one day when some sort of wire-haired terrier +surprised and startled her by running out from a field and seizing her +skirt in his teeth. She tried to drive him away, but he wouldn't go. +Becoming somewhat alarmed by his actions, she called to two laborers +who were working in the field, and they came to her assistance. + +"'He wants you to go with him, ma'am," one of the men said. 'I've +heard of dogs actin' like that. Maybe it's a murder or something. I +guess we'd better go along.' + +"They followed the dog to the rear of a cottage, and he at once began +to dig feverishly at a heavy plank. The workmen, half expecting to +find a corpse, lifted the plank, only to disclose a large beef bone. +This the terrier at once appropriated and made off with it, without +waiting to express his thanks for assistance." + +The boys laughed over this story, and thanked Mr. Hartshorn warmly for +the interesting things he had told them. Then, squabbling +good-naturedly over the possession of the dog book, they hurried off +to catch the late afternoon train back to Boytown. + +It was not long before they had another lesson in dog lore, though +this time it was not Mr. Hartshorn who was their teacher. The next +Saturday the three of them made another trip to Thornboro to return +the book, in the fascinating contents of which they had been reveling +for a week. They met Tom Poultice on the road with half a dozen of the +dogs out for exercise. They were a lively lot, and it took about all +of Tom's attention to keep them in hand. + +"Mr. 'Artshorn isn't 'ome to-day," said Tom. "You come along with me +and the dogs and I'll show you some fun. You can leave the book up at +the 'ouse when we get back." + +The boys accepted this as a rare privilege, and for an hour or two +accompanied Tom and his troublesome pack about the country roads. The +bull terriers were fairly well behaved, but the Airedales seemed bent +upon getting into all kinds of mischief. On two occasions Tom had his +hands full breaking up what promised to become a free-for-all fight. +But the boys could not help admiring the boundless vigor of these dogs +who seemed hardly able to contain all the youth and joy and life +within them. It made the boys want to run and romp and caper in +sympathy. + +As they entered the drive at Willowdale on their return, they saw a +sweet-faced woman standing on the porch with a little woolly white dog +beside her. + +"That's Mrs. 'Artshorn," said Tom. "You can give the book to 'er. +She'd like you to stop and speak to 'er." + +Somewhat shyly the boys followed his advice, but Mrs. Hartshorn, like +her husband, seemed to have the faculty of making them soon feel at +their ease. She at once introduced them to Daisy, her toy white +poodle. Daisy's long hair had been trimmed and clipped in a +ridiculous manner that made the boys laugh, but she soon proved +herself to be as smart as a whip. Mrs. Hartshorn put her through all +her pretty tricks. + +"I suppose, after seeing all those Airedales and bull terriers, you +won't think much of my little dogs," said Mrs. Hartshorn. "Tom +Poultice is very scornful about toys. But a dog is a dog, no matter +how little. I want you to come in and see my prize Pomeranian, Tip." + +They followed her into the house and up a broad staircase. At the top +she turned and said: + +"I think Tip is in the nursery with the baby. Don't be startled if he +tries to eat you up. You needn't be quiet, because it's about time for +baby's nap to be over." + +She ushered them into the nursery, a pretty pink and white room, and +there lay a handsome, chocolate-colored little dog on a mat beside a +white crib. At the sight of strangers Tip growled a little and showed +his white teeth. + +"Don't you want to take a look at the baby?" asked Mrs. Hartshorn, +with a twinkle in her eyes. + +Harry Barton stepped bravely forward, but was met by an attack so +savage that he hastily retired. Tip did not bark; barking was not +permitted in the nursery. But he defended his charge with a ferocity +quite out of proportion to his diminutive size. + +"Lie down, Tip," said Mrs. Hartshorn, laughing. "It's all right." And +Tip retired, grumbling, to his rug. + +[Illustration: Pomeranian] + +"He's little, but, oh, my!" said Mrs. Hartshorn. "I don't believe one +of you would dare to touch that baby with Tip anywhere around. Now +isn't he a dog, after all?" + +The boys admitted quite readily that he was. + +"He chased a tramp away once," said she. "The tramp came to the +front door when Mr. Hartshorn was away, and spoke so roughly to my +maid that I was really quite frightened. Tip heard him and came out +like a flash. The man swore and kicked at him. Nothing makes a dog so +angry as kicking at him, and Tip jumped and nipped the man's finger. +He swore again, but Tip renewed his attack to such good purpose that +the man backed away and finally retreated in disorder with Tip at his +heels. I've known big dogs that couldn't do so much." + +The boys looked upon Tip with new respect. + +"Now come and see my Pekes," said Mrs. Hartshorn. + +The boys followed her into another room where two Pekingese spaniels +got lazily out of a basket and came forward to greet her. And for the +next few minutes the boys found infinite amusement playing with the +fluffy little pets. + + + + +CHAPTER VI + +ANXIOUS DAYS + + +It was April before the three boys had an opportunity to accept Mrs. +Hartshorn's invitation to visit her at Willowdale. On this occasion, +as on the last, Mr. Hartshorn was away from home and there were only +the four of them at luncheon. A soft-footed maid in a white cap and +apron filled their plates with creamed chicken on toast, followed by +delicious hot waffles and maple syrup. + +When luncheon was over, she led them into her husband's den and took +down one of his books. + +"I suppose you've been about filled up with dog talk," said she, "but +I want to be sure that you're converted to a love for the toys. So +many men and boys don't care for them, but when you come to know about +them, they're just as interesting as any other dogs. That is, most of +them are. There are some kinds that I confess I don't especially care +for myself. Come sit on the sofa and look at this book with me." + +When they were comfortably seated, she began turning over the pages of +the book, pointing out pictures of the various toy breeds. + +"We'll take the short-coated ones first," said she, "since that's the +way they're arranged in the book. Now can you imagine anything more +delicate and graceful than this little dog? It's the Italian +greyhound, you see. Some of the toy breeds have been created by a +dwarfing process by modern fanciers, but this little chap was known in +Italy in the Middle Ages. You can see dogs something like him on Greek +and Roman statuary. + +"Now here's the good old pug. You know the pug, don't you? There +aren't so very many of them about now, though. They used to be the +favorite lap-dogs, but somehow the Poms and the Pekes have come in to +take their place. It is a very old breed and its ancestors were +probably brought from China by the Dutch who later introduced it into +England. Fawn used to be the popular color, but black has been in +favor for several years. + +"Now these are what we call miniatures, because they are merely dwarfs +of larger breeds. The toy Manchester or black-and-tan was bred from +the large Manchester terrier and should look just like his big +brother, only he should weigh less than seven pounds. Same way with +the toy bull terrier. The miniature bulldog was developed sixty years +or more ago by the lace workers of Nottingham, England." + +The boys were much interested in the next picture, which showed the +tiniest sort of a dog sitting in a glass tumbler. + +"Why," said Jack, "he looks more like a rat than a dog." + +"It's a real dog, nevertheless," said Mrs. Hartshorn, "though probably +the smallest breed in the world. It's a Chihuahua, pronounced +Che-wa-wa, and it comes from Mexico. They weigh from a pound and a +half to about four pounds, about as much as a kitten. Of course, +they're rather delicate, and I doubt if you could expect one to attack +a tramp. The head is round as an apple, with pointed nose and big, +outstanding ears. The Chihuahua always has a little soft spot in the +top of the skull. + +"Now we come to the long-haired toys, which are the most popular at +the present time. I believe the Pomeranian is the most popular of them +all. He is really a small spitz and came first from Germany. You +noticed Tip's compact little body, fox-like head, and alert +expression. A wonderful little dog. His chief glory is his fine, +fluffy coat and mane. + +"Then there are the English toy spaniels. They used to be all called +King Charles spaniels and were named after Charles II of England, who +was very fond of them. Now the authorities have divided them into four +varieties according to color, though they are all the same breed. The +Blenheim is red or orange and white, the ruby is chestnut red, the +King Charles is black and tan, and the Prince Charles is +tri-color--black, white, and tan. + +[Illustration: Pekingese] + +"The Pekingese is another of the very popular ones. A brave, proud +little chap, as he should be, for he was the pet of Chinese emperors +for hundreds of years. The first ones were brought to England in 1860 +when the Europeans took the city of Peking and sacked the royal +palaces. Before that time they had been carefully guarded as sacred +animals. You see they look somewhat different from the English toy +spaniel. The head is flatter, for one thing. + +"The Japanese spaniel is still different, though he is probably +related to the Peke. He has been the pet of the Japs for centuries. +The colors are black and white or red and white, and the weight is +seven pounds, more or less. This snowy white one, with his bright +little face, is a Maltese dog. He also has an ancient lineage. He was +known in ancient Greece and Rome and has been in England since the +time of Henry VIII. You saw my toy poodle. It's just a miniature of +the big poodle and has been popular in France and England for over a +century. Very popular here now, too. + +"Now we come to the last of the more prominent breeds of toys, and the +only one with a wire coat. He comes from Belgium and he's called the +Brussels griffon. Don't you love his little monkey face, with its +beard and mustache? He's a hardy, intelligent, affectionate little +dog, too. Some folks think he's the smartest of all the toys. + +"There," she concluded, passing them the book to look over again, "I +guess you've had enough for one day. You'll begin to think I'm as bad +as my husband. But I didn't want you to get the idea that the only +real dog is a big dog. Don't you think that some of these toy breeds +deserve some respect, now that you know something of their honorable +history?" + +"Well, I should say so," said Ernest. "I had no idea there were so +many different kinds or that they had any special history. I want to +see those Pekes again, whose grandfathers were stolen from the +Chinese emperors." + +The interest in toys had been kindled, and the boys took occasion +later to refresh their memories from books that Mr. Hartshorn lent +them, but when Ernest and Jack reached home that afternoon the toy +breeds were swept entirely out of their minds for the time being. For +Romulus appeared to be ailing and Remus was evidently quite sick. + +The two setter puppies had been growing rapidly and had been allowed +to run out in the yard as the April days grew warmer. They had lost +some of their puppy awkwardness though none of their puppy +playfulness, and were fast developing into strong-boned, active dogs. +They had begun to appear more devoted to their young masters, too, and +to understand better the meaning of the words they were expected to +obey. Needless to say, the boys had become deeply attached to them. + +There is nothing more pitiful to look at than a sick dog, and there +was something very sad in the way these two rollicking, healthy +puppies were so suddenly stricken down. The boys, not finding them in +the yard, had gone at once to Rome. There lay Remus on the bed, +breathing with difficulty, and recognizing their approach only by a +raising of his brows and a pathetic little effort to wag his tail. +Romulus came to greet them a little weakly, but he, too, looked very +forlorn and somehow very thin and little. Both dogs seemed to be +running from the eyes and nose and to be suffering from feverish +colds. + +"Oh, Ernest," cried Jack, the tears coming to his eyes at the sight of +their suffering, "they're sick. Whatever shall we do?" + +"I don't know," said Ernest. "I don't know what you do for a sick dog. +We will ask father. He'll be home soon." + +Mr. Whipple came out to look at the dogs soon after his return, but he +was unable to suggest anything very helpful. He prescribed warm milk +for dinner, and the puppies both drank it, though without much +enthusiasm. That night the boys spread burlap blankets over the dogs +and went to bed with heavy hearts. + +The next morning and the morning after Romulus and Remus did not seem +to be any better, nor, luckily, very much worse. The boys did what +they could for them, keeping them warm and feeding them beef soup and +warm milk, but they did not seem to be making much progress with the +cure. So on Monday Ernest sent another postal card to Sam Bumpus, +begging him to come down and look at the dogs. They had infinite +confidence in Sam. + +He did not fail them, and on Tuesday afternoon after the boys had +come home from school Sam appeared. By this time both dogs were pretty +sick. They had lost flesh and looked pitifully thin and weak and wan. +They seemed to have trouble breathing and to be affected by other +complications. They looked up at their young masters with big, +pathetic eyes, as though pleading for help in their affliction. + +The boys watched Sam anxiously as he examined the dogs. His face was +grave. + +"It's distemper," said he. "I was afraid it was. Distemper's no joke; +it's the dog's worst enemy. Sometimes it runs into pneumonia, or the +dogs die in fits, or just waste away and give up. But cheer up; I've +seen lots of 'em pull through, and we'll try to save these two. You've +done the right thing so far. Careful nursin' does it. Keep 'em dry and +out of draughts and keep up their strength with good food, easy to +digest. Most dogs that die of distemper die because they didn't have +strength enough to last 'em through. The disease has to have its run, +and in time it just naturally runs out. That's the way I look at it. +It don't do much good to try to cure 'em with medicine. As I say, it's +the nursin' does the trick. Still, some folks believe in givin' +quinine and you can do that if you want to. It's a tonic and it can't +do any harm if you don't give too much. And keep their eyes and noses +washed out with boracic acid." + +"Is this place all right for them?" asked Ernest. + +"Sure," said Sam. "It's a good place, now that the weather is mild. +The more fresh air the better, so long as it ain't damp or too cold or +draughty. You keep fussin' over 'em and let me know how they get +along. Give 'em plenty of clean water and feed 'em a good deal of milk +porridge several times a day. Better cut out the solid food till +they're better." + +For nearly two weeks the boys watched the progress of the disease with +aching hearts. Sometimes the symptoms seemed less acute and they felt +hopeful; then again the condition of their patients was such as to +frighten them. They spent all their spare time with the puppies, in +spite of their mother's anxiety lest they catch the disease +themselves. Their father, however, was quite positive that human +beings could not take distemper from dogs. + +A deep cloud of anxiety hung over the Whipple home during those days, +even Mrs. Whipple feeling the effects of it. There was no running and +romping about the house; no longer the rooms echoed with boyish shouts +and laughter. Each morning Ernest and Jack awoke with a feeling that +something awful was impending. It seemed sometimes as though the dogs +had always been sick and that they would never get well. Sometimes the +tension would become too great for Jack and he would cry as though +his heart would break. + +"Oh, Ernest," he would sob, "what should I do if Remus died?" + +And Ernest would have to struggle hard to keep from joining in the +tears of his younger brother. The boys had come to love their dogs, +and it seemed as though the puppies looked to them alone to save them. +It is that way with dogs and people--that is, the people who care for +dogs. And when once the wonderful tie has been formed between boy and +dog it grows ever stronger. It becomes an ennobling thing. + +Romulus developed a distressing cough, but after about ten days of +suffering he began to show signs of improvement. He ate with greater +relish and seemed brighter and stronger. Gradually the symptoms of the +disease lessened and as the days went by Ernest became more and more +happily convinced that he was really getting well. But with poor Remus +it was different. The distemper seemed unwilling to relax its hold on +him and his digestive system became so disordered that he could not +gain the much needed strength from his food. Jack spent all the time +he could beside the little sufferer, easing his head and bathing his +eyes and nose, and listening with helpless agony to the labored +breathing. + +Suddenly, one afternoon, Remus struggled to his feet and staggered +uncertainly for a few steps. His half-closed eyes were glassy and did +not seem to see what he was looking at. He lurched into the wall in a +way that made Romulus take to a corner in fear. Then he ran a few +steps aimlessly and toppled over, his muscles twitching dreadfully and +his feet scratching the floor. + +Jack was terribly frightened and called to Ernest, who came running +in. Both boys thought that Remus was surely dying, but after a while +he grew quieter and Jack lifted him tenderly back upon the bed. + +"I guess it was a fit," said Ernest. "Sam told about that, you know." + +"Oh, what shall we do?" wailed Jack in despair. "We _must_ do +something, Ernest." + +Ernest thought for a moment, and then an idea came to him. + +"I'll telephone Mr. Hartshorn," said he. "He might know what to do, +and I don't believe he'd mind. He wouldn't want a dog to die." + +"Oh, please do," begged Jack. + +Mr. Hartshorn was not home, but Mrs. Hartshorn, who answered the +telephone, was very sympathetic. + +"I'm so sorry he's had convulsions," said she. "It's a bad sign. I'm +sorry Mr. Hartshorn is away. I know just how it is, though, for I've +sat up all night with dogs sick like that, more than once. I'll send +Tom Poultice right over. He's a better dog doctor in his way than a +good many vets., and he may be able to help you." + +Ernest thanked the kind lady very heartily, and Tom Poultice came that +very evening. Mr. Whipple lighted a lantern and they all went out to +Rome. Tom examined both dogs and pronounced Romulus to be on the mend. + +"'E'll be all right," said Tom, "if 'e don't take cold or get upset. +But this other one, 'e's in a bad way, I'm afraid." + +Then he took Remus up, looked into his eyes and throat, and felt of +his stomach and of the pulse under his forelegs. + +"'E's got to be straightened out first," said he. "'Ave you any castor +oil?" + +Tom administered the castor oil in a thoroughly efficient manner and +then sent Ernest into the house to beg a little hot tea and a raw egg +from Delia. The puppy took the tea quite eagerly and lapped some of +the egg. + +"Give 'im a little of this as often as 'e'll take it," said Tom, "and +telephone me to-morrow 'ow 'e seems. If 'e gets stronger, we'll give +'im something else. If the castor oil don't work, we'll 'ave to give +'im calomel or a compound cathartic pill, though I 'ate to do that +if I don't 'ave to. Calomel's terrible strong stuff for a sick puppy. +'Ow long 'as 'e been sick?" + +"About two weeks," said Jack. + +"That's about the course of it," said Tom. "If 'e ain't better in a +day or two now, 'e'll be gone. I wish I'd tackled 'im before. Well, +give 'im these pills, one to-night and three to-morrow, during the +day, and keep me posted." + +"What are these pills composed of?" inquired Mr. Whipple, who was +taking a lively interest in proceedings. + +"I 'ave 'em made up myself, sir," said Tom. "It's an old receipt I +learned in Hengland. I ain't much on medicine myself, but sometimes +this 'elps, especially if it's used earlier. There's thirty drops of +acetate of ammonia in each pill, fifteen drops of sweet spirits of +nitre, and two grains of salicylate of soda. It's better to give 'em +in a little camphor water." + +The boys followed Tom's directions faithfully. In the morning they +found Remus lying against the door of Rome, quite exhausted, and there +were signs that he had had another convulsion during the night. But +during the day the castor oil got in its effect and there was no need +for the calomel. Remus seemed more able and willing to take his tea +and egg, and though no gain in strength was to be noted that day, he +had no more convulsions. + +Recovery was slow but sure for Remus from that time on, while Romulus +mended rapidly, and it was not long before he was running about the +yard again. Remus gained strength very slowly and for a long time was +troubled by a cough and upset digestion, but as the days went by and +he suffered no serious relapse Jack's buoyant nature responded and he +was glad with hope once more. Tom Poultice came again to offer +encouragement and advice, and when Sam Bumpus visited Rome unannounced +one afternoon and was told what had happened, he proved himself to be +most generous in his praise of Tom's skill. + +"I don't know this English feller," said he, "but when it comes to +doctorin' sick pups, I've got to hand it to him. When you see him +again give him old Sam's best regards and tell him I'll vote for him +next election whether he's runnin' or not." + +Sam was in a jovial mood and the boys were in the humor to laugh +heartily at anything he said. The tension was broken, the days of +anxiety were past, and sunshine again filled the house on Washburn +Street. + +"It's just like a toothache when it's over, ain't it?" said Sam. + +As for Jack, he hugged the emaciated little Remus close to his +breast, and, with big tears of happiness in his eyes, kissed the +tousled little head. Remus gave a little, human-sounding whimper and +licked Jack's hand. That was the only way he knew to express his love +and gratitude, but Jack understood. + + + + +CHAPTER VII + +SOME OTHER DOGS, INCLUDING RAGS + + +It was sympathy for Jack Whipple and interest in the sickness and +recovery of Remus that resulted in the formation of a sort of +freemasonry of dog lovers among the boys of Boy town. It had always +been known that some of the boys had dogs, and there had been a good +deal of fun with these dogs at different times in the past. But +hitherto the dogs had been, in a way, taken for granted, and had lived +in a sort of background in the boy life of the town. Suddenly they +came to light as important members of the community, and each dog had +its boy champion. + +While Romulus and Remus were sick, the Whipple boys often had to +answer inquiries as to their progress, but Ernest and Jack had been so +wrapped up in their own worries that they did not realize the +widespread sympathy that had sprung up. They did not know that a dozen +other boys each loved a dog much as they loved Romulus and Remus and +could understand what it must mean to watch at the bedside of a +seriously sick puppy. + +But when Romulus was well on the road to perfect health again and +Remus was slowly convalescing, the other boy dog lovers of the town +began to drop around, sometimes with offerings to be appreciated by +dogs, just as neighbors bring in jellies and fruit when a person is +recovering from a long illness. Then Ernest and Jack began to realize +how many friends they had in Boytown and that they all had a precious +possession in common. + +Harry Barton came first, with Mike. His manner was subdued and he did +not brag. He stepped softly as one would in entering a sick room, and +he patted Remus's little head very gently and called him "poor little +muttsie." Then came Theron Hammond, though he left his Boston terrier +at home because Alert had never had distemper and might catch it. He +and the Whipple boys sat for a long time in the stable doorway and +speculated about the knowingness of dogs. Monty Hubbard came, too. He +left his Irish terrier, Mr. O'Brien, at home because of said Mr. +O'Brien's well-known proclivity to fight with anything in the shape of +a dog, though Monty was sure he wouldn't hurt two sick puppies. But +Herbie Pierson honored Rome by bringing his huge, brindled Great Dane, +Hamlet, who regarded the setters with fatherly indulgence and then +walked off in his stately manner and crouched like a noble statue +beside the front gate. + +And last of all came Rags and Jimmie Rogers, of whom I will presently +tell you more. + +[Illustration: Great Dane] + +Boytown had always been a great place for dogs. Not only the +aristocrats of dogdom, living comfortably in homes with loving masters +and mistresses, but all sorts of nondescript dogs, many of whom seemed +to be masterless and homeless, though not invariably unhappy. In fact, +there were many good citizens of Boytown who did not like dogs and who +felt that the canine population of the place was altogether too +large. + +There were restrictive laws that ought to have reduced this canine +population to such dogs as were properly owned and licensed, but the +government of Boytown was criticized as being a happy-go-lucky affair +a good deal of the time, and it was only when complaints became +sufficiently numerous and serious that the town fathers took steps to +enforce the laws and abolish what was conceded to be a public +nuisance. Then a dog catcher was hired, warnings were posted, and the +stray dogs were gathered up and mysteriously disposed of. It was +rather a cruel and heart-rending business, if you stopped to think of +it, and it would not have been necessary if the authorities had been +more uniformly strict in observing the statutes and ordinances, but +that was their way. + +It was during one of the periods of laxity that a wire-haired terrier +appeared from no one knew where. He was not an authentic +representative of any of the established breeds; it was quite evident +that he had just happened somehow. But he was conspicuous among his +miscellaneous black and white and brown and brindled brethren by +reason of his superior alertness and intelligence and his +never-failing good humor and high spirits. His tramp life had in no +way damaged his disposition; he seemed to have been born full of the +joy of life. He was about the size of one of Mr. Hartshorn's smaller +Airedales and in the main he was not badly formed. But his tail, which +had never been docked, hung at a rakish angle to one side and one ear +was set higher than the other. His eyes were extraordinarily bright +and his wiry coat was a grizzled black, always tousled and generally +dirty. + +The boys were not long in making this stranger's acquaintance. Indeed, +he made the first advances, joining in their sport one day when they +were in swimming in the pond over by the brickyard, and mingling his +joyous barks with the shrieks of laughter which his antics provoked. +He would pick them up on their way to school, or anywhere, and make +himself generally companionable, and it was not long before they +discovered him to be most precocious in the learning of tricks. + +It was not in the nature of things that such a dog should remain +forever masterless, but the periodical cleaning up of the dog catcher +had begun before anyone had had time to think of him as anything but +everybody's dog. It was Jimmie Rogers who saw him seized and thrust +unceremoniously into the dog catcher's covered wagon, and it was +Jimmie who set out alone to achieve his rescue. Jimmie's people lived +on Sharon Street and were not well to do, but somehow Jimmie managed +to scrape together the five dollars which he found must be paid +before he could establish his claim to ownership. + +After that, by common consent, he became Jimmie Rogers's dog. He had +already won the name of Rags. + +So Jimmie brought his beloved Rags to visit the invalids, and Romulus +and Remus looked on with big-eyed amazement while Rags was made to sit +up, shake hands, roll over, chase his tail, play dead, and sing. + +But there was one boy with a dog who did not come to visit the sick, +and Ernest and Jack Whipple were not sorry. They did not like Dick +Wheaton, and Dick, it was easy to believe, was not one to care whether +another boy's dog died or not. He was a good deal of a bully at +school, and Jack feared and avoided him. As for the older boys, they +found him generally unamiable and those of them who knew the love of +dogs were angry with Dick for the way he treated poor little Gyp. + +Gyp was a smooth-coated fox terrier and a very good specimen of his +breed. He was smart and gamey, but his spirit had nearly been broken +by his tyrannical master. Dick seemed unable to resist the temptation +to bully everything smaller and weaker than himself, and when there +were no small boys or little girls within his reach he indulged his +proclivities by teasing his dog. + +Gyp, who had never had any other master, did not think of resenting +this. He merely endured it as best he might. In fact, there was no +more obedient dog in Boytown. It was pitiful to see the way in which +he would answer his master's lightest word, as though he lived +constantly in the hope of winning favor by his promptness. + +Boys often like to tease animals, but they are seldom actually cruel, +at least not knowingly so. And when a boy becomes possessed of a dog +or a pony of his own, his attitude often undergoes a marked change. +But no relenting took place in Dick Wheaton's nature, and the other +boys who had learned the lesson of kindness, recognizing his right to +do as he chose with his own, could only look on with growing +disapproval and dislike. + +But all the other dog-owning boys of the town found their friendships +growing closer in the warmth of this common interest. During the +convalescence of Remus they made Rome a sort of lodge room for the +meetings of a new association with an unwritten constitution and no +by-laws. They talked much of dogs and it was not long before a number +of them were keenly desirous of visiting Willowdale and making the +acquaintance of dog-wise Tom Poultice, the rich Mr. Hartshorn, and all +the Airedales and white bull terriers. + +So Harry Barton made the arrangements and one Saturday in May an +expedition was formed to walk to Thornboro and visit Willowdale. There +were seven boys in the company and three dogs--Mike, Alert, and Rags. +Romulus and Remus were not yet strong enough to make such a trip and +it was voted that these three could be counted upon to behave +themselves properly. There was a little doubt about Rags, but he was a +general favorite and was always given the benefit of any doubt. At the +last moment Herbie Pierson and Hamlet joined the excursion. + +To these active boys and their dogs the way did not seem too long. In +fact, Rags, full of joyful exuberance at this rare treat, dashed about +on all sorts of secondary adventures, running three miles to every one +traversed. Even sturdy little Alert, in spite of his short legs, took +it all as a lark and did not think to be weary until he reached home +that afternoon and fell sound asleep on his front door mat. + +The arrival of the four canine strangers at Willowdale created a good +deal of commotion in the fenced-in runs, and Rags nearly went crazy +with the excitement. But Tom Poultice took it all good-naturedly, and +when he had got things quieted down a little he took the boys through +the kennels and introduced them to the prize dogs. + +They were all so absorbed in this pleasant occupation that it was +noon before they knew it, and Mrs. Hartshorn came out to invite them +all up to the porch for a luncheon. As they were following her up to +the house she asked questions about their four dogs, and appeared to +take a great interest in Alert especially. + +"He's really a very fine little dog," she said. "But who is this?" +Rags had come up and thrust his cold nose ingratiatingly into her +hand. + +"Oh, that's Rags," they said, and interrupted each other with +explanations. Mrs. Hartshorn laughed. + +"Well, I would hardly know what to call him," she said, "but he is +evidently a very popular person. But what's the matter with his back?" + +"Oh, it just itches," said Jimmie. + +There was a spot on Rags's back that was difficult for him to reach, +and it gave him a good deal of trouble, but he had managed to bite a +good deal of the hair out of it. Beneath, Mrs. Hartshorn discovered +the skin to be in a scabby and unhealthy condition. + +"Well," said she, "this shouldn't be neglected. It may be mange, and +that's serious. Let's have Tom look at it." + +Tom came up at her bidding and examined Rags's back. + +"Do you think it's mange, Tom?" asked Mrs. Hartshorn. + +"I don't think so," said he. "It looks like heczema, like the +Hairedales had last summer. 'E better 'ave some of that medicine, I +fancy." + +"All right," said Mrs. Hartshorn, "I still have some at the house, I +think, that I got in case my dogs should need it. Eczema," she +explained to the boys, "isn't exactly a skin disease. It is caused by +the dog's general condition, and should be treated internally, though +if you will rub zinc ointment on that spot it will heal more rapidly. +The cure is first a good dose of sulphur and cream of tartar; you can +get that in tablet form at the drug store. Then give him the pills I +am going to get for you. They are a tonic and ought to fix him up all +right." + +"Only be sure not to feed him any corn meal," warned Tom. + +"That's so," said Mrs. Hartshorn, "especially now that warm weather is +coming." + +Before the boys left that afternoon she gave Jimmie half a dozen soft +pills and also a prescription for more. It read, "Sulphate of quinine, +1 grain; sulphate of iron, 2 grains; extract of hyoscyamus, 1 grain; +with enough extract of taraxacum and glycerine to make a pill." It +might be added that Jimmie used this medicine faithfully and the sore, +itching spot at length disappeared from Rags's back. + +Meanwhile the boys had arranged themselves expectantly on the front +porch and the maid presently appeared with plates, napkins, +sandwiches, crullers, and lemonade. Mrs. Hartshorn was a charming +hostess and the boys waxed merry over their luncheon. Great piles of +sandwiches disappeared as if by magic, and then there was chocolate +ice cream and sponge cake. The dogs lay eying their masters enviously, +all except the incorrigible Rags. He sat up and begged constantly, and +even Mrs. Hartshorn could not resist the temptation to toss him a +morsel now and then, which he caught with great deftness. + +Just as they were finishing, Mr. Hartshorn drove up in his car. + +"What have we here?" he cried. "An orphan asylum or a dog show?" + +He got out of his car and ascended the steps, demanding his share of +the luncheon. Those of the boys who had not already met him were +introduced. Then he asked to be made acquainted with the dogs. + +"What do you think of them?" asked Herbie Pierson, who was very proud +of his imposing Great Dane. + +"I'll tell you after I've partaken of a little nourishment," said Mr. +Hartshorn. "You can't expect a man to talk learnedly on an empty +stomach, can you?" + +He proceeded to do ample justice to his share of the sandwiches and +ice cream, while a jolly conversation was kept up, even the shyer boys +entering in at last. + +"Now," said Mr. Hartshorn, as he finished his last spoonful, "let's +have a look at that Great Dane." + +He stepped down from the porch and approached Hamlet, who submitted to +his caress with dignity. Then Mr. Hartshorn did strange things to him +which brought a look of amazement into his eyes. He pulled back the +dog's hind feet and made him stand straight, measured his head with +his hands, pulled down his lips, and thumped his ribs. + +"A pretty good dog," said Mr. Hartshorn. "A trifle off in the +shoulders, perhaps, and a bit cow-hocked, but he has a good head. Ever +show him?" + +"No, sir," said Herbie. + +"Well, you ought to. We'll see about that some time." + +"Won't you tell us something about Great Danes and other dogs, Mr. +Hartshorn?" asked Harry Barton. "Things like you told us about the +terriers the other day." + +"Why," said he, "I thought I must have given you such a dose of it the +other time that you would want to run away from any more." + +"Oh, no, sir," said Ernest Whipple. "We thought it was very +interesting. We've talked it over a lot since, and we want to know +about all the other kinds of dogs, too. All the boys do." + +"Well," said Mr. Hartshorn, "you never can tell what a boy will like, +I guess. If you had to learn all that in school, I'll bet you'd hate +it. But I don't want to overdo it. I'll tell you about just a few this +time." + +The boys crowded around him expectantly as he sat down again on the +porch. + +"The Great Dane," he began, "though once a hunting dog, a boarhound, +is now classed among the non-sporting breeds, and I'll tell you +something about those. They include the very biggest dogs--the +mastiff, the St. Bernard, the Newfoundland, and the Great Dane. The +smaller ones are the English bulldog, the French bulldog, the chow +chow, the poodle, the Dalmatian, and the schipperke. The collies and +other sheepdogs are also classed with the non-sporting breeds, but +I'll save those for another time. Let me get a book or two, so that +I'll be sure to get my information correct. + +"Now then," he continued, when he had returned with his books, "I'll +outline a few facts about each of these breeds, but in order to avoid +sounding like a walking catalogue, I am going to omit a good many +things like color, size, and weight. These things are very important +in distinguishing the breeds, but they aren't very easy to carry in +your heads, and you can find them all set down in the dog books. I +shall try to tell you only the interesting, picturesque things about +each breed's history and character, and you can find all the rest in +the books. + +"Let's begin with the St. Bernard. He's the biggest of all. Who knows +anything about the St. Bernard?" + +"There's a piece in the Fourth Reader about them," ventured Theron +Hammond. "They used to guide travelers in the Alps and rescue them +when they were lost in the snow." + +"And there was one named Barry," put in Harry Barton, "who saved the +lives of forty people, and they set up a monument of him in Paris." + +"Correct," said Mr. Hartshorn. "There's no breed more famed in song +and story than the St. Bernard. It was developed long ago by the monks +of the Hospice of St. Bernard in Switzerland, who trained their dogs +for the purposes you have mentioned. So many of them were lost, +however, that the breed got into a bad way a hundred years ago and had +to be brought back by crossing with the Newfoundland and other breeds. +As I said, it is one of the largest breeds, sometimes weighing as much +as two hundred pounds--more than most men." + +"Are there some good St. Bernard stories?" asked Jack Whipple, who +preferred anecdotes to descriptive particulars. + +"A lot of them," said Mr. Hartshorn, "but there seems to be a good +deal of sameness about them. They tell of the saving of Alpine +travelers and shepherds, lost in snowstorms or caught in crevasses in +glaciers. Some of them are very thrilling. The best story I ever read +about a St. Bernard, however, had nothing to do with mountaineering. + +"This dog was the beloved friend and constant companion of the Count +of Monte Veccios, a Venetian nobleman. Now it became very necessary to +the Count that he should obtain certain favors from General Morosini, +who was somewhat difficult of approach, in spite of the fact that he +was in much the same position himself. In order to gain his own ends, +the General had arranged in his palace a gorgeous banquet in honor of +the Doge of Venice, from whom he hoped to gain important concessions, +and he had caused his great banquet table to be laden with gold and +silver plate and much fine Venetian glass. + +"The Count, hearing of these preparations, screwed up his courage and +called on General Morosini. He praised to the skies the table +appointments, which pleased the General, but as soon as he began to +plead his own cause, the General became cold and unyielding and +begged the Count to cease annoying him about these petty matters. As +the Count left the General's palace, he turned to his faithful dog, +with tears in his eyes, and said, 'You see, my friend, how badly I am +used.' + +"The St. Bernard was greatly affected by this, and he formed in his +own mind a plan of revenge, since it was beyond his powers to secure +justice. Unobserved, he stole back into the General's palace, and just +as the Doge was arriving with his retinue, the dog seized the corner +of the tablecloth in his mouth and dashed out of the house, upsetting +the entire banquet and smashing most of the valuable glassware. I +don't believe there is any moral to that story, but perhaps that won't +spoil it for you. + +"I don't believe I have any mastiff stories," continued Mr. Hartshorn, +"but that breed must be mentioned in passing, as it is one of the very +old and very famous breeds of England. The mastiff used to be popular +here thirty years ago, but we seldom see any now, and sometimes I fear +the breed is dying out. It's too bad, for he was a fine, powerful dog, +brave and wise. + +"Another fine dog that has gone out of fashion is the Newfoundland. +There are still some good ones in England, but very few here. I +suppose the Newfoundland has more rescues of drowning persons to his +credit than any other breed, and it's a shame to see him go. The breed +originated on the island of Newfoundland a hundred years ago, and you +will still see a dog's head on the Newfoundland postage stamps. + +"The Newfoundland has a waterproof coat and is a wonderful swimmer, so +that a good many of the anecdotes told about dogs of this breed have +to do with their exploits in the water. For example, there is one of a +man who fell off a narrow foot-bridge into a swift mill stream. The +miller's dog promptly dived in and rescued him, and having +accomplished this, coolly plunged in again to save the man's hat that +was just about to be swept over the dam. There are several amusing +stories told of Newfoundlands dragging bathers to shore, quite against +their wills, because the dogs fancied they were in danger. + +"A naval lieutenant owned a canary bird and a Newfoundland dog. While +they were cruising in the Mediterranean, the bird escaped from the +cabin and, flying out to sea, became weighted down with the spray and +dropped into the water. The dog leaped overboard, and when he was +hauled up on deck again, he dropped the bird out of his mouth, quite +uninjured. Another naval officer who owned a Newfoundland was drowned +when his ship was sunk near Liverpool. The faithful dog swam about +over the spot for three days and three nights, searching vainly for +his master, before he would allow himself to be brought exhausted to +land. + +"Friendships between two dogs are very rare, but instances have been +recorded, and in most of these a Newfoundland figures. At Donaghadee +there was once a mastiff and a Newfoundland who were, for some reason, +bitter enemies, and as both were powerful dogs, it was desirable to +keep them apart. One day, however, the mastiff attacked the +Newfoundland on the pier, and a terrific fight ensued. At length both +dogs fell into the water and loosed their holds. The Newfoundland was +soon on dry land, but the mastiff was a poor swimmer and appeared in +danger of drowning. The Newfoundland, observing the plight of his +recent antagonist, plunged in again and brought him to shore, after +which the two dogs were the closest friends. Another Newfoundland at +Cork became so annoyed by a small, troublesome cur, that at last he +took him in his mouth and dropped him into the water. When the small +dog was nearly drowned the Newfoundland rescued him, and was never +annoyed by him again. + +"But the Newfoundland has been the means of saving not merely drowning +persons. In 1841 a laborer named Rake in the parish of Botley, near +Southampton, in England, was buried in a gravel pit with two ribs +broken. He was helpless and would undoubtedly have died there if his +employer's Newfoundland dog had not dug him out. + +"William Youatt, who wrote two or three of the dog books in my +library, tells of an experience he once had with a friend's +Newfoundland dog named Carlo. Youatt and the friend and Carlo parted +on the road to Kingston, the dog and his master turning off toward +Wandsworth. Soon afterward Youatt was accosted by ruffians. He never +knew what made Carlo come back to him, but the dog appeared at the +critical moment and drove the men away. Carlo escorted Youatt to a +safe place, and then, in the author's quaint words, 'with many a +mutual and honest greeting we parted, and he bounded away to overtake +his rightful owner.' + +"The Newfoundland has always been famous as the protector of children, +and this is illustrated by an amusing story told of a Newfoundland +that was owned by the chief engineer on H. M. S. _Buffalo_. The +incident took place on an evening in 1858 at the Woolwich theater in +London. In the third act of the play, 'Jessie Vere,' there was a +violent struggle over the possession of a child. The dog, who had +sneaked into the theater behind his master, flew to the rescue across +the footlights, much to the consternation of all concerned." + +"My!" said Ernest Whipple, "there are certainly a fine lot of +stories about Newfoundlands. Are they all true?" + +"Well," smiled Mr. Hartshorn, "I can't vouch for them all, but I +believe that most of them are founded on fact, and some of them are +undoubtedly quite true. Now let's see what the next dog is. + +"The Great Dane is at the present time the most popular of the very +large dogs. As you can see by looking at Hamlet, he is a powerful, +graceful animal. The breed was used in Germany, I don't know how long +ago, for hunting the wild boar and was introduced into England in the +'80's as the German boarhound. You can see from this one what kind of +dog it is. The ears are commonly cropped in this country, but in 1895 +the practice was abolished in England for all breeds. I hope some day +it will be abolished here. The fanciers think cropping makes the dog +look smarter, but it's a silly, unnatural thing to do, when you come +to think of it. I wish I didn't have to do it with my bull terriers, +but they would never take prizes with long ears. I don't remember any +Great Dane stories. + +"Now we come to the smaller ones. Mike here is a very good English +bulldog, though not so extreme a type as some of them. This breed, +like the mastiff, is of British origin, and probably came from the +same ancestry. He was trained for bull baiting and later for pit +fighting. Tramps and other people are afraid of bulldogs because of +their frightful appearance, but as you can see, if you know Mike, they +are often as gentle as lambs. + +"The French bulldog is much smaller and he is different in many +respects. He has big bat ears, for one thing. The chow chow is an +interesting dog that comes from China. Perhaps you will be amazed when +I tell you that this dog was originally bred and fattened by the +Chinese to be eaten like pork and mutton. The tastes of the Oriental +are certainly peculiar. + +"The poodle, which was originally a German dog but which was developed +chiefly in France, used to be better known than he is now. He is +supposed to be the cleverest of all dogs and you will usually find +poodles in troops of trick dogs." + +"It seems to me," said Theron, "that I've read some stories about +poodles." + +"Yes, there are a number of classic poodle stories," said Mr. +Hartshorn, "illustrating the cleverness of the breed. I am sorry to +say that poodles have been trained as thieves' dogs, and have been +widely used by smugglers on the French frontiers, who trained them to +carry lace and other valuable commodities across the border. + +"The most famous of these stories is that of the poodle of the Pont +Neuf, one of the bridges of Paris. He was owned by a bootblack, who +taught him to roll in the mud of the Seine and then run about among +the pedestrians on the bridge, dirtying their shoes. This meant more +business for the bootblack. An Englishman observed this performance +and was much impressed by the dog's smartness in carrying out his +part. He offered the bootblack a good price for the poodle and took +him back to London with him. But the poodle didn't care for his new +life; apparently he had no wish to reform. Somehow or other he managed +to stow himself away on a Channel boat and made his way back to Paris, +where he returned to his former master and resumed his old +occupation." + +[Illustration: Toy Poodle] + +When the boys had finished laughing over this droll story, Mr. +Hartshorn continued: + +"The Dalmatian or coach dog comes from eastern Europe, and was bred +long ago in Dalmatia, now an Austrian province. He was well known in +England by 1800 and was used there as a stable dog and was trained to +run with the horses and under the carriages. Here you will see them +most often as mascots in fire engine houses. It's queer how fashions +run in those things. He is always pure white, evenly covered with +round black or brown spots. + +"The last of this group is the schipperke. I don't believe you know +him, for the breed isn't very common here. The name means 'little +skipper,' and the dog has long been a favorite with the captains of +Flemish and Dutch canal barges. The schipperke has no tail to wag. +There," he concluded, "I guess I've filled you up with enough dog +information for this trip. I don't want to overdo it." + +"You couldn't overdo it for me," said Ernest Whipple. "Will you tell +us about some of the other breeds another day?" + +"And tell us more anecdotes?" chimed in Jack. + +"I promise," said Mr. Hartshorn. + +Ernest, Harry, and Theron were boys of the type that love to collect +facts and figures, and they had recently been doing some reading on +the subject of the breeds of dogs. They discussed the matter all the +way home, becoming quite excited now and then over disputed points. + +"Mr. Hartshorn said that Rags didn't belong to any regular breed," +said Jimmie Rogers as the boys separated, "but I don't care. There +ought to be a breed like him, anyway, 'cause there isn't any better +dog anywhere. Rags is good enough for me." + +"That's right," cried the other boys in chorus. "You stick to Rags. +He's all right, whatever the books say. Good-by, Rags. So long, Jim." + + + + +CHAPTER VIII + +DOG DAYS + + +By June both Romulus and Remus were in full health again and Mr. +Whipple admitted that they began to look like real English setters. +They were puppies still, full of fun and mischief, but their coats had +lost some of their fuzzy, silky character and their bodies had +lengthened and filled out. They had gained a greater control over +their muscles and in their gambols about the yard they had acquired +considerable speed. Sam Bumpus came down again to look at them and +pronounced them likely-looking youngsters. + +"They've got some growin' to do yet," said he, "but they're gainin' +bone and speed every day, and the first thing you know you'll have two +fine bird dogs, or I don't know what I'm talking about." + +They also displayed increasing devotion to their masters and had begun +to develop, to a certain extent, the qualities of watchdogs. + +It was about this time that Jack Whipple made an extraordinary and +alarming discovery. He noticed one day that Remus was having some sort +of trouble with his mouth, as though he had perhaps got a piece of +bone wedged in his teeth. He worked his jaws in a laughable manner and +poked at them with his paw. Then he shook his head, ejected a small +white object, and appeared relieved. + +Thinking it must be a piece of bone, Jack picked it up and examined +it. It was a tooth! He called Ernest, and after poking about in Rome, +they discovered another tooth in the sawdust beside the food dish. +They proceeded to examine both dogs, and in Romulus's mouth they found +another loose tooth which came out in Ernest's fingers. + +"Why," cried Jack, "they're losing all their teeth. How will they eat? +How can they do anything?" + +Ernest was equally puzzled, and that evening they told their father +about it. He also seemed perplexed. + +"I'm afraid I can't help you," said he. "You'd better consult Tom +Poultice or Sam Bumpus. Perhaps there's some disease that loosens +dogs' teeth. Possibly it's the result of the distemper. I understand +there are sometimes after-effects of that, such as deafness, and it +may cause a dropping of the teeth. You'd better see about it before it +goes any further." + +The boys had been planning for some little time to take the two dogs +up to Sam's shack, since they now seemed old and strong enough to +stand the journey, and it would be good fun for all concerned. So +Ernest sent Sam word that they were coming, and on a bright, warm +Saturday morning the four of them set out. + +The sky was clear and blue, a light breeze tempered the warmth of the +brilliant sunshine, and it was a joy just to be alive and out in the +open. The boys had their hands full, for Romulus and Remus had never +before enjoyed so much liberty, and they did not always answer +promptly the recalling whistle. The world, this great, new world, +seemed to hold so many sights and sounds and scents to interest a dog +that their impulse was to keep going and searching and never turn +back. But it was a pleasure just to watch the zest with which they +investigated every thicket and hillock. As they trotted along, +twisting and doubling and turning, their noses held now high, sniffing +the breeze, now close to the ground, they seemed to develop something +of that lithe grace of movement that characterized the actions of +their mother and old Nan. + +When they arrived at their destination, the dogs were at first much +excited by the presence of so many others of their kind, but after a +little while they were glad to take a long drink of water and to rest +on the floor of the shack. + +Sam, as usual, was smiling and cordial. "They're comin' on; they're +comin' on," said he, patting the young dogs and observing their +sinewy limbs, their sensitive nostrils, and their soft, intelligent +eyes. "Been teachin' 'em to hunt on the way up?" + +The boys were forced to admit that they had made little progress with +the vocational training of Romulus and Remus. + +"Well, there's plenty of time for that," said Sam. "They've got to get +the sense of the fields and the woods first. You get 'em so they'll +come when they're called, and a little later on I'll have time to take +'em in hand and teach 'em the fine points of the game. How have they +been, anyway? They're lookin' as sound as nuts." + +"They've been very well," answered Ernest, "except for one thing. We +don't know what's the trouble, but their teeth are dropping out." + +"Their teeth----" began Sam, and then burst into a roar of laughter, +in which the boys presently joined, though they did not know why. + +"Don't you worry about them teeth," said he, when he could speak +again. "I'll bet it wasn't so very long ago that Jack here had the +very same trouble. Didn't you know that dogs lose their first teeth +the same as boys do? Sure thing. Some folks are a good deal troubled +about it and pull out the loose teeth for fear the dogs will swallow +them, but it ain't likely to hurt 'em if they do. Just let 'em alone +and nature will look out for 'em. New and stronger teeth will grow +in their places and then they'll be fixed for life." + +The boys, relieved to find that the matter was not serious, laughed +again. + +"I guess this joke's on father, too," said Ernest. + +This trip to Sam's shack was the first of a number of excursions +thither which Sam seemed to enjoy as much as the boys and the dogs. +And when vacation time came and every day was like Saturday, Ernest +and Jack Whipple came to understand better what it really means to +have good dogs for constant companions. It was in these days that +visits to the swimming hole over by the brickyard began, and Romulus +and Remus were taught to enjoy the water as much as their masters did. + +This swimming hole, in fact, proved to be the accepted meeting place +for most of the boys and dogs of Boytown, for it became a regular +practice for the boys to bring their dogs and to invent various +aquatic sports in which the dogs played an important part. Old Mike +hated the water and could scarcely be induced to go in, but most of +the others entered into the spirit of the game with zest. Little Alert +proved to be a regular cork in the water, and even huge Hamlet +splashed about in a dignified sort of way. But the general favorite +was Rags. He could dive for stones, retrieve sticks, and even stand +up in the water, with his fore feet pawing the air in a manner to +bring laughter to the soberest. And he had a way of devising sport of +his own, not always respecting the sanctity of the boys' clothing. + +I don't know how it is with other boys, but it is certain that the +constant association with faithful four-footed comrades was good for +the boys of Boytown. Boys are often thoughtless to an extent that +verges upon cruelty. They love to tease and often find amusement in +inventing new trials for a much-enduring cat or dog. But once let them +get the idea of comradeship and protection firmly fixed, and not +infrequently a sort of chivalry appears to develop in their natures. + +At least it was so with these boys. They quarreled and disputed and +occasionally fought, as boys will, but there was no more torturing of +animals, and with this came less bullying of little boys and teasing +of little girls. Each boy felt the responsibility of protecting his +own beloved dog, and with this came a sense of protection toward all +animals. Mrs. Hammond, Theron's mother, was wise enough to observe and +take advantage of this, and she organized the boys into a sort of +Humane Society, with meetings every two weeks, and a set of rules and +objects. They were pledged to do what they could to see that no dumb +animal was abused, and more than once they were able to dissuade a +brutal teamster from beating an overburdened horse. In only one +quarter did they totally fail. Dick Wheat on would neither join the +Humane Society nor would he mend his ways in regard to his treatment +of Gyp. But at least he never attempted to abuse any other animal +whenever any of the boys were about, after having received a good +licking at the hands of Jimmie Rogers for annoying Rags. That taught +him a much needed lesson. + +If every boy in America could be taught to be as kind to animals as +these boys were, and to interest himself personally in their +treatment, this would be a better world to live in. + +So the summer vacation days passed, with plenty of outdoor fun, the +boys forming an ever closer comradeship with their common interest, +and Romulus and Remus gaining in strength and wisdom every day. For +the most part they were healthy dogs and gave their masters little +concern on that score, though sometimes their tendency to get into +mischief required attention, for Mrs. Whipple was not reconciled to +their presence about her house and it was necessary to keep watch lest +they offend beyond the chance of pardon. The day they brought Delia to +the verge of tears by tearing a clean sheet from the clothesline and +clashing with it about a muddy yard would have produced a disastrous +crisis if Mr. Whipple had not once more intervened. + +Once or twice the two dogs had to be doctored again for worms, and in +August came the pest of fleas. This was a source of annoyance to both +boys and dogs, and Mrs. Whipple, when she found it out, was in +constant fear lest the insects be introduced into the house. When +Ernest or Jack discovered one on their own persons at night they left +no stone unturned to capture and decapitate it. + +As to the dogs, they suffered not a little. Their long coats made a +splendid breeding place for the parasites and they wore themselves +thin with scratching. Fleas are not a pleasant thing to talk about, +but all dogs get them, especially the long-haired kinds, and not even +frequent visits to the swimming hole will eradicate them. + +It was Sam Bumpus who told the boys what to do about it. One day, when +they went up to visit him, he refused to let Romulus and Remus into +the shack or near his kennels. + +"They're full of fleas," said he as he watched the dogs scratching +nervously, "and I don't want 'em to be droppin' 'em around where my +dogs'll get 'em. I have trouble enough with the varmints as 'tis. You +ought to get rid of 'em. If you don't, they'll hang on till November +and the dogs'll be no good for huntin'." + +"But how do you get rid of them?" asked Ernest. + +"Wash 'em in cresolin or cresoleum or whatever your druggist wants to +call it. He'll know what you want when you tell him. Mix it with warm +water and soapsuds and scrub 'em good. Then rub 'em dry. Do it +outdoors on the grass. It's better than insect powder. It won't kill +all the eggs, but it will drive the fleas off, and if you keep at it, +and do it often enough, you'll get rid of 'em all. Besides, it gives +the dogs some relief before the new ones can hatch. Better burn their +beds once in awhile, too, to kill the eggs in 'em." + +The boys faithfully followed Sam's instructions and were pleased to +find the trouble greatly abated. + +It was in August, too, that they took Romulus and Remus for their +first trip to Willowdale. They were anxious to learn what Mr. and Mrs. +Hartshorn and Tom Poultice would think of their dogs, and they were +always glad of an excuse to visit the bull terriers and Airedales and +to listen to doggy talk. + +Luckily, Mr. Hartshorn was at home on this occasion, though they paid +their respects first to Tom and the kennels before going up to the big +house. Tom had not seen the two setters since they had recovered from +the distemper, and he was pleased to be frankly enthusiastic. + +"Well, I'll be blowed!" he exclaimed. "And are these the same two +dogs that I doctored in your barn last spring? They were sad enough +looking pictures then. The bally rascals! They sure 'ave grown some. +Hi'd like nothing better than to take 'em out some day myself on a bit +of an 'unt. Look at the legs of 'em! Say, you've got two fine bird +dogs there." + +Naturally the boys were much pleased by Tom's praise of their beloved +dogs, and they lingered for a time about the kennels while Tom pointed +out to them the fine points in a setter's action and explained how +their graceful, level gait enabled them to keep their noses out in +front where they would catch the scent, and at the same time cover +rough country at high speed. + +"Hi've 'eard it said," remarked Tom, "that an 'unting pointer can +travel at the rate of eighteen miles an hour and keep it up for two or +three hours, and I guess a good setter's about as fast." + +"My!" exclaimed Jack, joyfully, as they walked over to the house, "do +you s'pose we've got the two very best dogs in the world, Ernest?" + +"I don't know," said Ernest. "Maybe." + +The ardor was cooled a trifle by Mr. Hartshorn. He examined Romulus +and Remus in a minute, judicial, critical manner, and discovered a +number of technical points in which they fell short of perfection. + +"But," he added, "they're mighty good dogs, and you must remember that +no dog is absolutely perfect from the show judge's standpoint. And if +these come from as fine a working strain as you have led me to +believe, it is remarkable that they should measure up so well by +bench-show standards. Some of the finest show champions are +second-rate dogs in the field, and some of the best hunting and +field-tried dogs couldn't win a yellow ribbon on the bench. I should +say that your dogs gave promise of developing both working and show +qualities to a marked degree, and I shall watch their careers with +great interest. You have a brace of fine dogs there, and no mistake." + +Whereat Jack and Ernest felt better. + +"You promised to tell us something about setters and other bird dogs," +Ernest reminded him. + +"Well," said Mr. Hartshorn, "I'm not sure that I know so very much +about them. I used to do a little shooting years ago, but your friend +Bumpus undoubtedly knows a lot more about the game than I do." + +"Oh, yes," said Ernest, "he does know a lot about hunting and training +dogs, but I mean about the breeds themselves, their history and the +sort of things you told us about some of the other breeds." + +"Well," said Mr. Hartshorn, "I'll do the best I can. The development +of the setter is an interesting story, but first we'll have to go +back to the spaniels. Spaniels, you know, are still classed as +shooting or gun dogs, and are used for that to some extent, and the +setter's ancestor was a spaniel. + +"The spaniel first came from Spain or France and there are still many +kinds on the continent of Europe. But the spaniel has been known for a +long time in England, too, and the kinds we know here are those of +British development. Mrs. Hartshorn has already told you about the +English toy spaniels, so I will omit those. + +"In the early days, the breeds weren't divided up as they are to-day, +but were known as large and small land spaniels and water spaniels. +The oldest of the land spaniels of England now in existence is the +Sussex spaniel. You won't see any in the United States, I think. + +"The clumber spaniel you can see in our shows, but he also is more +popular among the sportsmen and fanciers of England than here. He is +the heaviest of the spaniels. The cocker spaniel is the most popular +kind in this country. His name comes from the fact that he was used in +England for many years for hunting woodcock. He is smaller than the +others. The field spaniel is much like a large-sized cocker, weighing +about twice as much. Finally there is the curly, brown Irish water +spaniel, which is really more closely related to the retriever and +the poodle than to the other spaniels. + +"Though spaniels are sporting dogs, they have always been enjoyed +quite as much for their companionship, and they have an enviable +reputation for fidelity. There is a story told of a spaniel of the +time of the French Revolution which reminds one of Greyfriars Bobby. +This dog belonged to a magistrate who was condemned for conspiracy and +was thrown into prison. By means of his coaxing and pretty ways, the +spaniel at last won the heart of one of the jailers and managed to get +in to his master. He never left him after that, even crouching between +his knees when the magistrate was guillotined. He followed the body to +its burial and tried to dig into the grave. Obliged at last to abandon +hope of ever seeing his master again, he refused to eat, and died at +length, of hunger and exposure, on his master's grave. + +"Another sad story of devotion is that of a spaniel belonging to the +gamekeeper of the Rev. Mr. Corseillis of Wivenhoe, Essex, England. +This dog's name was Dash, and he was his master's constant companion +at night, when he was able to render valuable service in helping to +detect poachers. When the old gamekeeper died, nothing could persuade +Dash to accompany his successor on his rounds. He divided his time +between the grave and the room in which his master had died, and at +last he, too, died of a broken heart. + +"Let me give you a more cheerful one before we pass on to the setters. +Once when Mrs. Grosvenor of Richmond went to visit a relative who +owned some pet cats, she took her Blenheim spaniel with her. The cats, +who were selfish, spoiled creatures, were too many for the small +spaniel, and they succeeded in driving him out of the house. But he +refused to acknowledge defeat. He proceeded to establish an alliance +with the gardener's cat, a big, husky Tom, and when the time was ripe, +the two of them attacked and routed their common enemy, after which +the spaniel was let alone. + +"Now we come to the setters. In some respects they are our finest gun +dogs. They came from one of the old land spaniels that was taught to +crouch when finding game and they were called setting spaniels until +about 1800. Since then the breed has been greatly improved. There are +three well-known varieties, English, Irish, and Gordon, all +first-class dogs. + +"A man named Laverack in Shropshire, England, was the one who did the +most to develop the English setter. He bred them from 1825 to 1875 and +produced the standard strain. Later a man named Llewellyn promoted the +strain and added new blood. You will still hear the names Laverack +and Llewellyn applied to different types of English setters. This +English variety is the most popular and numerous of the three. + +"I don't want to make any unpleasant comparisons, but to my mind the +Irish setter is the handsomest of the family, though as a sporting dog +he does not rank with the English setter. His shape is very nearly the +same as that of the English setter, but his coat is always a wonderful +red-brown, almost golden when the sun shines on it, often very dark, +but with no black spots. + +"The Gordon setter is the heaviest of the three and comes from a +strain developed a century ago by the Duke of Richmond Gordon, a +Scotchman. The color is always rich black and tan. + +"These are not the only bird dogs, however. There are the retrievers +and the pointer, besides some European breeds, but I'm going to save +them for another time. I've got to get ready to catch a train now, and +besides, I'm afraid of giving you this sort of information in too +large a chunk." + +Mr. Hartshorn bade them good-by and went upstairs. The boys remained a +few minutes longer with Mrs. Hartshorn, who had taken a great fancy to +Romulus and Remus, and then they set off for home in the hot sun of +the afternoon. + + + + +CHAPTER IX + +THE TRAINING OF ROMULUS + + +On the way back from Thornboro that day something happened that gave a +new direction to the thoughts and aspirations of Ernest and Jack +Whipple. They had gone somewhat out of their way to a woods road that +was shadier and cooler than the highway and Romulus was nosing and +sniffing about in the underbrush quite a little distance to the left. +Ernest whistled, but Romulus apparently did not hear. He seemed to be +darting about in the bushes with unusual eagerness. + +"What has he found, do you s'pose?" asked Jack. + +"Let's go and see," said Ernest. + +The two boys and Remus turned out of the road and approached the spot +where Romulus was hunting. Suddenly there was a whir of wings and a +dark object flashed upward and disappeared among the trees. + +For a moment Romulus and Remus both stood rigid, with heads and tails +outstretched. Then they broke and disappeared in the woods. It was +some little time before the boys could get them back again and +started along the homeward road. The boys, breathless with running, +had not spoken to each other, but now Ernest said: + +"It was some kind of a bird, Jack. Did you notice?" + +"Yes," said Jack. "Why, Ernest, they know how to hunt already." + +"I guess it's instinct," said Ernest. "And did you see them point? +They really did, for a minute, just like Sam's Nan, or the pictures in +the books." + +"Oh, Ernest," cried Jack, "we must take them hunting. Do you s'pose we +could?" + +"Sam could, anyway," said the older boy. "He said he'd train them." + +The rest of the way home they talked of nothing but hunting and the +wonderful achievements that were in store for the two dogs. + +Mr. Whipple approved the plan to have Romulus and Remus trained. A +good dog, in his eyes, was a dog that was good for something, and he +recognized the value of a well-trained bird dog though he had no +desire to see the boys become too fond of hunting themselves. + +"All right," said he, "take them up to Bumpus and let him train them, +but you boys must promise not to ask to handle a gun yourselves. +You're not old enough, for one thing, and besides, your mother +doesn't approve of shooting. It's a dangerous business at best. +Remember, now, no nonsense about guns." + +The boys, willing to postpone that question till some future time, +readily promised, and on a Saturday morning in September, soon after +the reopening of school, they took the dogs up to Sam's shack. + +"Remember," said Sam, "I ain't promisin' anything. You never can tell +what kind of a bird dog a setter will make till you've tried him out. +I've got a lot of other things to attend to this fall, too. But I'll +do the best I can, and you mustn't be impatient if they ain't all +finished off in two weeks. Now we'll take 'em out for their first +lesson." + +That first lesson proved to be a rather tedious affair to Ernest and +Jack. Nothing was said about birds or guns, pointing or retrieving. +Sam's chief aim was to get the dogs to obey his word and whistle as +well as they obeyed those of the boys, and the latter were forced to +keep silent while he gradually gained the mastery over the two lively +young dogs. Sam displayed, in this, much greater patience than the +boys did, but still it was pleasant to be out in the fields this fine +September day and to watch the dogs as they came to respond more and +more readily to the commands of their trainer. At first, indeed, there +was but one command, expressed by a sharp whistle or by the words +"Come here, boy!" Sam seemed determined to add no further commands +until he had secured unfailing and prompt obedience to this one. But, +slow as the process was, it was really remarkable what progress was +made in a few short hours. + +At noon they took the dogs back to the shack to enjoy a rest and a dry +bone apiece, while Sam cooked and served a delicious luncheon of +buckwheat cakes, bacon, and cocoa. Then, after he had enjoyed a pipe +or two and they had listened to some of his tales of dogs and hunting, +they started out again. + +This time Sam fastened a cord of good length to the dogs' collars, +something they were not used to. + +"I'll need to use this later on," said he, "and they've got to get +used to the feel of it first. They've got to learn to stand it without +pullin', and to answer the signals." + +Again he exhibited extraordinary patience, for the dogs resented this +unaccustomed restraint and seemed possessed to pull at their leads and +try to break away. It took a good two hours to break them to this +simple harness. Then Sam took it off and went all over the first +lesson again, which at first the dogs appeared to have forgotten. + +"Well, as the minister says, here endeth the first lesson," said Sam +when the shadows of late afternoon began to lengthen, and they +turned back again toward the shack. The boys now realized that they +were very tired. + +"Do you think they'll ever learn?" asked Jack, somewhat plaintively. + +"Why, sure," said Sam. "I've seen worse ones than these. They're high +spirited, as good dogs ought to be, and a bit heady, but they'll +learn. They've done very well, so far." + +Still doubting, but somewhat encouraged, the boys prepared to take +their departure. In order that the training might go on uninterrupted +it was necessary to leave Romulus and Remus in Sam's care, and it is a +question which felt the worse about the separation, the boys or the +dogs. Ernest and Jack knew that their pets would be in good hands and +kindly treated, but it was hard to say good-by. As for the dogs, they +set up a howling and crying, when they found they were being deserted. + +"They'll soon get over that," said Sam. "They'll begin to take an +interest in the other dogs pretty soon, and then they'll feel more at +home." + +Thus reassured, the boys started off down the road without their +four-footed comrades, but the insistent wails that followed them were +very heart-rending, and two big tears rolled down Jack's round cheeks. +And it was several days before they could get used to the desolate, +deserted look of Rome or become reconciled to the absence of their +playmates. + +They could hardly wait for the next Saturday to come, when they could +go up again to Sam's shack and visit their beloved dogs. Romulus and +Remus were overjoyed at seeing them again, and it was some time before +Sam could get them quieted down sufficiently to take them out for +another lesson. He had been training them during the week, and the +boys now heard him addressing them with strange words. He placed their +check-cords on again, and this time the dogs did not seem to resent it +so much. Indeed, they seemed to look upon it as the preliminary of a +good time, which, as Sam explained, was the idea he had tried to +impress on them. + +"Hie-on!" cried Sam, and the dogs started off at a bound. + +"To-ho!" he called. This meant to stop abruptly, and this command the +dogs, hoping for a good run, did not obey so readily. A quick tug at +the check-cord reminded them of the meaning of the command, and soon +they stopped more promptly at the words. + +"Come in," said Sam, and the dogs approached him. + +"Charge!" said Sam. "Down!" After several attempts the dogs +reluctantly obeyed and crouched at his feet. + +"Heel!" he cried, and after several repetitions of the order they took +their places quietly behind him. + +"They're always a little slower the first thing in the mornin'," Sam +explained, "before they've run off some of their deviltry. They'll +improve as they go along." + +And improve they did. In the afternoon Sam took them out without the +check-cord and kept perseveringly at them until they would "hie-on" +and "to-ho" and "charge" and "heel" with reasonable promptness. + +"By next week I hope to show you something more," said Sam. + +"When will you shoot over them and teach them to point?" asked Ernest. + +"Oh, not for some time yet," said Sam. "They've got to learn the a b c +of it first. Next I shall try to teach them to answer my hand. First +I'll call and wave at the same time, and then just wave. Then they've +got to learn to range--to go whichever direction I want 'em to and +turn when I want 'em to. Then I'll give 'em lessons in retrievin'." + +But before another Saturday had come around, Sam had discovered +something--something which affected the whole future career of Remus. + +Ernest and Jack had duties to perform that Saturday which engaged them +the entire morning, and they were unable to go up to Sam's until +afternoon. Their visit was consequently a short one and they had but +little time to spend with Sam in the field. They found, however, that +the training had been progressing satisfactorily. Sam was allowing the +dogs to range in ever widening circles, and on the whole they were +obeying his commands in a promising manner. They were beginning to +retrieve objects, also, not as a hit-or-miss game after the manner of +Rags, but in answer to the commands "Go fetch it," and "Pick it up." +Moreover, the dogs were less homesick now that they had begun to take +an interest in their occupations and to become acquainted with the +other dogs. They seemed to understand, too, that Ernest and Jack had +not utterly deserted them but might be expected to appear at almost +any moment. + +But when it came time to go home Sam detained them for a moment. + +"I've got to tell you something," said he, scratching his chin and +looking a bit unhappy, "and I don't believe you'll like it much." + +"Oh," cried Ernest, "can't you keep the dogs?" + +"I can keep Romulus," said Sam, "but I've got to ask you to take Remus +back. I've given him every chance and I find he's hopeless as a bird +dog. He learns quick enough--quicker than Romulus if anything. But +he's got no nose, none at all, and a setter with no nose is about +useless in the field. It would be a waste of time to try to train +him, and when we got on the birds he would only get in Romulus's way +and spoil him. So I guess you'll have to take him back and let me go +ahead with the good one." + +"Why, what do you mean?" inquired Jack, struggling to hide his +disappointment. "Can't he smell?" + +"Oh, I s'pose he can tell spoiled fish when he gets it, but he don't +catch the scent of anything on the air. I guess it was the distemper +that did it. He had it worse than Romulus and it often spoils their +noses when they have it hard enough. I'm sorry, but it can't be helped +and it can't be cured." + +For a few minutes Jack stood silent, pressing his lips together. Then +suddenly he knelt down beside Remus and hugged him passionately. + +"I don't care whether you've got a nose or not, Remus," he cried. "I +don't want to go hunting, ever. Noses don't matter. You're the best +dog in the whole world, anyhow." + +And so they took Remus back with them that afternoon, leaving Romulus +behind, howling mournfully for his brother. + +Such reports as they received from Sam indicated that the training of +Romulus proceeded with fair rapidity during the fall. They were not +able to go up to his shack very often for one reason or another, and +Jack, at least, was not so anxious to do so as he had been. Remus +lived in solitary luxury in Rome and was in some danger of being +spoiled by the petting he received from his loyal master. + +Romulus, so Ernest learned, could now retrieve at command and would +bring back a dead pigeon or other bird without rumpling its feathers. +He would also range in obedience to a wave of Sam's hand and was +gradually learning to stand fast and hold his point when he flushed a +covey of birds. Finally Sam took out his gun to shoot over him, and +the rest of his training was to be chiefly that persistent practice +which finally makes perfect. + +It was decided that Romulus should remain with Sam until snow fell, +but one night there came a scratching and a whining at the door and a +series of peculiar short little barks so persistently kept up that +they awakened both the boys. They slipped on their dressing gowns and +slippers and stole downstairs. + +At the door they found Romulus with a broken bit of rope tied to his +collar. + +"Why," cried Jack, "it's Romulus. See, he must have broken away." + +"He came all the way home alone in the dark," said Ernest. "How do you +s'pose he ever found his way?" + +Romulus seemed to understand that it was not the time to make a noise, +for though he kept leaping on the boys in an access of delight and +making little sounds in his throat that were almost human, he +refrained from the loud, joyous barking that he would have indulged in +if it had been daytime. Remus had heard him, however, and was making a +considerable commotion in Rome. So the boys took Romulus quietly out +to his brother, who greeted him with paw and tongue and voice, and +bidding both dogs goodnight, they went back to the house. + +So it was decided that if Romulus so much desired his own home, he +should be deprived of it no longer. Sam came down in a day or two to +find out about it. + +"I thought he'd probably run home," said he, "but I wanted to make +sure. I guess we'd better leave him here now. I'm pretty near through +with him for this fall, anyway. You just bring him up once in awhile +so I can take him out and not let him forget what I've learned him." + +Meanwhile the affairs of Boytown were going on much as usual. Autumn +passed in golden glory, with nutting expeditions in October in which +sometimes as many as a dozen boys and a dozen dogs joined forces. As +they started out through the town streets, Mr. Fellowes, the news +dealer and stationer, said it looked as though a circus had come to +town. + +Such things, however, were of common and regular occurrence. Only two +episodes of that season deserve to be specially recorded. One was a +dog fight which for a time brought the dog-owning fraternity of +Boytown into ill repute. + +For some time several of the boys had been bragging, as boys will, +about the prowess in battle of their particular dogs, and this +narrowed down at length to an unsettled controversy between Monty +Hubbard and Harry Barton. Monty maintained that the Irish terrier was +the greatest dare-devil and fighter in the canine world, and he quoted +books and individuals to prove it. Harry, on the other hand, insisted +that the bulldog's grit and tenacity were proverbial, and loudly +asserted that if Mike once got a grip on Mr. O'Brien's throat, it +would be good-by, Mr. O'Brien. + +It is only fair to the boys to state that it was the Irish terrier +that started the fracas on his own initiative. He was a scrappy +terrier, always ready to start something, and it usually required +considerable vigilance to keep him out of trouble. But it must be +confessed that on this particular occasion his master did not exert +the usual restraint. + +It happened out on the road that Ernest and Jack so often took when +they visited Sam Bumpus or Trapper's Cave. Mr. O'Brien had been +annoying the other dogs for some little time, rushing and barking at +them and inviting a friendly encounter. He was not vicious, but he +loved a tussle. Finally Mike the bulldog, usually so long-suffering, +lost patience and turned on Mr. O'Brien with a menacing snarl that +seemed to mean business. For a moment the Irishman stood still in +surprise, while Mike, his head held low, waited with a stubborn look +in his eyes. + +[Illustration: Irish Terrier] + +That was clearly the time for interference, but I regret to say that +instead of interfering, the boys grouped themselves about with +feelings of not unpleasant anticipation. I further regret to say that +Ernest Whipple was one of the most interested. + +Suddenly Mr. O'Brien, recovering from his surprise, returned to the +attack with an impetuous rush which nearly bowled Mike over. But +Mike was heavier than Mr. O'Brien and stood very solidly on his four +outspread feet. He merely turned about and presented a terrifying +front to his more active antagonist. Again Mr. O'Brien rushed, seeking +a hold on Mike's big, muscular neck. + +For a time Mr. O'Brien seemed to be having the best of it. He took the +offensive and seemed to be on all sides of Mike at once. The bulldog's +ear was bleeding and Harry urged him to retaliate. + +Suddenly Mike raised his huge bulk and bore down the lighter dog +beneath his weight. Then he began methodically seeking the vice-like +hold that would have meant the last of Mr. O'Brien. + +Just at that moment, however, a diversion occurred. + +"Here, there, what are you doin'?" demanded a man's hoarse voice, and +Sam Bumpus came striding into the thick of it. Without the slightest +fear or hesitation, though such an act was decidedly not without +danger, he darted in and seized the dogs by their collars, one in each +hand, and displaying wonderful strength of arm he dragged them apart. +If Mike had succeeded in getting his hold, if Sam had come up a minute +later, he could not have done it. As it was, he held the snarling, +struggling dogs at arm's length, shook them, and then ordered their +masters to take them in charge and keep them apart. + +Ernest had never seen Sam angry before; he was usually the embodiment +of even-tempered good humor. But he was angry now. His jaws snapped +and his eyes flashed, and he seemed to be itching to give somebody a +good spanking. At last he spoke. + +"I thought you boys was fond of dogs," he said. "I thought you made a +great fuss about bein' kind to animals. You ought to be ashamed of +yourselves, settin' two good dogs on to fight each other. Don't you +know no better? Dogs are built to fight, and they ought to know how to +when it's necessary, but any man or boy that starts 'em fightin' for +sport is a coward." + +Without another word he turned and vanished into the woods. The boys +made no comments, either, and I am glad to say that most of them were +about as ashamed of themselves as boys can be. By common consent the +afternoon's expedition was abandoned and the company dispersed. + +But that was not all of it. The story of the dog fight leaked out, and +there was more than one home in Boytown in which a boy was warned that +if anything of that kind happened again there would be no more dogs in +that family. And Monty Hubbard received something even more impressive +than a lecture. Mrs. Hammond, when she heard of it, was wise enough to +say nothing until the matter had cooled down somewhat. Then she took +occasion to set forth her views in a way that the boys never forgot, +and there was never another encouraged dog fight in that town. + +The other incident which I spoke of was the strange disappearance of +Romulus. One morning he was gone and he did not return home all that +day. Ernest searched for him in vain and went to bed that night with a +very heavy heart. The next day Romulus did not appear, nor the next. +Acting on his father's advice, Ernest placed an advertisement in the +paper and offered a reward, but without result. Little by little +Ernest was forced to give up hope, and a very disconsolate boy he was. +Jack and Remus did their best to console him, but he grieved night and +day. No one could suggest what had become of Romulus. + +Then, on the evening of the fifth day, a slight scratching was heard +at the door, and a low whine. Ernest, who was studying his lessons, +heard it first. Dropping his book on the floor, he rushed out, closely +followed by Jack and Mr. Whipple. There lay Romulus on the door mat, +"all in," as Sam Bumpus would have said. He was so weak and weary that +he could hardly rise, and the wonder was that he had been able to drag +himself home. A piece of rope attached to his collar showed that he +had broken loose from somewhere, and bleeding feet testified to the +distance he had come. Ernest lifted him in his arms and buried his +face in the dog's shaggy coat, and Romulus responded as well as he +could with a warm, moist tongue and a wagging tail. + +After they had given him a dinner of warm broth and had made him +comfortable in Rome, Mr. Whipple succeeded at last in dragging Ernest +away. + +"He'll be all right now," said Mr. Whipple. "He's exhausted, but he'll +soon recover from that. He's a young dog, you know." + +"But where could he have been?" wondered Jack. + +"It's my belief that he was stolen," said Mr. Whipple. "Someone who +knew he was a valuable dog stole him, but I doubt if we shall ever +learn who it was. But he must have been taken some distance away. He +looks as though he might have traveled thirty miles or more." + +"How do you s'pose he ever found his way back?" asked Jack. + +Mr. Whipple shook his head. "Dogs are wonderful creatures," said he. + + + + +CHAPTER X + +WILLOWDALE DOGS IN NEW YORK + + +There are parts of Connecticut in which winter is likely to be a +rather moist and miserable season, but Boytown was situated in the +hills where it was colder and dryer. It lay in the snow belt, as Mr. +Whipple used to say. Consequently, winter was, for these boys, a +season which offered as many opportunities for outdoor sport as +summer--coasting, skating, and all the rest of it. + +A favorite pastime with Ernest and Jack Whipple was what they called +snowshoeing. They wore no snowshoes or skiis, to be sure, but they +pretended they did, and they enjoyed trudging off over the +snow-covered fields and through the woods with their dogs, with their +eyes ever on the alert for the tracks of birds and wild animals. It +was Sam Bumpus who taught them how to distinguish these tracks, and +whenever they found an unfamiliar one they took the news to him and +learned what animal had made it. He showed them where a flock of quail +had spent the night in a close circle on the lee of a stone wall or a +corn shock and he told them about the quail's interesting life +history. He showed them how some birds hop and some, like the crow and +the blackbird and the starling, walk like a man or a chicken. He +taught them to know the tracks of the squirrel, the rabbit, and the +white-footed mouse, and even the fox and the raccoon, and one day he +showed them where an owl's wings had brushed the snow when he swooped +down to catch a mouse whose lacy little trail ended abruptly. Jack +thought that was a sad little story for the snow to tell. + +Often they wanted no other object than merely to be out in the open, +with the constant possibility of finding rare tracks, but sometimes +they walked with a more definite purpose--to take Romulus up to Sam's +for a little training to refresh his memory, or, when a longer trip +was possible, to pay a visit to Tom Poultice and the Hartshorns. They +were always welcome there. + +It was on one of these visits in January that Mr. Hartshorn made good +his promise to tell them something about the breeds of gun dogs other +than setters and spaniels. + +"I thought you must have forgotten about that," said he. "What +memories you youngsters have--for some things. Well, suppose we see +how much we know about the pointer. He is the dog, you know, that +contests with the English setter the title of most popular and +efficient gun dog. I won't attempt to settle the matter. Each breed +has its loyal advocates, and at the field trials sometimes a pointer +wins and sometimes a setter. + +"The pointer is a wonderfully symmetrical, lithe, athletic dog, with +remarkable nose, bird sense, and action. Like the setter he has been +trained to point and retrieve. He strains back to hound origin, +probably, but was developed as a distinct breed in Europe long ago, +doubtless with the help of setter and foxhound crosses. Some pointers +are wonderfully stanch. I knew of one who held the same point without +moving for an hour and a quarter, while an artist painted his +portrait, and I once heard of one who caught a scent while halfway +over a fence, and hung there by his fore paws till the birds were +flushed. + +"Then there are several varieties of retrievers that are also bird +dogs. In this country we have the retrievers proper, the Labrador dog, +and the Chesapeake Bay dog, though none of them are very common. They +are all probably of spaniel origin. + +"The Labrador dog is supposed to have come from Labrador, but we don't +know much about his history before 1850, when he was introduced into +England and was trained and used as a sporting dog. The wavy-coated +retriever, called also the flat-coated retriever, became popular among +British sportsmen and fanciers about 1870. He has a wavy coat, +longer than that of the Labrador dog. The curly-coated retriever, less +common in England than the wavy, has seldom been shown here. He is +characterized by short, crisp curls all over his body, with the +exception of the head, strongly suggesting the presence of poodle or +Irish water spaniel blood in his make-up. The Chesapeake Bay dog +originated in Maryland and possesses many of the traits of the +retrievers. He probably sprang from Labrador ancestors, crossed with +tan-colored hounds. + +"Finally we come to a very interesting dog, one that you would love if +you knew him--the wire-haired pointing griffon. He is a new dog with +us, but an old one in France, Holland, Belgium, and Germany. He is a +splendid bird dog, useful for all kinds of game, and a natural pointer +and retriever. He is medium-sized, symmetrical, and well built, with a +wiry coat, and has a face something like an otter hound or an +Airedale. And there you have all the prominent gun dogs." + +"What is an otter hound?" asked Ernest. + +Mr. Hartshorn laughed. "You are insatiable," said he. "Some day I'll +tell you about the otter hound and all the other members of the hound +family, but not to-day. You've had enough." + +It was partly the prospect of gaining information of this sort that +made the trips to Willowdale so attractive to the boys, partly a +genuine liking for Mr. and Mrs. Hartshorn, and partly the fun of +talking with Tom Poultice and watching the Airedales and bull +terriers. But more than all I think it was the homelike, hospitable +character and doggy atmosphere of the big house. It was a place where +everybody loved dogs and took as much interest in them as though they +were people, and where any dog lover was welcome. Consequently, their +visits there were more frequent than Mrs. Whipple thought was quite +proper. + +"You'll wear out your welcome," she warned. But somehow they didn't +seem to. + +It was during these winter days that they heard a good deal of talk +about dog shows, both from Mr. and Mrs. Hartshorn and from Tom +Poultice. Tom, indeed, was as much interested in the show dogs as if +they had been his own and he was never tired of talking of their +achievements on the bench and of their possible future triumphs. Mr. +Hartshorn owned a string of winners of both his breeds that were +famous throughout the country and that included several great +champions. Tom, who nearly always took the dogs to the shows and +stayed with them, knew every little point about them as well as the +points of their rivals. + +"Of course, it's a bloomin' gamble," he would say. "So much depends on +whether your dog or the other one is in the best condition. That's why +I've been doing so much fussing over them this winter. You can't be +too careful. An upset stomach may mean a staring coat and may spoil a +dog's chances. And then again you may run up against a new judge with +hideas of 'is own, and then all your reckoning goes to smash. It's a +great game, boys." + +And so they were wont to go out to the kennels and watch Tom grooming +the dogs and listen to his wise talk about points and judging. These +were busy days for him, for some of the biggest shows take place in +the winter and the early spring, and he had to keep the dogs in +constant condition. + +It was from Tom that they learned the names of famous dogs of various +breeds, of instances when great champions had been beaten by unknown +newcomers, and of the rising and setting stars of dogdom, but it was +from Mr. Hartshorn that they gained a clear idea of what a dog show +was like. He described to them the crowded halls, the long rows of +dogs of many breeds chained in little stalls on benches, the +arrangement of novice and puppy and limit and open classes for the +different breeds, and all the rest of it. + +"The dogs are taken to the show ring in classes," said he, "and the +judge for that breed sizes them up, feels of them, examines eyes, +teeth, and hair, compares posture and spirit and all the other things +that count, figures it all up according to a scale of points, and then +hands out ribbons to the winners--a blue ribbon for first prize, a red +one for second, and a yellow one for third. Cash prizes go with the +ribbons usually. There are also special trophies for special winnings, +such as the best American-bred dog of the breed, or the best brace, +and there is the contest between the winners of the different classes +in each breed. Finally, in some of the big shows, there is a special +trophy for the best dog of any breed in the show. This contest is +usually held at the end of the show, or perhaps before the packs of +hounds and beagles are judged, and it is always an exciting time. +Every exhibitor hopes to win one of the specials, but most of the dogs +are trying for their championship titles." + +"How do they win a championship?" asked Ernest. + +"A dog becomes a champion," answered Mr. Hartshorn, "when he has won +fifteen points in authorized shows. These points are granted according +to the size of the show. At the biggest shows the winner of a first +prize gets three points; at the smaller shows, where he has less +competition, he gets two points or one point. An official record is +kept of them all." + +"The New York show is the biggest of all, isn't it?" asked Ernest. + +"Yes," said Mr. Hartshorn. "It is usually held in Madison Square +Garden in February--four days including Washington's Birthday. It's +too long a time for the dogs to be benched, but there are so many of +them that it is impossible to get through the judging in less time. +Sixteen or eighteen hundred dogs are shown there, worth I don't know +how many thousands of dollars, and the crowds of spectators are big in +proportion. You get an idea at one of those shows how many people are +interested in dogs. The New York show is run by the Westminster Kennel +Club, and because it's the biggest of all its trophies are greatly +coveted. The dog that is adjudged the best of all breeds at the New +York show becomes the champion of champions of the United States." + +"Oh, my!" sighed Jack, "I wish I could see a dog show like that." + +"You will, some day," said Mr. Hartshorn. "And who knows but that you +may have a dog benched there and carry away some blue ribbons and a +silver cup." + +"Anyway," said Ernest, "you'll tell us all about this next one, and +what your dogs win, won't you, Mr. Hartshorn?" + +"You may depend upon that," said he. + +When the other boys learned what was afoot they all became mightily +interested in the bench-show game and in the prospects of the +Willowdale entries at New York. One or two of them had subscribed to +papers devoted to the dog fancy and these were handed about until the +boys had familiarized themselves with the names of some of the old +champions and the newer dogs of whom great things were expected. +Heated discussions ensued, but all were agreed in wishing luck to the +Willowdale dogs. + +They were a bit disappointed when they learned that Mr. Hartshorn had +decided to send down only four of the bull terriers and five +Airedales, but Tom Poultice explained the reason for this. + +"It costs five dollars for each entry of each dog, and wot's the use +of entering dogs that don't stand a chance? Ch. Earl of Norfolk is +getting old and 'e's all out of coat, and it wouldn't be fair to 'im +to show 'im that way. We've picked the ones we're going to win with." + +When Mr. and Mrs. Hartshorn and Tom Poultice started out in the big +car for New York, with two of Mrs. Hartshorn's Poms on the back seat +with her, they were followed by the envious longings of most of the +boys of Boytown. But the boys did not have to wait for their return to +learn about the results of the judging. They bought New York papers +which reported the show fully, and they devoured every word of the +reports. Many of the familiar names appeared among the winners, and +the Willowdale dogs captured their full share of the honors. Even Mrs. +Hartshorn's Tip won two red ribbons, while that splendid bull terrier, +Willowdale's White Hope, was adjudged the best American-bred dog of +his breed exhibited by his breeder, and gathered up enough extra +points to secure his championship title. But the climax in their +rejoicing was reached when they read that the new Airedale, Bingo's +Queen Molly, had gone right through her classes to reserve winners in +an entry of over one hundred of the best Airedales in the United +States. + +It was, in short, a great four days for Willowdale. The Hartshorns +returned on Sunday, having arranged for the shipment of the dogs on +Saturday, and they graciously invited the whole gang up on the +following Saturday to admire the conquering heroes and their shining +trophies and to learn all about what happened from the lips of Mr. and +Mrs. Hartshorn and Tom Poultice, who, by the way, wore a grin that +appeared to have become permanent. + +"Didn't I tell you that Molly was the genooine harticle?" was his +frequently repeated comment. + +It was unthinkable that, after all this, the boys should speedily lose +interest. On the contrary, dog shows remained the foremost topic of +conversation for a month, until one day Herbie Pierson had an +inspiration. + +"Say, fellers," he exploded one morning, bursting in upon a group of +his friends in front of the schoolhouse, "let's get up a dog show of +our own." + +Just then the bell rang, which was rather unfortunate for all +concerned. The teachers found the boys strangely inattentive that day +and preoccupied, and more than one of them had to be reprimanded for +whispering or for passing notes. + +As soon as they obtained their freedom they plunged at once into a +discussion of Herbie's fascinating plan, and in an incredibly short +time they had arranged the essential details. The Easter recess was +selected as the most fitting time for the Boytown Dog Show and a +committee was appointed, consisting of Herbie Pierson, Harry Barton, +and Ernest Whipple, to select a suitable place and make the necessary +arrangements. + +After considerable discussion it was decided that the Morton barn +would make an ideal show hall, provided they could gain Mr. Morton's +consent. It was one of the largest barns in the town proper and it was +for the most part unoccupied, Mr. Morton having disposed of his horses +when he bought his car. + +Mr. Morton was the president of the First National Bank, and a +person of great dignity and importance, of whom the boys stood +somewhat in awe. But they had set their hearts on getting his barn, +and so they screwed up their courage and called on him at his home one +afternoon after banking hours. + +He turned out to be not such a formidable personage after all. In +fact, he was amused by the diffidence of the delegation that called on +him, and even more amused when Harry Barton, who had been chosen +spokesman, outlined their plan and requested the use of his barn. + +"I'll let you hold your show in my barn on two conditions," said he, +after asking several questions. "First, you must promise to clean up +thoroughly after it's all over. Second, will you allow me to enter Li +Hung Chang in competition?" + +Li Hung Chang was the blue-gray chow that followed at Mr. Morton's +heels wherever he went, spent his days at the bank, and never had a +word to say to any other dog. To this request the committee granted a +ready and joyful request. And it gave them another idea--to invite the +adult dog owners of Boytown, as well as the boys, to exhibit their +dogs. + +A meeting of the Humane Society was called to receive the report of +the committee's success and to arrange further details. It was voted +to charge an entrance fee of fifty cents for each dog shown and +twenty-five cents admission for spectators, the proceeds to be donated +to the local chapter of the Red Cross of which Mrs. Hammond was an +active member. + +Since there were hardly two dogs in Boytown of the same breed, it did +not seem possible to arrange for classes as in the big shows, so it +was decided to make it a free-for-all contest, with first, second, and +third prizes. Another committee was appointed to obtain these prizes +from Boytown merchants and to secure the services of Mr. Hartshorn as +judge. + +Mr. Hartshorn, when approached on the matter, quite readily gave his +consent, and the boys did not have great difficulty in obtaining the +prizes when they explained that the show would be for the benefit of +the Red Cross. In fact, Mr. Pierson, Herbie's father, who was a +jeweler, was unexpectedly generous. He promised a silver cup for the +first prize--not a large one, but real silver--to be engraved later +with the name of the show, the date, and the name of the winning dog. +The boys were so enthusiastically grateful for this that they +expressed the hope that Herbie's Hamlet might win the trophy himself. + +For six months past Ernest Whipple had been delivering evening papers +for Mr. Fellowes, the news dealer, and had become quite a close friend +of his employer's. This was due to the fact that Mr. Fellowes had +once had a brindle bull terrier that had met an untimely death and +whose memory ever remained fresh in his heart. The dog's name had been +Bounce, and Mr. Fellowes found in Ernest a willing listener to his +tales of Bounce's sagacity, courage, and fidelity. He was a genuine +dog lover and enjoyed having Ernest bring Romulus in to see him, for +the boy's dog nearly always accompanied him on his paper route. Mr. +Fellowes had become much interested in the activities of the Humane +Society and had become acquainted with most of the dogs of Boytown, +and when Ernest told him about the plan for a show he expressed a wish +to have some part in it. Ernest was not a member of the prize +committee, but when he reported that Mr. Fellowes wished to donate a +dog collar, it was unanimously voted to accept it as second prize. The +third prize was a twenty-pound box of dog biscuit offered by Mr. +Dewey, the grocer. + + + + +CHAPTER XI + +THE BOYTOWN DOG SHOW + + +The Boytown Dog Show was scheduled for Wednesday of Easter week, and +the days preceding it were busy ones for the members of the Boytown +Humane Society. They called on every owner of a dog in town, both boys +and grown-ups, and succeeded in obtaining entry fees from a good +proportion of them. In the end, they had twenty-six entries, ranging +from Herbie Pierson's Great Dane down to Mrs. Peabody's little Peke, +and they saw to it that every one of these dogs was benched on the day +of the show. + +On Monday morning the citizens of Boytown were amused to find tacked +to trees, billboards, and telephone poles in different parts of the +town a score or more home-made posters announcing the show, and +advertisements appeared in the local papers. The posters were somewhat +crudely done, perhaps, in red and black ink, but they left no doubt as +to their import, and it is safe to say that there wasn't a single +resident of Boytown who did not soon know of the coming exhibition. +The posters read as follows: + + BOYTOWN DOG SHOW! + + _Morton's Barn, Henry Street._ + + WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12. + + 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. + + Come and see the finest dogs in Boytown. 26 dogs--21 breeds. + First, second, and third prizes will be awarded to the best + dogs. Mr. Merton Hartshorn, proprietor of the famous Willowdale + Kennels, will act as judge. Judging will begin at 2.30 P.M. + Prizes will be awarded at 4 P.M. + + ADMISSION, 25 CENTS. + + The proceeds will be given to the + Red Cross. + +The question of Dick Wheaton gave the boys a little trouble. They +didn't like Dick, he was not a member of the Humane Society, and some +of the boys thought he ought to be barred out because of his +well-known disposition to be unkind to animals. Besides, he had been +openly making fun of the whole proceeding. Being divided in the +matter, they sought Mrs. Hammond's advice. + +"I should let him enter Gyp if he will," said she. "It can't do you +any harm, and it may help to get Dick a little more interested in dogs +and in the Humane Society. Besides, it isn't Dick that's going to be +benched, but Gyp, and you haven't anything against Gyp." + +Put in that way, it did seem unfair to bar out an unoffending dog, who +deserved nothing but sympathy, just because his master was not +popular. So Gyp became one of the twenty-six. Mr. Hartshorn refused to +consider bringing down any of his dogs, and the boys were rather glad +of that, for it would hardly be a fair competition if the ordinary +dogs of Boytown were obliged to compete with the winners of +Willowdale. It was too much like introducing professionals into an +amateur contest. + +"Besides," said Mr. Hartshorn, "it would be highly improper for a +judge to have to judge his own dogs. It isn't done, you know." + +So that matter was satisfactorily settled. Mrs. Hartshorn was invited +to enter her toys, but she declined on the ground that this was a +Boytown show and they were Thornboro dogs. As for Sam Bumpus, he said +that a shoemaker had best stick to his last, and that a trainer of gun +dogs had no business to be mixing up with bench shows. + +Meanwhile, the original committee had been busy getting the show hall +into shape. Enough boards were obtained from here, there, and +everywhere to make two long benches, one along each side of the barn, +stoutly built and standing about two feet from the floor. These were +divided off by partitions into enough stalls to accommodate all the +dogs entered, and a coat of whitewash made the whole look clean and +neat. + +At the inner end of the barn the amateur carpenters erected a ring of +posts, connected by a rope. This was where the judging was to take +place. Finally, a cashier's booth was made out of a large dry-goods +box and placed at the entrance, and Theron Hammond was elected to +stand there and receive the admission fees, as he was the treasurer of +the Humane Society. Frank Stoddard, who had no dog to show, but who +was as much interested as any of them, was appointed to purchase tins +for drinking water and to keep them filled during the show. + +The last thing they placed cedar shavings from the planing mill in +each of the stalls, arranged hooks to fasten the leashes to, and +tacked to the wall above each place a card bearing the name, breed, +and owner of the dog that was to occupy it. So far as possible, they +arranged the dogs in accordance with their size. When it came to +Rags's card, they were a bit puzzled, for Mr. Hartshorn had told them +that Rags didn't belong to any recognized breed. But it didn't seem +fair to Rags to leave the space blank, so they invented a name for his +breed--wire-haired American terrier. + +On the morning of the great show Jack Whipple awoke early and jumped +out of bed. + +"Ernest!" he cried, and there was gloom in his voice. + +"What is it?" asked Ernest, sleepily. + +"It's raining," said Jack. + +"Oh, dear!" groaned Ernest. + +But they hurried through their breakfast, nevertheless, and taking +Romulus and Remus they hastened down to Morton's barn. They found that +the other members of the society were equally unafraid of a little +rain, but they were all a bit depressed. The prospect for a successful +show did not seem very bright. However, since all the arrangements had +been made, the boys decided that the only thing to do was to go ahead. +Other exhibitors arrived, some of them planning to spend the day with +their pets, but it was ten o'clock before Theron Hammond took in a +single admission fee. Furthermore, Mrs. Peabody and one or two other +timid exhibitors had failed to put in an appearance, and special +messengers had to be despatched to fetch them. + +It was just as well, perhaps, that the boys had this extra time to put +on the finishing touches, for the dogs were not used to this sort of +confinement and made a good deal of trouble before they could be +quieted. Then a special shelf had to be built for the display of the +prizes. The boys were so busy, in fact, that they hardly noticed that +the rain had ceased. About eleven o'clock Theron gave a glad cry. + +"The sun's coming out," he announced. "And here comes a gang of +people." + +From that time on the spectators arrived in a steady stream, until the +barn became quite crowded and the dogs were much excited. The members +of the society acted as ushers and entertained their visitors with +more or less learned lectures on the different breeds. And for the +most part the spectators appeared to be hugely pleased with the whole +performance, boys and dogs included. + +But the center of attraction turned out to be a dog that everyone knew +didn't stand a show for even third prize. It was comical old Rags. He +seemed to be enjoying the show more than anybody else in the place and +to feel that the Red Cross needed his services as an entertainer. He +was ready with uplifted paw to greet every visitor that stopped in +front of his bench and he never failed to bring a smile to the face of +the least interested. You couldn't see Rags without loving him, his +eyes were so merry, his smile so broad and warm, his crooked ears so +absurdly fascinating. He got as much patting and petting that day as +some dogs get in a lifetime, and it seemed to him, at least, that a +dog show was a most excellent kind of institution. Some of the dogs +didn't take to it in so kindly a manner. Mr. O'Brien, in fact, became +quite ill tempered before the day was over. + +To say that Jimmie Rogers was pleased is not overstating the truth. He +was prouder of Rags than if he had won all the silver cups in +Christendom, and he kept busy most of the day putting Rags through his +many tricks. + +The boys went home to dinner in relays, and by two o'clock the crowd +was even larger. They were curious to see what the judging would be +like. Mr. and Mrs. Hartshorn and Tom Poultice arrived in the +automobile, and after they had inspected the dogs, many of whom knew +them, Mr. Hartshorn announced that the judging would begin. + +"Ladies and gentlemen," said he. "If you will kindly give me your +attention, and if Monty Hubbard will be good enough to sit on Mr. +O'Brien's head, I will explain the manner in which the judging will be +conducted. When I call out the names, the owners will please bring +their dogs to the ring. I will inspect them in groups of five. I will +make a note of the best dogs in these groups, and will then ask to see +some of them a second time in order to determine for certain which +are, in my judgment, the best dogs." + +Beginning with Hamlet, he called for the first five dogs in the row, +and proceeded thus until, in the last group, six were judged. He +went at it in a businesslike manner, examining each dog carefully, and +making jottings in a notebook. When asked about his basis for judging +the dogs, he promised to explain that when he announced the winners. +Each owner held his or her own dog in the ring, making him walk past +the judge when so requested, and it all went smoothly until the third +group came to be judged. Then, before anyone knew what had happened, +the overwrought Mr. O'Brien had made an angry lunge at Li Hung Chang, +and there was something doing in the show ring. The chow was not +lacking in courage and returned the attack, while the other three dogs +struggled vainly to mix in. Some of the ladies in the audience +screamed, and it required the combined efforts of Mr. Hartshorn, Mr. +Morton, Tom Poultice, and Monty Hubbard to separate the antagonists +and straighten things out again. Mr. O'Brien was unsatisfied and +snarled ominously, but it made him look all the more spirited during +the judging. After that there were no untoward events to mar the +occasion. + +By the time Mr. Hartshorn had had some of the dogs up a second and +even a third time it was nearly four o'clock, the hour set for +announcing the winners. The place was crowded now, and not a little +speculation was heard as to the judge's probable decisions. Among the +boys, at least, this interest in the outcome amounted to tense +excitement, in which some of the grown-ups were not ashamed to share. + +At length Mr. Hartshorn came to the rope and addressed the gathering. + +"Ladies and gentlemen," said he: "you are all waiting, I know, to +learn the names of the winning dogs, but first I think I ought to +offer a few words of explanation. Let me say that we have some very +good dogs here to-day. They might not measure up to the standard set +in the big shows, but they are very good representatives of the +various breeds. Since it is necessary to compare dogs of different +breeds instead of dogs of the same breed in judging, it is not +altogether easy to reach a decision on comparative merits. I can only +rely upon my best judgment and will ask you to be indulgent with me in +case you do not agree with my choice. + +"In judging dogs at a show, we do not take into consideration the +personal character or intelligence of a dog, but chiefly his physical +characteristics. He must not appear stupid, and he must show the +qualities of character attributed to his breed. A sleepy terrier, for +instance, cannot win in a show. Beyond that, however, it is a matter +of what is called type. Authorities have carefully gone over the +points that are typical of each breed and have written them out in +what are called the standards. Winning dogs must conform very +largely to the type described in the standard, and the more of the +established points he can show in perfect form, the higher will be his +score in selecting his position among the winners. I cannot take your +time to describe all these points in each case, but simply state that +my judging is on that basis. + +"It is an arbitrary method, I grant you, and there are good people who +protest against judging dogs in accordance with their physical +features, not taking into account the qualities of heart and brain +that we really care for in a dog. But that is the fancier's way of +getting at it. If we did not have arbitrary and approved standards to +work toward in breeding, every breeder would work out his own personal +ideas, and we would have a strange assortment of sizes and shapes and +no predominant type in any breed. It is the work of the fanciers that +has produced the marked differences between the breeds and that keeps +them from degenerating into a sorry lot of mixed mongrels, until we +should not be able to tell a collie from a St. Bernard. + +"I trust that this brief explanation will give you an idea of the +basis of my judgment in this show. I have given the preference not to +the wisest and most capable and most affectionate dogs, but to those +that most nearly approach the approved standards of their breeds. I +will now ask to have the following dogs brought to the ring: Mr. +Sanderson's German shepherd dog, Rupert of Hentzau; Mrs. Peabody's +Pekingese spaniel, Chi Yen; Herbert Pierson's Great Dane, Hamlet; +Harry Barton's English bulldog, Mike; Montague Hubbard's Irish +terrier, Mr. O'Brien (keep him on a short leash, Monty); Jack +Whipple's English setter, Remus." + +All of these dogs have been previously mentioned except Rupert. Both +he and his master were newcomers in Boytown, and the big, strong, +active dog, with his wolfish look, his erect ears, and his brave, +bright eyes, had attracted a good deal of attention at the show. When +the six dogs had been brought again into the ring, Mr. Hartshorn +continued his discourse. + +"I believe," said he, "that all of these dogs should receive honorable +mention, or, as we call it at the shows, the V. H. C.--very highly +commended. They all possess points of excellence, but all fall short +in some particulars. Rupert of Hentzau looks like a perfect dog, but +if you were to compare him with the best of his breed you would see +that he is a little too short in the head, too flat-sided, and too +leggy. Chi Yen measures up pretty well, but she hasn't a good color +and her coat isn't quite as profuse as it should be. Hamlet's feet and +ankles are bad. This is often the case with big dogs that grew fast +when they were puppies. Their bones do not strengthen fast enough to +bear their increasing weight, and the result is apt to be flat feet, +turning out, and bent ankles. Hamlet is a bit thin, too, but is +otherwise a good Dane. In the English bulldog classes, the preference +is generally given to the extreme types. A dog with wider elbows, +deeper chest, and a heavier jaw would beat Mike easily. Mr. O'Brien +has Irish terrier character a-plenty, but he is a bit too large and +coarse, as the expression is, and his coat is too long and soft and +too light in color. Remus will make a fine dog some day, I believe, +but he has had hard luck thus far and he hasn't grown up quite evenly. +He needs strengthening in the shoulders and he is out of coat. His +tail is a bit stringy. With proper care, I believe these defects can +be obviated. I take pleasure in conferring the V. H. C. on these six +dogs." + +They were led out of the ring amid the applause of the spectators, +which somewhat softened the disappointment of their owners in not +taking prizes. When Mr. Hartshorn called for the three dogs that were +to receive the honors of the show, the applause increased. In answer +to their names, Theron Hammond, Ernest Whipple, and Dick Wheaton +brought their dogs proudly to the ring. Mr. Hartshorn took the +handsome silver cup from its shelf and held it up where all might see. + +"It gives me great pleasure," he announced, "to confer the first +prize upon Alert, Boston terrier, owned by Theron Hammond." + +Theron stepped forward, blushing violently and smiling broadly, and +took the trophy from the hands of the judge. Then he stooped down +impulsively and picked Alert up, hugging him in his arms, to which +demonstration Alert replied by gently chewing his master's ear. When +the hand-clapping had died down, Mr. Hartshorn continued: + +"I will not spoil this triumph by pointing out Alert's defects. He +would very likely meet his superiors in one of the big shows, for the +Boston terrier entries are always very large, but I don't think he +would be entirely out of the running in a novice class. I understand +he is a registered and pedigreed dog, and he certainly shows evidences +of good breeding. In my judgment he comes closer to his breed's +standard than any other dog in this show. + +"The second prize, this handsome dog collar, is won by Romulus, +English setter, owned by Ernest Whipple. He is a litter brother of +Remus, but he is better developed and has a better coat. He is a +first-class specimen of the Llewellyn type, and though there are a few +points in which he falls below the strict bench-show standard, he is a +splendid setter. + +"The third prize, which will perhaps be better appreciated by its +recipient than any of the others, is a box of dog biscuit. I hope, +however, that it will not form his sole diet, as he is doubtless +accustomed to a more varied and palatable menu. This prize is won by +Gypsie, smooth fox terrier, owned by Richard Wheaton. Gyp is a little +off type in some respects, but I have decided that, according to my +score of points, he is the third best dog in the show." + +[Illustration: Boston Terrier] + +Mr. Hartshorn bowed and withdrew, while Mrs. Hartshorn remarked to a +friend that she didn't believe he had ever made such a long speech +before in his life. The spectators crowded around the winners to +congratulate the three boys and to pat and admire their dogs. More +than one person in that barn had his or her eyes opened that day for +the first time to the points of excellence of dog-flesh. Still, there +were some who stepped back to the bench where Rags sat, an +uncomprehending spectator, and assured him that he was the best dog in +the show after all, and that he would have received the silver cup if +they had been the judges. Ernest and Theron had never known a happier +day of triumph, and even Dick Wheaton, who had received his prize with +a supercilious smile, appeared to be a bit softened for the time being +and to show some pride in his ownership of the much-abused Gyp. + +There were, indeed, some heart-burnings among the losers. Herbie +Pierson, for one, had had high hopes of Hamlet. But they had all +agreed to accept the outcome like good sports and they could not +remain long despondent in the face of the success of their show. As +for Jack Whipple, the youngest exhibitor of all, he displayed a spirit +that the others would have been ashamed not to follow. He was frankly +pleased at the success of Romulus, and stoutly asserted that Remus +would have his big day yet. Mr. Fellowes was as much pleased as Ernest +was, and privately confided to him that he was glad Romulus didn't get +first prize, as he would have been disappointed to see any other dog +wearing that collar. + +The people were beginning to file out of the barn, after a final +tour of the benches, when Mr. Hartshorn, standing beside the cashier's +booth, once more called for order. + +"As you know," he said in his strong voice, "the proceeds of this show +are to be given to the Red Cross, and you may be interested to learn +just how much has been netted for that good cause by to-day's unique +effort on the part of the Boytown Humane Society. The treasurer, +Theron Hammond, has been busy with arithmetic for the past twenty +minutes and has an announcement to make." + +Theron was suddenly stricken with stage fright, but he did not attempt +to make a speech. He merely read the figures of his report. + +"Entry fees for 26 dogs," he read, "$13.00. Attendance, 242. Gate +receipts, $60.50. Total receipts, $73.50. Advertising, $8.00. Other +expenses, $2.67. Total expense, $10.67. Net proceeds, $62.83." + +"I wonder," remarked Mr. Hartshorn to his wife, "if a dozen women +could knit $62.83 worth of mufflers in one day." + +The exhibitors began taking their weary dogs home and the boys started +the cleaning-up process that was part of their bargain with Mr. +Morton. And so the great day ended. + +The only fly in the ointment of Ernest and Jack Whipple was the fact +that, although their father had been an enthusiastic spectator +throughout the greater part of the afternoon, their mother had not +seen fit to attend. She was very busy, she said, and anyway, dogs did +not particularly interest her. + +Next morning the two local papers contained full accounts of the show, +to the extent of a column or more, and they treated it as one of the +season's events of Boytown, giving the names of all the dogs and their +owners and a complete report of the awards, besides the treasurer's +report. One of them even published an editorial praising the work of +the Humane Society and suggesting that the town should be proud of its +boys and its dogs. Mr. Whipple and the boys devoured the contents of +these papers eagerly before breakfast. After breakfast they found Mrs. +Whipple reading one of them in the sitting-room. + +"What are you reading, mother?" asked Mr. Whipple, but she was so +absorbed that she did not answer for a time. + +At length she murmured, half to herself, "Hm! I don't see yet why +Remus didn't get a prize." + +Whereat, it must be related, Mr. Whipple turned and winked at the boys +in a most undignified manner. + + + + +CHAPTER XII + +CAMP BRITCHES + + +Spring came, and with it more training for Romulus, until Sam +pronounced him a fairly well-broken bird dog. May drifted into June +and June into July. Another school year came to a close and another +long vacation period began. The great dog show was now a thing of +ancient history and things were a bit slow in Boytown. It appeared +essential to the happiness and welfare of numerous boys and dogs that +something new should be undertaken. + +It was Jimmie Rogers who suggested it, though there were a dozen +active, eager minds ready to seize upon the idea and develop it. They +were sitting on the bank of the swimming hole near the brickyard, +resting after an hour's swim and warming themselves in the sun. The +dogs were either wandering restlessly about in search of new +adventures, or were stretched out at their masters' feet. The boys +were somewhat languidly discussing the events of the Glorious Fourth +just past, and bemoaning the fact that another one would be so long in +coming. + +"Fourth o' July's all right," remarked Jimmie, "but I think the most +fun in the whole world is camping out." + +"Ho!" scoffed Harry Barton. "When did you ever go camping out?" + +"I camped out one night with my father in an old shack over Oakdale +way," asserted Jimmie. + +"That isn't camping out," said Harry. "Camping out is living in a tent +in the woods all summer, catching your own fish and cooking your own +grub and--and everything." + +"Did you ever do that?" demanded Jimmie. + +Harry was forced to admit that he never did. + +"Gee, I wish we could all go camping out this summer," said Ernest +Whipple. "It would be great fun to take the dogs along." + +"Well, why can't we?" inquired Jimmie. + +Many of the boys held inwardly a well-founded notion that there would +be serious parental objections to a plan of this kind, but their ready +imaginations caught fire at the idea and they were soon in the midst +of a lively discussion of plans that gradually settled down from the +wild and fantastic to the faintly feasible. When they separated that +afternoon it was with the hopeful belief that they were going to +organize a camping expedition. + +The expected parental opposition developed promptly and decidedly, but +when a dozen American boys get their hearts set on anything short of +discovering the North Pole something is sure to happen. They did not +quickly abandon their rosy project and they set about conquering the +opposition by means of a determined siege. + +The chief point of objection, of course, which indeed appeared +insurmountable, was the natural belief on the part of parents that it +would not be safe or wise to let their boys leave home and go camping +out without the guardianship of some older person. No arguments could +be invented to prevail against this. But help came from an unexpected +quarter. + +Theron Hammond's older brother, Alfred, a student at Yale and a +steady, reliable sort of fellow, was spending his summer at home and +was finding Boytown a bit dull after the activities of Junior year at +college. One evening, when Theron had broached the subject for the +fortieth time and his father had once more given a firm refusal, +Alfred put in his oar. + +"Aw, father," said he, "let him go and give us a little peace in the +house. It won't hurt him." + +"But, Alfred," said his father, "you know very well it would never do +to let those boys go off alone. None of the parents would permit it." + +"Suppose Horace and I went with them," suggested Alfred. Horace Ames +was a classmate of Alfred's who was also languishing in summer +idleness in Boytown. + +That put another face on the matter entirely. It must not be supposed +that the victory was won at once, however. It required two weeks more +of the siege to win capitulation all along the line. But the boys +conquered at last. They liked and admired the college students and +accepted their alliance with enthusiastic acclaim. Alfred talked it +over with his chum, and the more they discussed it the more they felt +that the conducting of this boy-and-dog camp would be great fun. +Horace had brought home with him from New Haven the ugliest-looking +and gentlest-tempered bulldog ever seen in the streets of Boytown. His +name was Eli and Horace vowed he would give Eli the pleasure of +camping out with the other dogs of Boytown. Eli was in training as a +football mascot, and Horace asserted that a summer experience of this +sort was just what he needed. + +As their interest in the project grew, Alfred and Horace decided to +take an active part in the campaign, and they called personally on +every one of the doubting parents. Little by little they won them over +until at last the success of the plan was assured. Mrs. Whipple was +the last to give way, but Mr. Whipple had already been enlisted in the +cause and he proved, as ever, a loyal advocate. + +"You must remember, mother," said he, "that Jack is eleven years old +now." + +"Yes," said she, dubiously. In her eyes Jack was still a rosy-cheeked +baby. + +"It is never too soon for boys to gain self-reliance," said Mr. +Whipple. "This camp will do Jack a lot of good, and Ernest, too. +They'll have to hold their own on a common footing with the other +boys, which is what they must do in later life. And Alfred and Horace +are as reliable and trustworthy a pair of young fellows as I know. +They won't let anything happen to our boys." + +So at last even Mrs. Whipple granted a reluctant consent, and fourteen +boys, besides the two older ones, were at last enrolled as members of +the expedition. At first it had been understood that the camp was to +include only members of the Humane Society, and would be a sort of +club outing, but Mrs. Hammond suggested that the invitation be +extended to include also any boy in town who owned a dog, on the +ground that this might serve to recruit new members for the society. +Alfred seconded this. + +"The more the merrier," said he. + +So the invitation was sent abroad and had already been accepted in two +cases when the troublesome question of Dick Wheaton again arose. The +boys didn't want Dick at the camp, and Dick evinced no interest in +the project, but the bars had been let down and there seemed to be no +good excuse for not admitting Dick. Mrs. Hammond advised them to +invite him, but before they had done so, the matter was taken out of +their hands; the difficulty was solved for them. + +One night Gyp, tired of his ill treatment, heartbroken, hopeless of +ever being able to win his master's true affection, and doubtless +seeking a happier home, ran away and was never again seen in Boytown. +So Dick, since he no longer owned a dog, was automatically eliminated, +much to the relief of those who did not want him. It seemed a just +retribution that he should lose the creature that loved him so, but it +is doubtful if Dick cared very much. + +"I only hope," said Mrs. Hammond, when she was told about it, "that +this will teach Dick a lesson and that poor Gyp will find a good +master and pass the rest of his days in peace and happiness. He is a +dear, loving little dog, and he deserves it." + +Including Eli, there were fourteen dogs in the party, which was more +than had at first been counted on, for not all the members of the +Humane Society were dog owners, though the outsiders all had to be. It +happened in this way: Frank Stoddard had long been pleading with his +parents to be allowed to have a dog, and at last they surrendered and +gave him one on his birthday. Mr. Stoddard believed in doing nothing +by halves and so he purchased a really fine young collie, sable and +white, named MacTavish, and usually called Mac for short. So Frank had +a canine companion for the camp and his cup of joy was full. + +And there was still another new dog in town. Elliot Garfield's uncle, +who knew of the boy's earnest desire to own a dog, sent him early in +August an Old English sheepdog. The uncle wrote that he was going to +travel a bit, and that if Elliot would guarantee to give his dog a +good home, he might have him for his own. You may believe that Elliot +was not slow in agreeing to that proposition. It was a pedigreed dog, +named Darley's Launcelot of Middlesex. That was a name no one could be +expected to use in calling a dog, and even Launcelot seemed a bit +strange. So Elliot, who possibly lacked originality, rechristened him +Rover. + +Most of the residents of Boytown had never seen an Old English +sheepdog before, and Rover attracted not a little attention on the +street. Some people even laughed at his big round head, with hair over +his eyes, and his shambling gait and lack of a tail, but they soon got +used to him and came to admire his wonderful gray and white coat. And +Rover turned out to be one of the jolliest dog companions in Boytown. +He loved the water, and when he got his coat thoroughly wet he +seemed to shrink to half his normal size. He was really not much +bigger than Romulus, but when his hair was dry and all fluffed out he +looked as big as a Newfoundland. + +With Rover and Mac added to the party, it began to look like a pretty +big affair, as indeed it was. Alfred and Horace entered into the +spirit of the thing with zest and arranged for the tents and general +equipment. They had both been camping in the Adirondacks, and they +knew just what was needed. So they drew up a list of the things each +boy must provide for himself--warm blankets, a bag to be stuffed with +sweet fern for a pillow, mosquito netting, and an aluminum plate, +bowl, and cup for each boy, a dish for his dog, knives, forks, spoons, +etc., besides the requisite clothing and toilet articles. It was all +done very systematically. + +There was one thing that bothered Alfred and Horace, and that was the +cooking. They ordered a store of supplies, the boys having all +contributed to a fund for that purpose, but that did not solve the +problem of three meals a day. The boys had been inclined to pass over +this detail somewhat lightly, but Alfred and Horace knew from +experience that feeding a dozen hungry boys was no joke, and they +didn't intend to have their vacation spoiled by the necessity of +turning to themselves and doing all the work. + +One day Mr. Morton stopped Alfred Hammond on the street and asked him +how the plans for the camp were progressing. + +"Everything is going finely," said Alfred, "except for two things. We +shall have to postpone our start for a day or two because the tents +haven't come yet. Then there's the question of the cooking. I'm +blessed if I know how that gang of youngsters is going to be fed." + +Mr. Morton stood and thought a moment. + +"Maybe I can help you out," he said at length. "I'm just starting off +on a little vacation myself, and I've been wondering what I'd do with +Moses." (Moses was Mr. Morton's colored man-about-the-place.) "I +haven't enough to keep him busy during my absence and it wouldn't do +for him to fall into habits of idleness. How would you like to take +Moses along with you, and guarantee to keep him out of mischief? He +was once an assistant chef or something in a summer hotel, and I +believe he's a first-rate cook. His services would cost you nothing, +because I have to keep up his wages anyway. I'd be mighty glad to know +that he was being kept busy." + +"Say, that's mighty white of you, Mr. Morton," said Alfred. "Moses for +ours. He's just what we need." + +So that matter was settled. Mr. Morton explained to Moses just what +was required of him, and Moses became a not unwilling member of the +party. + +The tents, which had been ordered from New York, came at last. There +were two of them, good-sized ones, each capable of accommodating seven +of the younger boys and one of the older ones. Horace Ames had a small +tent of his own which would serve for Moses. On the appointed day the +boys congregated at the Whipples' stable, each bringing his personal +equipment strapped up in his blanket. The camp site that had been +chosen was at Mallard Lake, about nine miles from Boytown, and two +wagons with drivers had been engaged to convey the outfit. + +Presently one of these wagons appeared, containing Moses, Alfred, +Horace, the tents, a stack of old lumber, a box of cooking utensils, +and a second-hand kitchen range, besides a number of boxes containing +provisions. When the boys had heaved their personal belongings aboard +it made a big load. Then the human part of the expedition loaded +itself into the second wagon, with much laughter and skylarking, and +the party was ready to start. The dogs were allowed to run alongside, +and a lively pack they were. Mrs. Whipple, with a look of anxiety +still on her face, came to the gate to wave good-by. + +They arrived at Mallard Lake about noon, and after unloading and +sending back the wagons, they sat down to partake of the picnic +lunch that each had brought with him. Then came the task of pitching +camp. It was no small thing to accomplish before dark, but there were +many hands to engage in it and efficient leadership. + +The camp was located in some pine woods that ran down close to the +shore of the lake. On the other side of a little cape was a sandy +beach that looked like a good swimming place. Across the lake there +were two or three farmhouses, where the leaders had arranged for +supplies of milk, eggs, butter, bread, and baked beans. All the +available floating craft on the lake had been hired, and three +rowboats and a canoe lay drawn up on the bank. A little way back in +the woods was a spring of clear, pure, cold water for drinking +purposes, and a pool where the milk and butter could be kept fresh. + +The leaders told the boys, however, that they would have to wait +another day before indulging in an exploration of the surroundings of +the camp. There was much to be done before night, and all must get to +work. The two tents were pitched on a little rise of ground back from +the water, and each boy was set to work gathering balsam boughs for +his bed. These were strewn a foot thick on the ground inside the tents +and the blankets were spread upon them, each boy being assigned his +place. They also stuffed their pillows with balsam, waiting till +another day to gather the fragrant sweet ferns in a near-by pasture. +Each boy also cut stakes and drove them into the ground about his bed +to hold his mosquito netting. Ropes were strung overhead to hold +clothing, and there were two lanterns for each tent. + +Moses, meantime, had pitched his own tent and made his own bed, and +now they all turned to to help him knock together a rough shack to +serve as cook house and pantry. Then a long dining table and benches +were built and a frame erected over them on which was spread an old +awning. The range was set up in the cook house, the provisions were +stored away, firewood was cut, and Moses started preparations for +supper. Soon a fragrant smoke was issuing from the stovepipe, which +before long was mingled with the smell of frying bacon and other +things cooking that made every boy acutely aware of his appetite. +Still Alfred and Horace kept them at work, cleaning up around camp, +laying a stone foundation for a campfire, and erecting a lean-to +shelter for the dogs in stormy weather, for it was voted not to allow +the dogs to come into the tents. + +Moses made good his reputation as a cook, and a prodigious amount of +provender disappeared at supper that night. The boys were in high +spirits and so were the dogs. The latter, not yet accustomed to their +new surroundings, and not realizing that they were to stay there, +were restless and excitable and gave some trouble, but they were at +last persuaded to quiet down. It was decided to tie them to the +lean-to for a few nights until they should learn the rules and +regulations. + +After supper, while the boys were gathering brushwood for a campfire, +Jimmie Rogers hoisted the camp ensign, which created a roar of +laughter. I must explain about this ensign and the name of the camp. + +Some time before they had discussed the subject of naming the camp, +but could agree on nothing. Mrs. Hammond had suggested Camp B. H. S., +the letters being the initials of the Boytown Humane Society. This did +not fully please the popular fancy, and yet they did not like to +discard Mrs. Hammond's suggestion. They began trying to find a word or +words in some way made up of B. H. S. Alfred Hammond suggested Camp +Beeches. That sounded something like B. H. S., he said, and they would +very likely find beech trees about the camp. They adopted this name +for want of a better one, until Jimmie, in a moment of inspiration, +changed it to Camp Breeches. This name really had no very deep +meaning, but somehow it tickled the boys and it stuck, being still +further revised in process of use to Camp Britches. The ensign which +Jimmie tied to a sapling in front of the camp was an old pair of boy's +trousers. + +It would require a whole book to tell of all the episodes that went to +make up the life of Camp Britches during the next week, of the fishing +and swimming, the exploring expeditions and berrying parties, of how +the boys built a landing wharf for the boats and a diving raft, and +how they divided up the routine duties of the camp. Some of these +episodes were glorious fun; some were not so pleasant; taken all +together they made up a memorable experience. Moses proved to be a +master at making griddle cakes and other good things, and once or +twice a boy ate not wisely but too well, and required the attention of +the camp physician, Horace Ames. But for the most part they were +healthy and happy, and incidentally they learned many things about +looking out for themselves. + +One night a thunderstorm broke, a veritable cloudburst, and the boys +had to put on their bathing trunks and go out and dig deeper trenches +around the tents to keep the water from running in and soaking +everything. On another occasion a high wind blew one of the tents down +on its sleeping inmates, causing more fright than damage. + +Perhaps the best part of it all was the evening campfire. By that time +the boys were physically sufficiently weary to enjoy resting, and, the +pangs of hunger being well satisfied through the ministrations of +Moses, they would light their pile of brushwood and lie about it, +wrapped in blankets on the cool nights, and watch the flames and +fondle their dogs, and gossip drowsily. Sometimes there was story +telling, at which Albert Hammond was an artist. And one afternoon Sam +Bumpus came by special invitation, walking all the way from his shack, +and that evening they had stirring tales of moose and deer hunting in +Maine. + +Then, of course, there were always the dogs. Sometimes it seemed as +though there were too many of them, and it was necessary to make each +boy strictly accountable for the actions of his own. Mr. O'Brien was a +constant source of trouble and unrest, and there were times when it +almost seemed as though they would have to send him home. Still, +everybody liked Mr. O'Brien, after all. Wicked as he was, he was as +smart as a whip and he had a way of worming into your affections in +spite of you. Romulus and Remus had to be watched because of a +tendency to go roaming off together on hunting expeditions of their +own. Rags was, as ever, a general favorite and heaps of fun, and +Rover, the Old English sheepdog, proved to be almost as playful and +humorous. He was wonderfully active for a dog who appeared to be so +clumsy. He could hold his own in a scrap, too, as Mr. O'Brien learned +to his sorrow. In aquatic sports, Rover shone. + +Speaking of the dogs, there came a night when one of them nearly upset +the entire camp. It was the handsome collie, MacTavish. He strayed +away from camp in the evening and managed to get into trouble with a +little animal that is sometimes found in the woods whose method of +defense is peculiar. It was a black and white skunk. MacTavish +returned, very unhappy, just as the boys were getting to sleep. +Seeking help and consolation in his distress, he entered the tent +where his master lay. In less time than it takes to tell it every +inmate of that tent was out in the open air. Moses and Horace took the +collie down to the lake, washed him as thoroughly as they could with +strong tar soap, and then tied him out in the woods where the poor +unfortunate's howls disturbed the camp's rest all night. They could +not send him home, and it was two or three days before he was entirely +fit for human companionship again. + + + + +CHAPTER XIII + +THE PASSING OF RAGS + + +Camp Britches was pitched on a Wednesday, and the first week flew by +on winged feet. On the second Saturday an event occurred which the +boys had been looking forward to with anticipation. Mr. Hartshorn came +in his car to spend Sunday at the camp. He brought none of his dogs +with him, which was a source of regret, but he was a most welcome +visitor, nevertheless. + +The boys feared that the appointments of their camp might not be quite +elegant enough for a man like Mr. Hartshorn, but he fitted in as +though he had been brought up to just that sort of thing and said it +was all bully. Frank Stoddard moved out and crowded into the other +tent, and a special bed was laid for the visitor. Moses outdid himself +in planning his Sunday menu. + +Mr. Hartshorn arrived too late to be shown about the lake that day, +but supper was a jolly meal and a new interest was added to the +campfire hour that night. + +Mr. Hartshorn had shown considerable interest in MacTavish and Rover, +both of whom he pronounced to be fine dogs, and this led to a +general discussion of sheepdogs and their kin. + +"I wish you'd tell us something about bob-tails, Mr. Hartshorn," said +Elliot Garfield. "I really don't know a thing about them, and I ought +to, now I've got one." + +"Please do," echoed Ernest Whipple. "You promised you'd tell us about +the shepherd breeds sometime." + +"Well," said Mr. Hartshorn, laughing, "it's pretty near bedtime, +anyway, so if I put you to sleep it won't much matter. For my own +part, though, I'd rather listen to another of Alfred's stories." + +The night was chilly, so he went to his car and got his auto robe, +wrapped himself up in it, lighted a cigar, and settled himself +comfortably beside the campfire. + +"You may have noticed," he began, "that some breeds of dogs seem to +possess more individual character than others. Foxhounds, for example, +seem to me a good deal alike. That is because they live and work +mostly in packs. It is the constant association of a single dog with +his master that develops the traits of personality in him. No dogs +have had this personality more highly developed than the shepherd +breeds, for they have been the shepherds' personal companions, often +their only companions, for generations. They are, therefore, most +interesting dogs to know and to talk about. + +"Of these shepherd breeds the best known is the collie. It is, in +fact, one of the most popular and numerous of all the breeds. The +modern collie, of which Mac here is a good example, has been developed +for beauty, as a show dog and companion rather than a working dog, but +he is a direct descendant of the old working collie of the Scottish +Highlands, which has been a distinct breed and has been used as a +shepherd's dog for centuries. The old working collie or shepherd dog, +which is still numerous in Scotland, is a splendid utility animal of +great intelligence and initiative, brave as a lion, and trained to +guard sheep. + +"Though a straight development without much crossing with other +breeds, the modern collie is almost a different variety, with a +narrower head and muzzle, better pointed ears, and a fuller and finer +coat. From the fancier's point of view he is a great improvement on +the working dog, and he certainly is handsomer, but in my own humble +opinion the fanciers are well-nigh ruining the splendid character of +one of the best breeds of dogs ever given to man. For one thing, they +have made the head so narrow and snipey, imitating that of the Russian +wolfhound, that they have left insufficient room in the skull for all +the brains the old collie used to possess. And with this fineness of +breeding has come some uncertainty of disposition. The modern collie +isn't usually given a chance to learn the things his forefathers knew, +so how can we expect the same mental development? Mac, I am glad to +say, is not of the extreme type. He would doubtless be beaten in the +shows, but he is a better dog, for all that. The older type used to be +more common here, but has gradually been driven out by the show type +which began to be taken up about 1880. + +[Illustration: Collie] + +"The Scotch are great people for dog stories, and a good many of their +tales are about collies. Bob, Son of Battle, was an old-fashioned +collie. Many of the anecdotes that are told as true stories deal +with the breed's wonderful sagacity in caring for sheep. There was the +Ettrick Shepherd's famous collie Sirrah, for example. He could +undoubtedly do amazing things with sheep. One night something scared +the lambs, and they started off for the hills, dividing into three +groups. The shepherd called his dog and his assistant and started out +in the hope of rounding up at least one of the groups before morning. +But the night was dark and the hills a wilderness, and the two men +were at last forced to give up the attempt until daylight. At dawn, +when they started out again, what was their astonishment to see Sirrah +coming in with the lost lambs--not one group only, but the whole +flock. How he managed to get one group after the other, no one could +ever say, but between midnight and dawn he rounded them all up alone, +and not one was missing. + +"This herding instinct is very strong in the collie. I once met a +modern collie in Des Moines, Iowa, who, because he had no sheep to +attend to, busied himself with the chickens, and he would never +consider his day's work finished until he had carefully herded all the +Rhode Island Reds into one corner of the poultry yard, and all the +Plymouth Rocks into another. + +"Cases are on record of collies that were taught to steal for their +masters, by systematically driving off sheep from neighboring +flocks. Many stories deal with the collie's intelligence in fetching +help to a man or animal in danger. One collie brought in a flock of +half-frozen hens, one by one, that had strayed away from the barnyard +and got caught in a blizzard. He carried them tenderly in his mouth, +depositing them in a row before the open fire. Another collie brought +home a strayed horse by the bridle. + +"Shepherd collies are wonderful with the sheep, but the so-called +house collie is often more generally wise and adaptable. Hector, a son +of Sirrah, was such a dog, and his master, a Mr. Hogg of Ettrick, has +told many amusing stories about him. He was always getting into +mischief, and Mr. Hogg's mother vowed he should never go visiting with +her, for, as she put it, 'he was always fighting with other dogs, +singing music, or breeding some uproar or other.' But with all that, +he was so intelligent, and seemed to understand so many things in +advance, that she used to say, 'I think the beast is no canny.' + +"His master's father was one of the church elders of the place, and at +one time accepted the post of precentor. He knew only one tune +well--'St. Paul's'--and this he used to give out twice each Sunday. To +save the congregation from too great a dose of 'St. Paul's,' the son +agreed to relieve him of his duties. But here Hector, accustomed to +his master's company on Sundays, objected. He would follow him to +church, and when he heard his master's voice inside, he would raise +his in the churchyard, much to the amusement of the shepherds and the +country lassies. 'Sometimes,' said Mr. Hogg, 'there would be only the +two of us joining in the hymn.' The result was that he was forced to +resign, and the church was obliged to carry on as best it could with +the old precentor and 'St. Paul's.' + +"Hector exhibited strange motives and peculiar logic sometimes. He was +jealous of the house cat and hated her, but he never touched her or +threatened to do her any harm. He merely kept a suspicious eye on her, +pointing her as a setter points a bird. He used to join in family +prayers, and just before the final 'Amen,' he would leap to his feet +and dash madly about, barking loudly. It was easy to understand how he +knew when the 'Amen' was approaching, but why the excitement that +followed? 'I found out by accident,' wrote Mr. Hogg. 'As we were +kneeling there, he thought we were all pointing Pussy, and he wanted +to be among the first at the death.' + +"Next we come to Rover's breed. Old English sheepdog is its official +name, but I think it might better be called the bob-tailed sheepdog to +distinguish it from the original smooth sheepdog of England. In many +respects it is quite unlike any other breed that comes from England. +He was formerly used by English drovers as a cattle dog, but we know +little of his history. The bob-tail is the hairiest of the large dogs +and one of the most striking of all breeds in appearance. Some of the +puppies are born tailless, while others have their tails removed +within a few days after birth. The bob-tail is an active, swift, +intelligent dog and, as you know if you have watched Rover, very +playful and very expressive with his paws. Having no tail to wag, he +wags his whole hind quarters to let you know he is pleased or +friendly. + +"The German shepherd dog has had a remarkable boom since its +introduction here in 1912. It is an old breed in Germany and its +appearance strongly suggests wolf blood in its ancestry. Originally a +shepherd's dog, and still used as such, this breed has shown itself +remarkably adaptable to police dog work and has been used in the war +more than any other breed. The German shepherd dog is not as gently +affectionate as some breeds, but is intelligent, active, alert, brave, +and loyal. + +"I think I should also speak of the Belgian sheepdog, partly because +we are all interested in Belgium these days, and partly because we +have begun to get a few of these dogs over here. They are said to be +even cleverer police dogs than the Germans. A few have been +successfully used over here by police departments of New York and +vicinity, and a few fanciers have become interested in the +Groenendaele variety and have exhibited specimens in the Westminster +show." + +"What do police dogs do?" inquired Herbie Pierson. + +"I have never seen them at work on the other side," said Mr. +Hartshorn, "but I understand they are a recognized part of the police +service in many cities of France, Austria, Belgium, Holland, and +Germany. They are said to do wonderful things, such as rounding up +gangs of thieves, trailing criminals, and saving drowning persons, +including would-be suicides. In this country their usefulness has been +rather the prevention of crime. I have visited the dog squad, in the +Flatbush section of Brooklyn. There they are muzzled and are not +expected to attack people. They are taken out at night with the +patrolmen and scout around in back yards and anywhere that a burglar +or hold-up man might be lurking. The criminals don't like that idea, +and they have kept away from that section pretty consistently. I +believe these dogs have also found persons freezing in the snow. +Airedales have been tried out as well as Belgian and German shepherd +dogs. For trailing criminals and finding lost persons, the bloodhound +is most commonly used in this country, but I believe some rather +remarkable feats of trailing have been accomplished by Belgian +sheepdogs at Englewood and Ridgewood, New Jersey." + +"They are used mostly as ambulance dogs in the war, aren't they?" +asked Harry Barton. + +"Yes," said Mr. Hartshorn. "You have probably seen pictures of them +bringing in a wounded man's helmet, to guide the stretcher bearers to +where he lies. They are also used as messengers and for sentry duty in +the listening posts, where they are much quicker than the men to +detect the approach of a raiding party or an enemy patrol. I could +tell you some interesting and thrilling stories that I've heard about +these war dogs, but I for one am getting sleepy and I'd like to try +out that balsam bed and see if I like it." + +There was a little less skylarking that night out of respect to the +honored visitor, and so everyone got a good rest and was up betimes in +the morning. After breakfast Mr. Hartshorn asked to be shown about the +country near the camp, and everybody joined in the expedition, +including the dogs. + +"I suppose these dogs are all pretty well acquainted with one another +now," said Mr. Hartshorn, "but I must say it is wonderful how well +they get along together. It all shows the power of human +companionship. Kennel dogs like mine couldn't stand this sort of +thing for an hour. It must be that Rags and Rover keep them all +good-natured." + +Sunday passed quietly and pleasantly and then came another evening +campfire. Some of the boys begged Mr. Hartshorn to tell them about +more breeds of dogs, but he laughingly refused. + +"Sometime I'll tell you about the hound and greyhound families, but +not now. You've had enough," said he. "Besides, I came here to loaf, +not to teach a class. Let's have one of Alfred's stories." + +"I'm afraid I've told them all," said Alfred. "I've tried to think of +more, but I guess there aren't any." + +"We've all told our stock of stories," said Horace. "You're the only +one with a fresh supply. I guess it's up to you, Mr. Hartshorn." + +"The trouble is," said he, "I'm no story teller, but I'll read you +something, if you'd like to hear it. I have quite a library of dog +literature, both fact and fiction, and I've tried to collect every +good thing that has been written about dogs. I selected two stories +that are fairly short and brought them along, thinking there might +develop a need for entertainment of that kind. Would you like to hear +them?" + +A shout of unanimous approval went up. Two of the boys ran to Mr. +Hartshorn's car for the books, and another brought a lighted lantern +and placed it on a box at his elbow. Then they grouped themselves +about the fire again and listened with absorbed attention while he +read them two of the best short dog stories in his collection--"The +Bar Sinister," by Richard Harding Davis, and "Stikeen" by John Muir. + +"My! Aren't those fine!" exclaimed Ernest Whipple. + +"Haven't you any more?" begged Elliot Garfield. + +"No," said Mr. Hartshorn, "I'm sorry to say I haven't any more with +me, but I shall be glad to lend my books to any of you boys who will +promise to return them. They are very precious. I'd like nothing +better than to introduce you to the dogs of literature. They're a +great lot." + +Then he proceeded to tell them something of the best known of these +books--"Bob, Son of Battle," Ouida's "A Dog of Flanders," Jack +London's stories, and a number of others. + +"But I think," he concluded, "that the one I like best of all is the +true story of a little Skye terrier named Greyfriars Bobby, one of the +most faithful dogs that ever lived." + +"Oh, please tell us about him," begged Frank Stoddard. + +"No," said Mr. Hartshorn, "I would only spoil the story. You must read +the book for yourselves. It will give you something to do next winter +when you can't go camping out, and I can promise you a rare treat." + +The next morning Mr. Hartshorn was obliged to leave, and everyone was +up bright and early to see him off. He thanked them all for one of the +jolliest week-ends he had ever spent, and promised to invite them to a +campfire of reminiscence at Willowdale sometime. Then he got into his +car and started the motor. + +I presume he had never taken part in so boisterous a departure. The +rough woods road was difficult enough to drive in at best, and the +boys and dogs crowded about the car, shouting and barking their +farewells. In spite of all Alfred and Horace could do, some of the +more venturesome jumped upon the running boards and rode a little way, +while the dogs, catching the spirit of excitement, dashed about in +front and everywhere. Alfred and Horace rushed in to quiet the +confusion, but before they could get the boys and dogs in hand a sharp +yelp of pain sounded and poor old Rags lay, a helpless, pathetic +figure, in the wheel rut behind the car. + +No one knew, in the confusion, just how it had happened. Mr. Hartshorn +had been driving as slowly and carefully as he could under +difficulties. A moment before Rags had been barking riotously and +leaping at the hand of his master who stood perched precariously on +the running board. Now he lay, mute and motionless, all the joy gone +out of him, his eyes raised in dumb pleading to his master's face. + +A sudden hush fell over the noisy crowd. Even the dogs seemed to know +that something dreadful had happened. Mr. Hartshorn stopped his car +and leaped out. Jimmie Rogers was kneeling on the ground beside his +beloved dog, his face very white, and Rags was feebly trying to lick +his master's hand. + +Jimmie did not weep or cry out, but when Mr. Hartshorn came up, there +was a pleading look in the eyes he lifted to the man's face which was +much like the look in the eyes of the dog. Jimmie did not ask any +questions. He only moved over a little while Mr. Hartshorn leaned over +and tenderly felt of poor Rags's broken body. + +"I must have gone square over him with both wheels," said he. "Poor +little Rags! I wouldn't have done it, old boy, if I'd seen you. You +know that, don't you?" + +The dog's forgiving tongue gave him his answer. Mr. Hartshorn did not +scold the boys, but they all knew they had been to blame, and no +amount of scolding could have made them feel any more remorseful. They +stood about in silent shame and dread. The irrepressible Mr. O'Brien +trotted up to see what it was all about, sniffed at Rags, and then +walked slowly away, raising questioning eyes to his master's face. + +When Mr. Hartshorn arose he was winking very hard and biting his lip. + +"Is he much hurt, sir?" asked Horace. + +"I'm afraid so," said he. "We must get him away at once. Jump into the +car, Jimmie, and come along with me." + +He made a soft bed of the auto robe on the floor of the car, lifted +Rags tenderly in his arms, and laid him on it. + +"Watch him, and keep him as comfortable as possible," he directed +Jimmie. + +That was all that was said, and the car started off again, leaving +grief and woe at Camp Britches. + +Mr. Hartshorn lost no time in getting back to Boytown, though he was +careful not to subject the suffering dog to the pain of rough riding. +At Boytown he jumped out and telegraphed to Bridgeport to command the +attendance of the best veterinary surgeon in the state. Then they sped +on to Willowdale. + +They took Rags out to the little building that was used as a dog +hospital and made him as comfortable as they could. Mrs. Hartshorn +herself brought him a dish of water which he lapped gratefully. He +bore his pain heroically, but he was suffering terribly, and Tom +Poultice thought best to administer a merciful opiate. Then he made a +thorough examination. + +"There's ribs broke," he said, "and I guess 'e's 'urt hinternal." + +"Then there's nothing we can do?" asked Mr. Hartshorn. + +Tom shook his head sorrowfully. + +After awhile the effects of the drug wore off and Rags opened his +eyes. Tom put his hand on the dog's heart and shook his head +dubiously. + +"I'm afraid 'e's going, sir," said he. + +Mr. Hartshorn placed his arm about Jimmie's heaving shoulders and drew +him toward the dog, who seemed to be begging for one last caress of +his master's hand. Mrs. Hartshorn put her handkerchief to her eyes and +hurried out. + +The surgeon arrived soon after noon, but it was too late. Rags had +died in Jimmie's arms. + + + + +CHAPTER XIV + +THE COMING OF TATTERS + + +After the unfortunate episode that resulted in the accident to Rags, +it was as though a cloud rested over Camp Britches. There was no heart +for merrymaking. And when at last the sad news came of Rags's death, +it seemed as though all the joy had gone out of life. If you have +never been a boy, you do not know how quickly a mood of hilarious +jollity can be followed by one of deep depression. The plan had been +to continue in camp for four or five days more, and some of the boys +had been begging for a longer extension of the time, but now no one +seriously objected when Alfred and Horace proposed breaking camp and +going home. Every boy in camp had loved Rags next to his own dog, and +even Moses went about in an atmosphere of melancholy. + +Sadly they hauled down Jimmie's humorous ensign and pulled up the tent +pegs. It seemed like a different crowd of boys from that which had so +joyously arrived in the wagons but two short weeks before. + +On a sunny hillside half a mile south of the brickyard there grew, at +the edge of the woods, a beautiful little grove of dogwoods, which +in May was always a fairyland of snowy blossoms that almost seemed to +float in the air. In this peaceful spot it was decided to bury the +poor, broken body of Rags. I doubt if there has ever been a funeral in +Boytown that was attended by more sincere mourners. Harry Barton and +Monty Hubbard spent an afternoon, immediately after their return from +camp, making a simple little casket of white wood which they stained a +cherry color. It did not seem fitting that so gay a little dog as Rags +should be laid to rest in a black one. They lined it with soft +flannel, and Jimmie himself, trying hard not to cry, placed the stiff +little body inside, still wearing the old, worn collar, and nailed +down the top. Theron Hammond and Ernest Whipple were appointed to act +as bearers. + +The Camp Britches boys were not the only ones who joined in that +sorrowful little procession to the dogwood grove. Jimmie's mother was +there, quietly weeping, for she had loved Rags like another child, and +with her were two or three of her neighbors. Mr. Fellowes closed up +his store and silently joined them, and there was a little knot of +girls with mournful faces, who had also known Rags and loved him. Mr. +and Mrs. Hartshorn came over from Willowdale and, leaving their car in +the town, followed the little casket on foot with the rest. + +There was no clergyman present to read Scripture or to pray, but I +think the mourners were none the less devout. The whole ceremony, in +fact, was carried through in almost utter silence. It had been thought +best not to bring dogs who might not behave themselves, but Mike and +Hamlet were there, for they could be depended upon, and it seemed +fitting that Rags's canine friends as well as his human friends should +be represented. + +A grave was dug in the sand and the little casket was lowered into it. +Beside it Jimmie placed the battered tin dish that Rags had used and a +much-chewed ladder rung that had been his favorite plaything. The +girls threw in some flowers and then the earth was shoveled in again +and the little company returned home. + +I hope the loyal soul of Rags was where it could look down and see +that his old friends cared and had come to do him honor. At least his +life had been a happy one and free from any guile. And he was not soon +forgotten. Not long afterward there appeared at the head of the little +mound beneath the dogwoods a simple headstone, the gift of Mrs. +Hartshorn, and on it were inscribed these words: + + HERE LIES RAGS + The Best-Loved Dog + in Boytown. + +For some little time the cloud remained over Boytown and there was +little disposition to take any active part in canine affairs. But +youthful spirits cannot long remain depressed, and as the autumn days +approached, one of the boys of Boytown, at least, discovered a new +interest in connection with dog ownership. That was Ernest Whipple. + +For some time Sam Bumpus had been talking, somewhat vaguely, of the +possibility of testing out the powers of Romulus in the field trials, +and Mr. Hartshorn himself had occasionally mentioned this. Ernest +subscribed to a popular kennel paper, and early in September he began +reading about the All-American trials to be held at Denbigh, North +Dakota, and other similar events. The names of famous dogs were +mentioned, both pointers and setters, and there was much speculation +in the paper as to the prospects of winning. The thing fascinated +Ernest, but it was all a bit unintelligible to him. He wanted to learn +more about this sport that seemed to be followed by such a large and +enthusiastic number of people, and to find out the way of getting +Romulus into it. So one day he and Jack took their dogs and walked to +Willowdale, for the express purpose of getting the desired +information. + +Tom Poultice was the first person they encountered, and he confessed +himself to be rather ignorant as to the conduct of American field +trials. + +"I've seen many of them in Hengland," said he, "and a great game it +is. Get a bunch of fine bird dogs out in the fields in the fine +weather, with a big crowd following them, and maybe a bit of wagering +going on be'ind the judges' backs, and the dogs all eager to be after +the birds, and every one of them in the pink, and you've got a fine +sport, men. The dogs seem to know, too, and they go in for all's in +it. But just 'ow they run the trials over 'ere, I can't say. You'd +better ask Mr. 'Artshorn. 'E used to own bird dogs once, and I'll +warrant 'e's been all through it." + +They found Mr. Hartshorn in his den, but he very gladly laid aside the +work he was doing and asked good-naturedly what the trouble was now. + +"We've come to ask you to tell us about field trials," said Ernest. + +"Well, that's a rather big contract," laughed Mr. Hartshorn. "I +suppose I could talk about field trials all night. I've seen some +thrilling contests in my time. Just what is it you would like to +know?" + +"We want to know what a field trial is, how it is run, and what the +dogs do," said Ernest. + +"Well," said Mr. Hartshorn, "a field trial is more than a mere race. +It's a real sport in which all the powers of a bird dog are brought +into play. It's a competition on actual game--prairie chickens or +quail, usually. The dogs are sent out to find the game and point, +with the judges and handlers and the gallery, as the spectators are +called, following. In the big trials there are three or more separate +events. One is called the Derby stake, for dogs under two years of +age. Then there is the All-Age stake, which is the biggest one. +Finally there is the Championship stake, for dogs specially qualified, +and the winning of that brings with it the highest honors in the +bird-dog world. + +"The order of running is decided by lot, and the dogs are put down in +pairs. They start off after the birds and work for a stated length of +time, after which the judges decide which of the two dogs won, the +decision being based on speed, form, steadiness, bird-work, and +everything else that goes to make up the bird dog's special power. +Then these winners are tried together until the best and the second +best, called the runner-up, are chosen in each of the stakes. It takes +a good dog to win one of these stakes, for he has to run more than +once and his work must be consistent. Purses are offered by the clubs +as prizes, amounting to several hundred dollars at the big events. + +"Occasionally there are other stakes, such as novice stakes and events +in which dogs are handled only by their owners. In the big events the +great dogs are usually handled by professionals, who take the dogs +right down the circuit and win all the prizes they can. The trials +begin in September in Manitoba and North Dakota, on prairie chicken, +and are followed by big and small events in the Middle Western states, +Pennsylvania, and finally in the South. The biggest of all is held in +December or January at Grand Junction, Tennessee, every year. Here the +All-America Field Trial Club holds its classic event, in which the +winner of the Championship stake is pronounced the amateur champion of +the United States for one year, winning also a large purse and a +handsome silver trophy." + +"Have you ever seen one of those trials?" asked Jack. + +"Several times," said Mr. Hartshorn. "I have seen some of the most +famous pointers and setters that ever lived run at Grand Junction and +win their deathless laurels." + +"I suppose Romulus wouldn't stand a chance there," said Ernest, a bit +wistfully. + +"Perhaps not, at first," said Mr. Hartshorn, "though you never can +tell. It's a pretty expensive matter, getting a dog ready and putting +him through one of those trials, even though the prizes are large. But +there are smaller ones, and it is possible to try a dog out nearer +home the first time, with less risk and expense. During the spring +there are many trials held by local clubs throughout the East." + +"Couldn't Romulus be entered in one of those?" asked Ernest. + +"I don't know why not," said Mr. Hartshorn. "I'll look it up and let +you know. Meanwhile, tell Sam Bumpus what you're up to and have him +keep Romulus in shape this winter." + +"I suppose Remus couldn't run," said Jack. + +"I'm afraid not, my boy," said Mr. Hartshorn, kindly. "Nose is one of +the prime requisites, and Remus hasn't the nose, as you know." + +"I don't care," said the loyal Jack. "I'd rather win at a bench show, +anyway." + +When Ernest told Sam Bumpus about the plan, that worthy was much +interested. He made a special trip all the way to Willowdale to +consult Mr. Hartshorn, and between them they worked out a plan. Sam +was enthusiastic now as to the superior abilities of Romulus as a bird +dog, and he presently took him in hand for special training to improve +his form and the other qualities that count in the trials. Off and on +all winter Sam took the dog out, patiently and persistently drilling +him. Sometimes Ernest went along and he was amazed by the intelligence +and speed which his good dog displayed. When spring came again Sam +announced that there was nothing more that he could do to improve the +form and capacity of Romulus. + +"I'll back him against any bird dog in the state of Connecticut," said +he, proudly. + +But before I tell how it fared with Romulus at the trials, I have one +episode to relate, the only happening of that winter which needs to be +recorded. For the rest, the weeks passed without any momentous event, +with the boys in whom we are interested growing ever a little older +and wiser. And this particular thing was not of great importance, +perhaps. It did not greatly affect the boy-and-dog life of Boytown. +But it did affect Jimmie Rogers, and Jimmie, since the death of Rags, +had been the one lonely, pathetic figure in the group. It would be a +shame not to tell of the thing that happened to him. + +One day in early December Dick Wheaton appeared on Main Street, +dragging a forlorn-looking little dog by a string. He was a +smooth-coated dog of the terrier type, a rich chocolate brown in +color, with an active body and a good face and head, but anybody could +see he was only a mongrel. No one knew where he had come from and Dick +did not take the trouble to tell where he had found him. + +In his present state the dog showed none of the alert, eager character +of the well-born terrier. He held his tail between his legs and he +cringed abjectly. This seemed to amuse Dick Wheaton. He made little +rushes at the dog and laughed to see the terror in his eyes. He +found entertainment in tapping the dog's toes with his foot and +watching him pull back on the string. Wearying of this, he began +maltreating the helpless animal more cruelly. + +Mr. Fellowes saw all this from the window of his store, and his blood +boiled within him. Unable to stand it any longer, he started out of +his shop to protest, when he saw Jimmie Rogers come running along. + +There could be no doubt as to Jimmie's purpose. His lips were tight +set and his eyes were blazing. He came close up to Dick and seized his +arm. + +"Quit that!" cried Jimmie between his clenched teeth. + +Dick was taller and heavier than Jimmie and he was not unaccustomed to +bullying boys of Jimmie's size. He shook off the hand and grinned +insolently. + +"What's the matter with you, Mr. Humane Society?" he asked. + +"I'll show you, if you don't leave that dog alone," said Jimmie. + +For answer, Dick gave the string a jerk. It was tied tightly around +the dog's neck, and it hurt. + +"Whose dog is this, I'd like to know," said Dick in a taunting tone. + +Jimmie wasted no more breath in words. He snatched the string out of +Dick's hand and faced him defiantly. Dick, now angry in his turn, made +a lunge for the string. Mr. Fellowes couldn't see who struck the +first blow, but in a moment the two boys were fighting desperately, +Jimmie making up in fire and determination for what he lacked in size +and strength. + +Mr. Fellowes felt that he was called upon to interfere. It would +hardly do to let a fight like this go on right in front of his shop, +on the sidewalk of Main Street. Besides, other people were hurrying up +and it might end in serious trouble. + +Just then Dick managed to break free long enough to give the poor dog +a vicious and entirely uncalled-for kick, as though he were in this +way scoring an advantage over his opponent. The little terrier rolled +over and over on the sidewalk, yelping in pain and terror. Then he +found his footing and dashed blindly into Mr. Fellowes's legs. + +The shopkeeper stooped and picked up the frightened little stray and +took him into the store, where he did his best to soothe and comfort +him, and it was wonderful how promptly the little chap responded and +licked the kind man's hand. It may have been the first time he had +ever tasted the milk of human kindness, but instinctively he +understood and looked up confidently into this stranger's eyes with an +expression of gratitude. + +Meanwhile, a little knot of men and boys had gathered out in front of +the shop. It so happened that they were persons who would rather +witness a fight than stop it, or it may have been that there were some +of them who hoped that for once Dick Wheaton would get his deserts. At +any rate, it was a real fight, with no quarter, and it would have been +a cold-blooded person indeed who could not admire the pluck of Jimmie +Rogers. His nose was bleeding and his breath came in sobbing gasps, +but he kept at it with unabated fury. Three times Dick Wheaton threw +him, and three times he jumped to his feet and went for Dick. + +The fighting of boys is no more to be encouraged than the fighting of +dogs, but there seem to be times in the affairs of boys as well as of +men when nothing but fighting will serve. The only way to cure a bully +is to thrash him, and if anyone ever had a justifiable motive for +fighting it was Jimmie Rogers. + +At length Dick's blows appeared to be growing weaker. Jimmie, unable +often to reach his face, had been pummelling him consistently on the +vulnerable spot at the lower end of the breastbone, regardless of the +punishment he himself received, and these tactics were beginning to +tell on Dick's wind. His lips were parted, his eyes staring, and his +face took on a strange mottled look. He began to strike out weakly and +to concern himself chiefly with parrying Jimmie's troublesome blows +and protecting his stomach. + +With lowered guard, Dick staggered uncertainly backward, and Jimmie, +rushing in, dealt him a smashing blow on the mouth that sent him +reeling. Tripping over the door stone of Mr. Fellowes's store, he fell +heavily, and lay there, with his arm crooked over his face, awaiting +he knew not what final _coup de grace_ in an attitude of abject +surrender. + +Men rushed in now, but Jimmie was satisfied. He shook off their hands +and walked, somewhat unsteadily, into the store, and Mr. Fellowes +closed the door behind him. Someone picked Dick up. + +"Well, I guess you've had enough," said this unsympathetic person. + +Dick Wheaton slunk off home without replying. + +Mr. Fellowes did not refer to the fight. He did not think it proper to +praise Jimmie, for he did not believe in boys fighting, but he could +not resist a feeling of proud satisfaction. + +"Want to see the dog?" he asked. + +"Yes," said Jimmie in a tremulous voice. He was almost crying with +weariness and he was doing his best to wipe the blood off his face and +brush the dust off his clothes. + +"Let me help you," said Mr. Fellowes, kindly. + +While he was bathing Jimmie's face, the boy felt a pair of little paws +reaching up on his leg, and a cold little nose thrust into his hand. +He stooped down and patted the little head. The tail came out from +between the dog's legs and wagged joyfully. Impulsively Jimmie caught +him up and hugged him close. It seemed a long time to Jimmie Rogers +since he had felt the moist caress of a loving tongue, and the thing +went straight to his lonely heart. + +During all the fighting he had steadfastly held back the tears of pain +or anger, but now, weakened as he was by his exertions and the after +effects of excitement, he burst into tears, burying his face in the +little dog's warm, soft coat. + +"Oh, little dog, little dog, you're going to be mine!" he cried. + +Mr. Fellowes said not a word. While caring for the dog during the +fight, he had been thinking what a fine thing it would be to keep him, +to fill the place so long left vacant by the death of his Bounce. But +now, as he watched Jimmie, he made the sacrifice. This should be +Jimmie's dog. The boy had fairly won him. Mr. Fellowes understood how +he felt; he, too, had lost a dog. So he merely stroked the dog's head +and said, "What shall you call him?" + +"Tatters," said Jimmie, and still carrying the dog tenderly in his +arms, he started out of the shop. At the door he turned back, with the +flash in his eye again. "And I'd like to see anybody try to take him +away from me," he said. + +"I guess nobody will," said Mr. Fellowes, smiling, and Jimmie bore his +burden proudly home. + +It was wonderful what a change a few days of kindness and good feeding +wrought in Tatters. He never became the favorite that Rags had been, +but he was a good dog, not without excellences and wisdom of his own, +and Jimmie loved him. And the change that came over Jimmie was hardly +less marked. With another dog for his own he was himself again, and +everyone rejoiced with him. On Christmas Day Mr. Fellowes saw to it +that the dogs' Santa Claus presented Tatters with a fine new collar. + + + + +CHAPTER XV + +ROMULUS AT THE TRIALS + + +Mr. Hartshorn found, upon investigation, that the nearest field trials +were those at Bedlow, where the Field Trial Club of Eastern +Connecticut held its annual meet in April. It was not usually a large +affair nor prominent among the field trials of the country, but Mr. +Hartshorn thought it would be just about the right place for Romulus +to make his first appearance as a contestant for field-trial honors. +Though not a large affair, it was by no means insignificant, for there +were some good dogs in that part of the country and one or two kennels +from which had sprung dogs that had won a national reputation. Romulus +was pretty sure to have opponents worthy of him. + +April 15th and 16th were the days set for the event. Mr. Hartshorn +communicated with the secretary of the club and made the necessary +arrangements. Ernest Whipple filled out the entry blanks and they were +properly filed. Unfortunately, Romulus was just a few months too old +now to be entered in the Derby, but Ernest was not displeased by the +necessity of seeking bigger game, and Romulus was entered in the +All-Age or Subscription stake. A purse of $50 was offered for the +winner and $30 for the runner-up. + +April 14th dawned mild and bright, and about noon Sam Bumpus appeared +with Romulus, whom he pronounced to be at the top of his form after a +bit of light finishing off the day before. Sam was to go along to +handle the dog. He had not had much experience at field trials, but +Mr. Hartshorn had given him full instructions, and if anybody could +get winning action out of Romulus it was Sam. Mr. and Mrs. Whipple had +agreed to let Ernest and Jack go in care of Mr. and Mrs. Hartshorn, +and both boys were full of excitement of the prospect. Mr. Whipple +came out to ask Sam a few questions and I am inclined to think that +even Mrs. Whipple shared a little of the excitement. Sam, as usual, +refused to come into the house, saying that he preferred to eat his +sandwiches in Rome, but he was glad to accept a cup of hot coffee and +some cake which Delia took out to him. + +Soon after dinner Mr. and Mrs. Hartshorn appeared in their big car and +the boys hurried out to join them. They sat together on the front +seat, while Sam, Ernest, Jack, and Romulus were bundled into the back +seat, with the suitcases and Sam's gun. It was a tight squeeze, but it +was a jolly party that set forth, waving good-by to Mr. and Mrs. +Whipple, Delia, and the disconsolate Remus. + +"It does seem too bad to have to leave poor Remus, doesn't it?" said +Mrs. Hartshorn. + +"That's all right," said Jack. "His day's coming. You'll see." + +As for Romulus, he was wildly excited by this unusual experience, and +treated the residents of Boytown to a continuous barking, in which +Tatters and Mr. O'Brien and one or two of the other dogs joined, +running beside the car until it was well out of town. Then Sam managed +to quiet Romulus. + +They arrived at Bedlow about dinner time, and Sam at once disappeared +with Romulus, saying that he wanted to see that he had a good dinner +and a place to sleep. The others went up to their rooms and washed up. +Sam did not reappear, and the boys began to be a bit anxious. + +"Don't worry," said Mr. Hartshorn. "He's a queer duck, Sam is. But I +fancy he would be uncomfortable if he stayed with us, and we might as +well let him have his own way. I'll venture to say we won't see him +again till morning, but we can be sure of one thing: Romulus will be +well looked after." + +Mr. and Mrs. Hartshorn and the boys had their supper in the +dining-room of the hotel, and all about them they heard dog talk. +After supper they all went to a movie on Mr. Hartshorn's invitation, +for he said that if they didn't get their minds off the trials for a +little while they would not sleep that night. + +It was, in fact, some little time before Ernest and Jack could get to +sleep in their strange surroundings, but at length sleep came, and the +first thing they knew Mr. Hartshorn was knocking on their door and +bidding them get up. They dressed quickly and hurried down to +breakfast, where they found even more people than there were the night +before. Outside there were many automobiles and some horses, and here +and there a dog was to be seen, blanketed and receiving unusual +attention. + +"I don't know where Sam slept last night," said Mr. Hartshorn. "It may +have been in the stable for all I know. I didn't ask him. But he's all +right, and so is Romulus. Sam saw to it that the dog got a good rest, +and he was up bright and early this morning, taking Romulus out for a +short walk to limber him up." + +After breakfast they all piled into the car and started for the fields +a few miles outside of town where the trials were to be held. The sky +was overcast, but Mr. Hartshorn said he didn't think it would rain. +There was little wind, and Sam pronounced it ideal weather for the +contest. + +"I hope it won't rain," said he, "because a wet coat bothers a setter +and gives the pointers the advantage." + +There were a number of cars on the road before and behind them, and +now and then a man galloped past on horseback. + +"Looks like a pretty good gallery," said Mr. Hartshorn. + +When they arrived at the grounds, Mr. Hartshorn told the boys they had +better remain in the car with his wife, while he and Sam consulted +with the officials. After awhile he returned and announced that +Romulus had been paired with another setter named Dolly Grey. + +"I can't find out much about her," said he. "At least, she's not one +of the famous ones, so it oughtn't to be too hard for Romulus. The +Derby will be run off first, so Romulus won't be called on until +afternoon. Sam has taken him off into the woods to keep him quiet." + +In spite of the fact that Romulus did not figure in the Derby, it +proved to be an absorbing and exciting event to the Whipple boys. Two +by two the young dogs were called out and sent off in whirlwind races +after the cleverly hiding birds. Sometimes no birds were discovered, +and then it became merely a contest of speed and form in ranging until +the judges changed to fresh ground. Every now and then, however, one +of the dogs would catch the tell-tale scent, whirl about to some clump +of grass or thicket, and come to a rigid point, his less successful +opponent trailing him and backing him up. Behind them followed the +judges, handlers, and gallery, some in automobiles, some in traps, +some on horseback, and some afoot. + +It turned out to be a fine day after all, and the dogs, eager and +swift, made a pretty sight among the old pastures and stubble fields. +For the most part they were kept away from the woods where it would be +difficult to judge of their performances. + +A halt was called at noon to eat lunch and rest the dogs. Already the +constant shifting of ground had carried them far from Bedlow and the +men who were afoot were tired. The dogs were wrapped in blankets and +were kept as quiet as possible, most of them being in wagons. Mrs. +Hartshorn got out the luncheon kit and the boys found that they were +famously hungry. Sam appeared during the luncheon hour, to find out +how things were going, and Mrs. Hartshorn persuaded him to eat +something with the rest. Romulus, he said, seemed to be in good shape, +and on no account must anybody give him anything to eat. + +About 1:30 the judges called for the final contest in the Derby. A +small lemon-and-white female setter named Dorothea was pitted against +a somewhat overgrown blue belton of the same species. At first it +seemed as though the advantage lay with the bigger, stronger dog, +whose name was King Arthur. He kept well in the lead in the ranging, +but the wise ones noted little Dorothea's superb form and said +nothing. Little by little she crept up on King Arthur, and at length +she swerved sharply to one side and pointed at a clump of alder +bushes. King Arthur had missed the scent entirely. The birds were +flushed and the dogs shot over, for that is the custom. Then the +judges, after a conference, declared the Derby closed and Dorothea the +winner. The party from Boytown saw a young woman rush out from among +the automobiles and throw her arms around the little setter. + +"That must be her mistress," said Ernest. "I bet she's happy." + +The boys were so much interested in all this that they did not realize +that the All-Age stake had already been commenced. Two pointers went +galloping across the field and the contest was on. From that moment +the boys kept their eyes fastened to the successive pairs of racing +dogs, trying to appraise their skill and form and to compare them with +Romulus. It was a better contest than the Derby, with more birds +found, and it was evident that Romulus had opponents worthy of him. +One interesting contestant was a beautiful Irish setter, whose red +coat glistened like gold in the sunshine. He did well, beating his +opponent, but he did not qualify for the finals. + +At last Romulus was called, and with him the setter Dolly Grey. She +was a mild-looking animal, but once loosed she led Romulus a merry +chase. Both dogs were a bit heady at first and did a deal of running +without accomplishing anything, but at length Sam, with his patient +whistle, got Romulus straightened out and Dolly Grey also settled down +to business. She found the first birds, but after that Romulus beat +her to two coveys in rapid succession, and Romulus, to the great joy +of his master and Jack, was declared the winner. + +"Didn't he do splendidly?" said Mrs. Hartshorn as Sam came up with the +panting dog. + +"Waal," said Sam, "he might have done worse and he might have done +better. He wa'n't up to his top form, but it was his first trial. I +expect he'll do better in the finals. It was lucky he wa'n't paired +with one of the best dogs, or he might have been out of it now. As it +is he's got a chance, and I think it's a pretty good one. I heard one +of the judges say some nice things about him." + +"Do you think they'll get to the finals this afternoon?" asked Mr. +Hartshorn. + +"I don't think so," said Sam, "but I've got to stick around. They may +want to see Romulus work again." + +They did try him out once more toward the end of the day, and this +time Sam seemed to be better pleased. Romulus won his heat handily +against a bigger dog. Meanwhile, however, everyone was commenting on +the superb work of a pointer with a chocolate brown head and markings +named Don Quixote, and even the boys could see that he was a past +master at the game. He went at it as though he knew just how to make +the winning move, and he did it every time. + +"He ought to be in the championship class," said Mr. Hartshorn. "He's +an old-timer, and if Romulus can beat him it will be a great triumph." + +Time was called as the shadows began to lengthen, and the crowd, +tired, hungry, and happy, returned to the hotel at Bedlow. At dinner +everyone was speculating as to which two dogs would be chosen to +compete in the finals, and Ernest was sure that the name of Romulus +was heard as often as that of any other dog except Don Quixote. In +response to the popular demand, the judges held a conference that +evening and chose the two who would compete for final honors on the +morrow. Crowds gathered in the lobby to ascertain the outcome of this +conference, and when at last the judges came out everyone was a-tiptoe +with expectation. One of the judges walked over to a bulletin board +and pinned up a piece of paper. It read: "The dogs chosen by the +judges to compete in the final heat of the All-Age stake to-morrow +morning are Don Quixote, pointer, owned by the Rathmore Kennels, and +Romulus, English setter, owned by Mr. Ernest Whipple. The trials will +start promptly at 9.30." + +A cheer went up all over the lobby, and Ernest and Jack, strangely +enough, found tears in their eyes. + +"That means," said Mr. Hartshorn, "that unless Romulus is in some way +disqualified, he wins second place at least, and to become runner-up +in the All-Age stake at his first trial is a big honor, even if he +isn't the winner. I tell you this because I don't want you to be too +much disappointed if Don Quixote beats him. The pointer is a fast, +rangy dog, an old-timer that knows all the tricks of the game, while +Romulus, for all Sam's fine training, is still green. Let's not expect +too much." + +That evening Mr. Hartshorn did not even suggest a movie to take the +minds of the boys off the great event of the morrow; he knew it would +do no good. He told them stories of historic events in the field-trial +game, and then sent them to bed. They talked excitedly together for an +hour after that, but at last sleep claimed them, for they were really +tired, and running dogs filled their dreams. + +An even larger crowd followed the dogs to the trial grounds next +morning, for there were some who were interested only in the +Championship stake, though they were glad to witness the finish of the +All-Age. The day was fine and Sam pronounced Romulus to be in +first-class trim. + +This time the setter seemed to understand what was required of him. He +strained at his leash, and when at last he was set free at the command +of the judges, he was off like a shot, neck and neck with the pointer, +and the gallery cheered. + +Old field-trial fans told Mr. Hartshorn afterward that they had never +witnessed a prettier contest than that one. The pointer was cool and +collected, but full of strength and spirit. When there was any leading +done at all, he generally did it. But there was a certain spontaneous +fire and energy in the running of Romulus that caught the fancy of the +spectators. And Sam's careful drilling began to tell. Romulus settled +down to the steadiest kind of work; his form was perfect and beautiful +to watch; his scent was sure and keen. + +The second move brought the dogs to a very birdy spot, and the points +became frequent. In this department of the work it was nip-and-tuck +between the two dogs. No one could say that either had a quicker nose +than the other or responded more promptly to the scent. Sometimes one +dog would be first on the point, sometimes the other. It was largely a +matter of luck, for the birds lay on both sides of a series of fields, +and the dogs ranged from side to side, circling and quartering in a +manner to delight the heart of a sportsman. + +If Romulus had a fault it was overzeal. He covered more ground than +was absolutely necessary. + +"He is doing wonderfully," said Mr. Hartshorn. "I am only afraid he'll +run himself off his feet. This is bound to be a protracted contest, +the dogs are so nearly equal in every way, and endurance is the +quality that is going to tell in the end." + +As the race continued, those who were familiar with the signs observed +that Romulus was weakening. The more methodical pointer kept up his +steady, fast lope unflagging, but Romulus showed an increasing +inclination to drop behind. + +"I'm afraid this can't last much longer," said Mr. Hartshorn. "The +pace is too hot for Romulus. If he had had more experience he would +know how to save his strength for the last ten minutes. As it is, it +looks as though the pointer had the reserve power." + +Suddenly Don Quixote seemed to tap a new supply of strength and speed. +He dashed to the right, and then circled swiftly around to the +hedgerow of wild shrubs at the left of the field, and all so swiftly +that poor Romulus was left well behind. As they watched, they saw the +setter stumble. He recovered himself, but stood trembling with +weariness and nervous tension. Sam's shrill whistle sounded and +Romulus gathered himself together again, but his feet seemed to +drag; he had lost speed. + +Ernest Whipple was almost beside himself with excitement and fear of +defeat. A hush fell over the gallery as they watched this last +manoeuver of the dogs, and Ernest's voice sounded loud and distinct as +he shouted, "Go on, Romulus! Go on!" + +The setter heard. He knew that voice and he loved it well. Sam's +whistle, which he had become accustomed to obey, had become monotonous +in his ears; it no longer served to put energy into his flagging +limbs. But here was a new call, a call that demanded the last atom of +his devotion and will and strength. He raised his head and looked +about for an instant, his lower jaw quivering. Then he seemed to draw +together and bound away like a steel spring released. Straight ahead +he went, cutting across the track of the pointer and circling around +clean in front of him. Don Quixote, surprised by the suddenness of +this rush, hesitated and looked a bit dazed. The awful strain of the +contest was telling on him, too, and the setter's burst of speed upset +his equilibrium. + +While the pointer still trotted along in a wavering course, as though +in doubt whether to lead or to follow, Romulus caught a scent from the +bed of a little brook almost under the pointer's nose. He whipped +about like a flash and froze to a statuesque point that would have +made a perfect picture for an artist. The pointer, still bewildered, +did not even back him up. + +The umpire's whistle sounded and the handlers called their dogs in. +Sam picked up the trembling Romulus bodily and carried him to the +Hartshorn car. + +"He's all in," said Sam. "He used the last ounce he had. What a +heart!" + +Jack began fondling the setter's ears, but Ernest was eagerly watching +the little group about the judges. At last a man on horseback came +riding up. He was smiling. + +"My congratulations," said he. "Your dog won, and I never hope to see +a pluckier finish." + +The forenoon was already half over and so the Championship stake was +begun immediately, but the occupants of the Hartshorn automobile had +no eyes for it. They could have told you nothing about what happened, +though they learned afterward that it was an exciting contest in which +some of the best dogs in New England took part. They were engrossed in +their own triumph, and if ever a dog stood in danger of being spoiled, +it was Romulus. Sam wore one of the broadest grins the human face is +capable of and Ernest found his emotions quite beyond expression. + +The party left early, before the Championship stake was finished, and +they made a triumphal entry into Boytown. The last part of the way +they were accompanied by a noisy convoy of cheering boys and barking +dogs, and the town knew what had happened long before it read the +stirring account in the papers. + +In due course Ernest received a handsome silver trophy, engraved with +the now famous name of Romulus, and Mrs. Whipple appeared to be as +proud of its appearance on the mantelpiece as any of the others. There +was also the fifty dollar purse, from which Ernest was obliged to +deduct a considerable amount for entrance fee and other expenses. The +rest he tried to force upon Sam in payment for his invaluable +services, but Sam would not hear of it. + +"Why," said Ernest, "you earned ten times as much as that." + +"I didn't earn anything I didn't get," said Sam. "I raised that pup +and I'm as proud of him as you are. I'm satisfied." + +So Ernest put the balance in the savings bank as a fund for financing +similar undertakings in the future. + +"A great dog, that Romulus," said Mr. Whipple, when it was all over. +"I always did believe he'd cut a figure somehow. It's a pity Remus +isn't in his class." + +He didn't mean Jack to overhear him; he had no wish to hurt the boy's +feelings. But Jack did overhear and came promptly into the room. + +"That's all right," said he. "Remus will have his day yet. He'll show +you." + + + + +CHAPTER XVI + +THE MASSATUCKET SHOW + + +During the winter the Willowdale dogs had again won bench-show honors +in New York, Boston, and elsewhere, and Mr. Hartshorn and Tom Poultice +were now getting some of them in shape for the smaller outdoor shows +of the summer season. Several of the boys made a pilgrimage to +Thornboro one day early in June and found Tom engaged in combing the +soft, puppy hair out of the coat of one of the young Airedales. + +"Why do you do that?" asked Elliot Garfield. + +"It does seem foolish, doesn't it?" said Tom. "Well, you see a +Hairedale is supposed to 'ave a short, stiff coat, and if you put one +in the ring with a lot of this soft 'air on him, the judge won't look +twice at 'im." + +"Are you going to show this one?" asked Ernest Whipple. + +"Yep," said Tom. "'E goes to Mineola next week. It'll be his first +show. I don't know what his chances are. Mineola usually has a lot of +good dogs. It's near New York and it's one of the biggest of the +country shows. We usually try out the youngsters and the second-string +dogs on these summer shows and keep the best ones for the big winter +shows. Then we 'ave a chance to see 'ow they size up. If a dog wins +ribbons enough in the summer shows we figure he's qualified for the +big ones next winter. Sometimes a dog can win his championship without +ever seeing the inside of Madison Square Garden. He has to be shown a +lot of times, that's all, and win pretty regular." + +"It isn't so hard to win at the summer shows, is it?" asked Theron +Hammond. + +"Oh, my, no," said Tom. "Sometimes when the classes are small it's a +cinch. Take a rare kind of dog and he's apt to 'ave no competition." + +"I wonder if any of our dogs would have a chance at one of the summer +shows," said Jack, with suppressed eagerness in his voice. + +"I don't know why not," Tom responded. + +That started the boys thinking and talking, and a week later they +trooped out to see Mr. Hartshorn about it. Half the boys in town had +decided that they wanted to show their dogs, and Mr. Hartshorn was at +first inclined to discourage them all. + +"It's quite a job, taking dogs to a show and caring for them there, +and it costs something," said he. "You have some good dogs--in fact, +they're all fine fellows--but not many of them are of the show type. +You would find the competition somewhat different from that in +Morton's barn. I don't believe your parents would thank me for +encouraging you to enter dogs that haven't a good chance at the +ribbons, and I'm sure I would hesitate to be responsible for looking +after a gang of you." + +"But couldn't a few of the dogs be tried?" asked Jack Whipple. + +Mr. Hartshorn looked into the lad's eager, bright eyes and smiled. + +"Perhaps," said he. "Let me think it over." + +As a matter of fact it was Mr. Hartshorn's desire not to seem to show +favoritism that made him speak that way. For his own part he would +like nothing better than to see Remus and one or two of the other dogs +have a try at the ribbons, and his wife urged him to give them a +chance. The outcome of it was that most of the boys were dissuaded, +with quiet friendliness, from attempting the useless venture, while +five dogs were eventually entered in the show of the Massatucket +Kennel Club, to be held at Welden, some fifty miles from Boytown, in +July. These five were Romulus, Remus, Alert, Hamlet, and Rover. These +Mr. Hartshorn thought would stand the best chance of winning +something. The Old English sheepdog was entered under his original +name of Darley's Launcelot of Middlesex, and for once Elliot Garfield +was proud of the name. + +Mr. Hartshorn knew he had quite a handful of boys and dogs to look +after, but Mrs. Hartshorn said she would help, while Tom Poultice took +sole charge of the half-dozen Willowdale dogs that were also entered. + +The Willowdale dogs were shipped ahead in crates, as usual. So was +little Alert. The masters of the other four dogs, however, objected to +a form of confinement which the dogs couldn't understand, and it was +arranged that the boys should take the dogs with them in the baggage +car. Theron Hammond courteously offered to accompany Mrs. Hartshorn in +the coach and Tom Poultice took an earlier train, so the baggage car +party consisted of Romulus, Remus, Hamlet, Rover, Mr. Hartshorn, +Ernest and Jack Whipple, Herbie Pierson, and Elliot Garfield. It was +fortunate that only half a car-load of baggage was traveling that day, +or they might not have been able to crowd in. As it was, they managed +to find seats on various boxes and trunks and made themselves fairly +comfortable. The dogs, with their masters for company, were content, +after the first sense of strangeness had worn off. + +"I understand," said Mr. Hartshorn, after the train had started, +"that about five hundred dogs are entered, so it ought to be a fairly +representative show. It won't be like New York, of course, but you +ought to have a chance to see good dogs of most of the well-known +breeds. And the dogs at an outdoor show are usually happier and less +nervous than if they were cooped up for two or three days in a crowded +hall and compelled to spend their nights there. There are really +serious objections to the big indoor shows. More danger of spreading +distemper and other diseases, too, than at the outdoor shows." + +"Do you think we will see any of the famous champions there?" asked +Herbie. + +"Yes," said Mr. Hartshorn, "I believe some of the crack Sealyhams and +wire-haired fox terriers are entered, and there's sure to be a good +showing of Boston terriers. Alert will be in fast company. + +"The wires are always worth seeing," said he, after a pause. "It was a +white bull terrier that won best of all breeds in New York last +winter, but during the last half-dozen years wire-haired fox terriers +have won two-thirds of the first honors. The breeders seem to have +nearly achieved perfection with this variety. Matford Vic, Wireboy of +Paignton, Wycollar Boy, and several others have been almost perfect +specimens. But you never can tell. Their day may be passing, and for +the next few years it may be Airedales or bulldogs, or almost any +other breed that will force its way to the top. That's one of the +interesting features of the dog-show game. Then sometimes you find all +predictions upset, and all the big dogs beaten by a greyhound or an +Old English sheepdog. There's always a chance for everybody." + +[Illustration: Beagles] + +As the train pulled up at a station somewhere along the line a man +entered the baggage car with a brace of beagles on a leash. Nice +little dogs, they were, with friendly eyes and beautiful faces. + +"Is the baggage man here?" asked the man. + +"I haven't seen him lately," said Mr. Hartshorn. "Is there anything we +can do for you?" + +"Why, yes," said the man. "I'm sending these dogs down to Welden. +There'll be someone to call for them there. You look as though you +might be bound for that place yourselves, and if you could keep an eye +on these dogs it would be a great favor." + +"We'll do so with pleasure," said Mr. Hartshorn. + +"What are their names?" asked Ernest. + +"Tippecanoe and Tyler Too," he answered. "I'm entering them as singles +and as a brace, and I think I stand a pretty good show." + +The baggage man came along, and by the time the owner of the beagles +had arranged for their shipment the train was ready to start again. + +"It's lucky you were here to take them," said the man, "or I shouldn't +have been able to send them this way. Good-by and good luck." + +"Good-by," they shouted, and proceeded to get acquainted with the +beagles. + +"They're like small hounds, aren't they?" said Jack. + +"Yes," said Mr. Hartshorn, "they are really hounds." + +"Oh," said Ernest, "that makes me think. You never told us about the +hound breeds, and you said you would sometime. Couldn't you do it +now?" + +"Let's see," said Mr. Hartshorn, opening his grip. "Ah, yes, here it +is." He took out a small paper-covered book containing the standards +of the different breeds. "I always mean to take this with me to the +shows. Without my books I can't always remember the facts, but with +the help of this I guess I can make out. + +"Now there still remain the hound and greyhound families to be +covered. They are both hounds, in a way, but they have been distinct +for centuries. They are both very old types of dogs. + +"We will begin with the bloodhound because he's the biggest. There are +a lot of people who have got their ideas about the bloodhound from +'Uncle Tom's Cabin,' and there are places where you aren't allowed to +keep a bloodhound because the breed is supposed to be so dangerous and +ferocious. But that is a great injustice. The true English bloodhound +is not the mongrel beast that was used in slavery days, but is a +finely developed and reliable dog. Contrary to the general belief, the +modern bloodhound is not ferocious, but gentle and affectionate, +almost shy. He is a wonderful trailer and has often been successfully +used to find both criminals and lost persons, but he does not attack +them when he finds them. + +"The otter hound is an English dog not common with us. He has a unique +appearance, something like a bloodhound in a rough coat, with a face +not unlike that of an Airedale terrier or a wire-haired pointing +griffon. He is a steady and methodical hunter, sure on the trail, a +strong swimmer, brave, patient, and affectionate. + +"The foxhound is the most popular sporting dog of England, his history +being bound up with that of British hunting. I guess you know what a +foxhound looks like. The American Kennel Club recognizes two separate +classes of foxhounds, the English and the American. The latter is, of +course, native bred, and is somewhat smaller and lighter in bone than +the English hound. The so-called American coon-hound is a dog of the +foxhound type and of foxhound origin, bred carelessly as to type, but +trained to hunt the raccoon and opossum. + +"The name harrier was first given somewhat indiscriminately to all +English hunting hounds before the foxhound was highly developed. Later +the harrier was developed as a separate breed for hunting hares. It is +now rare in England and there are almost no harriers in the United +States. The beagle is like a smaller, finer foxhound, and has the same +ancestry. He is a good, all-round sporting dog, and a good-looking +fellow, as you see, with a solid build, a rugged appearance, and a +fine face. + +"The dachshund (don't call it dash-hund) is a canine dwarf best known +for his absurdly disproportionate appearance, but he is a most +attractive, serviceable little dog. He was evolved long ago from the +hounds of Germany for the special work of hunting the badger. His bent +forelegs and queer proportions are really deformities scientifically +bred. The dachshund has a wonderful nose and is a good worker with +foxes as well as with ground animals, though his peculiar build best +fits him for the latter. He is a clean, companionable house dog, +affectionate and spirited. The basset is a short-legged French hound +resembling the German dachshund, to which it is doubtless related. We +are not familiar with the breed in this country. It looks like a large +dachshund with a bloodhound head." + +"Do you know any good hound stories?" asked Jack, who was fondling the +long, velvety ears of the two beagles. + +"Not many," said Mr. Hartshorn. "Most of the foxhound stories I have +heard have illustrated the sagacity and cleverness of the fox rather +than that of the hound. There are also one or two stories that show +that the hound has a strong homing instinct like that of some of the +other breeds. The only foxhound anecdote of an amusing nature that I +recall is told of one that was owned by a strict Roman Catholic. +Whenever Lent arrived, this dog always ran away and paid a round of +visits on Protestant acquaintances until Easter ushered in a period of +more varied menus at home. This hound was not trained with a pack +but was kept as a single pet, which accounts for his marked +personality, more like that of a terrier than of a hound. + +"I have read a number of accounts in the newspapers describing rescues +by bloodhounds. I remember one was about a Brooklyn girl who wandered +away from a hotel and was lost on a mountain in Vermont. A famous +bloodhound was brought over from Fairhaven and was allowed to smell of +a handkerchief belonging to the girl. He took up her trail at the +village store and followed it along roads where horses and automobiles +had been, through two other villages, and into the woods, and he at +last found the girl on the verge of exhaustion far up the +mountainside. + +"Another bloodhound in California found a lost child at the edge of a +cliff in a dense fog and drew him back from the precipice just in +time. Most of the bloodhound stories are of that nature, though there +are some that have to do with the trailing of criminals. + +"One of the classic stories of literature is that of the hound of +Montargis. He may have been a St. Hubert hound, or one of the other +French hounds, though I have always suspected that he may have been a +mâtin or dog of the Great Dane type. But the breed is a matter of +minor importance. The main features of the story are somewhat as +follows: + +"There were once two officers of the King's bodyguard in France named +Macaire and Montdidier. Fast friends at first, they became bitter +enemies and rivals, and one day in the Forest of Bondi, near Paris, +after a violent quarrel, Macaire drew his sword and slew Montdidier +and buried his body in the woods. + +"Now Montdidier owned a faithful hound who came to search for him. He +traced him to the grave and there he remained until he was nearly +famished. The poets would have us believe that the dog reached the +conclusion that his master had been slain, that he discovered the +scent of the murderer, and that he set out in quest of vengeance. At +any rate, he went to the home of a friend of his dead master's and was +given food. He attached himself to this household but went often to +the grave. + +"Of course, Montdidier's comrades soon missed him and his absence was +reported to Charles V, the King. Foul play was suspected and the King +ordered an investigation, but no evidence was forthcoming. Meanwhile +Montdidier's friend had also become suspicious and one day he followed +the hound to the grave. Observing the dog's actions, he surmised what +must be there. He reported the matter to the King who had the body +exhumed and discovered marks of violence. + +"On several occasions after that the hound attempted to attack Macaire +but was prevented from doing him injury. He was entirely peaceable +toward everybody else, so that these circumstances were noticed. +Guardsmen remembered that Macaire and Montdidier had quarreled and +suspicion fastened itself upon Macaire. The King was told of all this +and he himself observed the actions of the hound when he was brought +near his master's murderer. + +"In those days it was sometimes the custom for judges to settle a +dispute by ordering the contestants to fight a duel. King Charles +decided to adopt this method in an effort to determine whether or not +Macaire was guilty, and he ordered a trial combat to take place +between the man and the dog at the Château of Montargis on the Isle of +Notre Dame, Paris. The man was given a stout cudgel as his only +weapon, while the dog was provided with an empty cask into which he +might retreat if too hard pressed. + +"The battle was a terrible one, Macaire fighting for his life and the +dog to revenge his dead master. The hound paid no heed to the blows +that were rained upon him, but attacked blindly. At last he got a firm +grip on the man's throat and hung on. Macaire, weakening and +terrified, begged to be rescued and confessed his guilt. The dog was +dragged away at last and the gallows robbed him of his revenge." + +"Whew!" exclaimed Herbie Pierson. "Some story! Got any more like that, +Mr. Hartshorn?" + +"Half a dozen of them," replied Mr. Hartshorn with a laugh, "but +they'll have to wait till another time, as I believe we are nearing +our destination. For the same reason I must postpone telling you about +the dogs of the greyhound family. Here we are, boys." + +Tom Poultice was waiting for them at the Welden station and so was the +man who had come for the two beagles. Under Tom's guidance they walked +out to the fair grounds, which were only a mile away. This was to be +the scene of the show, and there were already a number of dogs and +crates about. + +"I've arranged to stay out 'ere," said Tom. "There's an 'ouse where I +can sleep, and I can look after all the dogs." + +They looked around the grounds a bit. Mr. Hartshorn found the +superintendent of the show and had a few words with him, and then they +all returned to town, leaving the dogs in Tom's care. They were all +well acquainted with him and did not feel that they were being left +among total strangers. + +They registered at the hotel, which they found to be overcrowded. An +extra cot was placed in one of the rooms, and Ernest, Jack, and Elliot +were assigned to it. They did not consider the situation to be any +hardship. They enjoyed a good dinner in the dining-room and then +gathered in Mr. Hartshorn's room for a talk. + +After discussing dog shows some more and speculating as to the outcome +of the morrow's contests. Ernest, whose thirst for dog learning was +insatiable, reminded Mr. Hartshorn of his promise to tell them about +the breeds of the greyhound family. + +"The greyhound proper," said he, "is of course the first to be +considered. It is perhaps the oldest distinct type of dog now in +existence. Likenesses of greyhounds are to be seen in relics of +Assyrian, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman sculpture, and the type has +altered surprisingly little in seven thousand years. It was developed +for great speed from the first and was used in the chase. Unlike the +other hounds, the dogs of the greyhound family hunt by sight and not +by scent. + +"The whippet is merely a smaller greyhound, but has been bred as a +separate variety for upward of a century. On a short course the +whippet is faster than a racehorse, covering the usual 200 yards in +about 12 seconds. Whippet racing as a sport has never taken hold in +America and we have comparatively few of the breed here. You have +already been told about the Italian greyhound. It belongs to the +greyhound family but is classed as a toy. + +"Although speed is the thing for which the greyhound is most famous, +stories have been told which illustrate the breed's fidelity and +sagacity when his master makes a comrade of him. I will tell you one +of these tales. A French officer named St. Leger was imprisoned in +Vincennes, near Paris, during the wars of St. Bartholomew. He had a +female greyhound that was his dearest friend and he asked to have her +brought to him in prison. This request was denied and the dog was sent +back to St. Leger's home in the Rue des Lions St. Paul. She would not +remain there, however, and at the first opportunity she returned to +the prison and barked outside the walls. When she came under her +master's window he tossed a piece of bread out to her, and in this way +she discovered where he was. + +"She contrived to visit him every day, and incidentally she won the +admiration and affection of one of the jailers, who smuggled her in +occasionally to see her master. St. Leger was at last released, but +his health was broken and in six months he died. The dog grieved for +him and would not be comforted by any of the members of the household. +At last she ran away and attached herself to the jailer who had +befriended her and her master, and with him she lived happily till the +day of her death. + +"Now we come to one of the grandest breeds of all--the Irish +wolfhound. It is a breed of great antiquity and of great size and +power. The Latin writer Pliny speaks of it as _canis graius +Hibernicus_, and in Ireland it was known as _sagh clium_ or wolf dog. +For in ancient Ireland there were huge wolves and also enormous elk, +and the great dogs were used to hunt them. These hounds were even used +in battle in the old days of the Irish kings. + +"Two classic stories are told of the Irish wolfhound. One is of the +hound of Aughrim. There was an Irish knight or officer who had his +wolfhound with him at the battle of Aughrim, and together they slew +many of the enemy. But at last the master himself was killed. He was +stripped and left on the battlefield to be devoured by wolves. But his +faithful dog never left him. He remained at his side day and night, +feeding on other dead bodies on the battlefield, but allowing neither +man nor beast to come near that of his master until nothing was left +of it but a pile of whitening bones. Then he was forced to go farther +away in search of food, but from July till January he never failed to +return to the bones of his master every night. One evening some +soldiers crossed the battlefield, and one of them came over to see +what manner of beast the wolfhound was. The dog, thinking his +master's bones were about to be disturbed, attacked the soldier, who +called loudly for help. Another soldier came running up and shot the +faithful dog. + +"The other story is that of devoted Gelert which you may have heard. +Robert Spencer made a poem or ballad of it." + +"I've never heard it," said Jack Whipple. + +"Nor I," said Elliot Garfield. + +"Well," said Mr. Hartshorn, "it's a rather tragic story. Put into +plain and unadorned prose, it runs something like this: Gelert was an +Irish wolfhound of great strength and great intelligence that had been +presented by King John in 1205 to Llewelyn the Great, who lived near +the base of Snowdon Mountain. Gelert became devoted to his master and +at night 'sentinel'd his master's bed,' as the poem has it. By day he +hunted with him. + +"One day, however, Gelert did not appear at the chase and when +Llewelyn came home he was angry with the dog for failing him. He was +in that frame of mind when he met Gelert coming out of the chamber of +his child. The dog was covered with blood. Llewelyn rushed into the +room and discovered the bed overturned, the coverlet stained with +gore, and the child missing. He called to the boy but got no response. + +"Believing that there was but one interpretation for all this, +Llewelyn called Gelert to him and in his wrath thrust his sword +through the dog's body. Gelert gave a great cry of anguish that +sounded almost human, and then, with his eyes fixed reproachfully on +his slayer's face, he died. Then another cry was heard--that of the +child, who had been awakened from sleep by the shriek of the dying +dog. Llewelyn rushed forward and found the child safe and unscratched +in a closet where he had fallen asleep. The father hurried back to the +bloody bed, and beneath it he found the dead body of a huge gray wolf +which told the whole story. In remorse Llewelyn erected a tomb and +chapel to the memory of faithful Gelert and the place is called Beth +Gelert to this day." + +There was a suspicious moisture about more than one pair of eyes as +Mr. Hartshorn finished this narrative, and he hurried on to less +tragic matters. + +"The Irish wolfhound is to-day a splendid animal," said he, "and the +breed deserves to be better known in this country. It has had an +interesting history. There was a time when it nearly died out in +Ireland, and the modern breed was started with the remnants some fifty +years ago, with the help of Great Dane and Scottish deerhound crosses. +The new breed was not thoroughly established, however, until the +latter part of the last century. As a made breed, so called, it is a +remarkable example of what can be accomplished by patient, scientific +breeding. The Irish wolfhound is a big, active, sagacious, wonderfully +companionable dog, muscular and graceful, and as full of fun as a +terrier. + +"The Scottish deerhound is similar in most respects to the Irish +wolfhound, but is lighter, speedier, and less powerful. They have a +common ancestry, though the two breeds were distinct as long ago as +the twelfth century. The breed was a favorite with Sir Walter Scott. + +"The Russian wolfhound, known in Russia as the borzoi, is one of the +most graceful and aristocratic of all the breeds, combining speed, +strength, symmetry, and a beautiful coat. He has been used for +centuries in Russia for hunting wolves and has been bred as the +sporting dog of the aristocracy." + +"It makes a dog show a lot more interesting to know something about +the different breeds," said Ernest Whipple. + +"Of course it does," said Mr. Hartshorn. "And if I am not mistaken, I +have told you something about almost every breed that you will ever be +likely to see at a dog show or anywhere else." + +Soon afterward they separated for the night. + + + + +CHAPTER XVII + +THE TEST OF REMUS + + +The Boytown party was at the fair grounds long before the show opened +the following morning, and you may be sure the dogs were glad to see +their masters, though they had been well cared for by Tom. + +Though technically an outdoor show, there was room for all the dogs in +the commodious cattle-show sheds in case of rain. The weather promised +to be fair and warm, however, so only the smaller dogs and some of the +larger short-coated ones were benched inside, where they had plenty of +room and plenty of ventilation. The collies and Old English sheepdogs +were tied in a row in the shade of some maple trees at one side of the +grounds, and the rough-coated terriers, the setters, and some of the +other breeds were also outside. The boys found the places reserved for +their dogs and saw to it that they were properly and comfortably +benched. + +When the show opened and the spectators began to arrive, the Boytown +dogs were at first nervous and excited and could not bear to have +their masters leave them. After an hour or two, however, they became +accustomed to their surroundings, and leaving them in charge of Tom +Poultice, the boys made the rounds of the show under the guidance of +Mr. Hartshorn. + +It was a most interesting experience for them. Some of the breeds were +of course familiar to them, and Mr. Hartshorn called attention to +their points and showed how some of the dogs back home fell short of +conforming to the requirements of the standard. In some instances they +recognized breeds that Mr. Hartshorn had told them about but which +they had never seen before. There were, for example, a Scottish +deerhound, an Irish water spaniel, and some cairn terriers. As Mr. +Hartshorn had predicted, there were noteworthy entries of Sealyhams, +wire-haired fox terriers, and Boston terriers, and particularly +interesting exhibits of bulldogs and chows. There was one dog that +puzzled them--a white dog with fluffy coat and bright eyes. The +catalogue stated that it was a Samoyede. + +"What is a Samoyede, Mr. Hartshorn?" asked Herbie Parsons. "I don't +think I ever heard of that kind." + +"That's so," said Mr. Hartshorn. "I guess I never told you about the +Arctic breeds. This is one of them. They're not very common." + +There were individual dogs, too, that demanded special attention, +friendly dogs that wanted to shake hands and be patted and that +begged the boys to stay with them. This encouraged loitering and made +the circuit of the benches quite a protracted affair. Mr. Hartshorn +had warned them about approaching the dogs without an introduction. + +"There are always some dogs that aren't to be trusted," said he, "and +as the day wears on and they get more and more nervous, they may snap. +It's always well to be cautious at a dog show, no matter how well you +understand dogs. Never make a quick motion toward a dog or try to put +your hand on the top of his head at first. Reach your hand out toward +him quietly and let him sniff at the back of it. Then you can soon +tell whether he invites further advances or not." + +The boys became so absorbed in trying out this form of introduction +that it was noon before they had finished visiting all the benches. +Mrs. Hartshorn insisted on having luncheon. + +"I'm hungry if no one else is," said she. + +The five boys suddenly discovered that they were hungry, too. Mr. +Hartshorn led them to a restaurant on the grounds and ordered the +meal. It might have been better, but the boys were not critical. When +they had finished eating they went out and sat for a little while in +the shade of some trees, not far from the collies, and watched the +people. + +"Now I'll tell you about those Arctic breeds," said Mr. Hartshorn, +"and get that off my mind." + +It was very warm, and they were all glad of a little chance to rest. +It is tiring to walk around a dog show and one becomes more weary than +one realizes. The boys stretched themselves out on the grass and +listened to Mr. Hartshorn's words mingled with the barking of the dogs +in all keys. + +"It won't take very long to tell about these northern breeds," he +began. "Their natural habitat is in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions +of Asia, Europe, Greenland, and North America. They are probably +related to the Arctic wolf and they are generally used in those +countries as sledge dogs. + +"The spitz dog found his way down from the cold countries long ago, +but he still retains some of his racial characteristics. The proper +name for the one occasionally seen here is the wolfspitz. He is the +largest of the spitz family, of which the Pomeranian is the miniature +member. + +"The Samoyede or laika is the sledge dog of northern Russia and +western Siberia and was used by Nansen in his explorations. Next to +the wolfspitz, the Samoyede is the most attractive and domestic of the +Arctic breeds and has acquired some popularity among American +fanciers, especially the white ones. + +"The Norwegian elkhound is used as a bird dog as well as for hunting +big game in Scandinavia. It is not a hound at all, but a general +utility dog of the Arctic type, dating back to the days of the +Vikings. A few have been shown in this country. + +"The Eskimo dog is larger than the Samoyede and is nearer to the wolf +in type. He has long been known as a distinct breed, being a native of +Greenland and northern Canada, and was used by Peary, the Arctic +explorer. The breed has occasionally been shown in the United States. + +"There are also a number of loosely bred sledge dogs in North America, +including the Canadian husky and the malamutes and Siwash dogs of +Alaska. The husky, is a powerful dog, weighing 125 pounds or more, and +is the common draught dog of Canada. He is said to be the result of a +cross between the Arctic wolf and the Eskimo dog." + +"He sounds rather unattractive to me," said Mrs. Hartshorn. + +"Well, he is, as a pet," said her husband, "but he is a wonderfully +useful animal in his own country. Is everybody rested now? I imagine +we'd better be going back. I want to be on hand when they judge the +Airedales." + +The party rose and trooped back to the sheds. At intervals during the +afternoon they visited their own dogs and before night they had +finished their rounds of the show, but a good share of the time was +spent in the vicinity of the judging rings. These were two roped-off +enclosures on the open lawn, with camp chairs arranged about them for +the ladies. At all times there was a goodly gathering about the rings +of people whose interest was in the outcome of the judging. +Considering the fact that there was no lively action like that of a +field trial or an athletic contest, it was remarkable how much +excitement could be derived from these quiet competitions. When a +favorite dog was given the blue ribbon there was much hand-clapping +and a little cheering, and the boys heard very little complaining or +rebellion against the decisions of the judges. Dog fanciers are, for +the most part, good sports. + +The Airedales were judged among the first, and as usual the Willowdale +dogs, skilfully exhibited by Tom Poultice, bore off their fair share +of the honors. Soon the Boston terriers were called for. This was +Theron Hammond's big moment, and when Alert was awarded second prize +in the novice class Theron was warmly congratulated by friends and +strangers alike, for there were a lot of good dogs shown and, as Mr. +Hartshorn had said, Alert was in fast company. + +Rover, as Darley's Launcelot of Middlesex, had an easier time of it, +for only eight Old English sheepdogs were benched and none of the +famous kennels were represented here. There were only three dogs in +the novice class, and as the other two were second-rate dogs, Rover +won first place. He also won third in the open class, but was beaten +out by better dogs in the winners contest. + +[Illustration: Old English Sheepdog] + +Hamlet, however, didn't win anything. His forelegs weren't straight +and the judge took special note of them. He had better dogs against +him, and the better dogs won. It was a fair contest, but Herbie was +bitterly disappointed. + +"Never mind, Herbie," said Jack Whipple, consolingly. "I bet Hamlet +is a better dog to own than any of them. That's what I said about +Remus when they said he hadn't any nose." + +And Herbie, not to be outdone by the younger boy, plucked up spirit +and bore his defeat manfully. + +It was a two-day show, and the judging of the bird dogs, hounds, and +some of the other breeds was put over to the second day. Ernest and +Jack, therefore, still had their exciting time ahead of them, but the +whole party was tired with so much walking about and watching, and +they were glad to turn their dogs over to Tom's care and return to the +hotel, with another day of it before them. + +"Have you told us about all the breeds there are?" asked Ernest that +evening in Mr. Hartshorn's room. + +"I believe I have," said Mr. Hartshorn, "except some little known +foreign ones." + +"Oh, please tell us about those," pleaded Ernest. + +Mr. Hartshorn laughed. "You're bound to know it all, aren't you?" said +he. "There are a number of European, Asiatic, and Australasian breeds, +some of which are very interesting, but you will probably never see +any of them and I haven't a list of them with me. When we get back to +Boytown, if there are any of you boys that would like to look up these +uncommon breeds, just to make your dog knowledge complete, I shall be +very glad to lend you a book which contains them all. For instance, +there's the German boxer which has sometimes been shown in this +country, and the Pyrenean sheepdog whose blood is to be found in +several of our large breeds, including the St. Bernard and the Irish +wolfhound. There are other European sheepdogs and hunting dogs, +Asiatic greyhounds, and some queer hairless freaks. When you've looked +those all up you'll know more about dogs than most naturalists do." + +"Then if the breeds are all used up, I suppose the anecdotes have all +been used up, too," said Jack. + +Mr. Hartshorn looked at his watch. "Well, no, not quite all used up," +said he. "I have thought of two or three more, and I guess we've got +time for one of them to-night. It is about a tradesman of the Rue St. +Denis in Paris, a man named Dumont. He had a very smart dog, but I +don't know what kind of dog it was. Perhaps a terrier or a poodle. +This dog was great at finding hidden articles. One day Dumont was +walking with a friend in the Boulevard St. Antoine and was bragging +about his dog. The friend would not believe his statements, so they +laid a wager, the master claiming that the dog could find and bring +home a six-livre piece hidden anywhere in the dust of the road. + +"So the piece of money was hidden in the dust when the dog was not +looking, and they went on a mile farther. Then the dog, whose name +was Caniche, was told to go back and get the coin, and he promptly +started. The friend wished to wait and see how it would come out, but +Dumont said, 'No, we will proceed. Caniche will bring the money home.' +They accordingly went to Dumont's home and waited, but no dog +appeared. The friend asserted that the dog had failed and claimed the +wager, but Dumont only said, 'Be patient, _mon ami_; something +unexpected has happened to delay him, but he will come.' + +"Something unexpected had indeed happened. A traveler from Vincennes +came driving along in a chaise soon after Dumont and his friend had +passed that way, and his horse accidentally kicked the coin out of the +dust. The traveler, seeing it glisten, got out and picked it up, and +then drove on to his inn. + +"When Caniche came up the money was, of course, not there, but he +picked up the traveler's scent and followed his chaise to the inn. +Arriving there and finding his man, Caniche proceeded to make friends +with him. The traveler, flattered by this attention, and being fond of +dogs, said he would like to adopt Caniche, and took him to his room. +The dog settled down and appeared to be quite content. + +"When bedtime came and the man began to undress, Caniche arose and +barked at the door. The man, thinking this was quite natural, opened +the door to let him out. Suddenly Caniche turned, seized the man's +breeches, which he had just taken off, and bolted out with them. There +was a purse full of gold pieces in the breeches, and the traveler +dashed after the dog in his nightcap and _sans culottes_, as the +French say. Caniche made for home with the angry man after him. + +"Arriving at Dumont's house, Caniche gained admittance and deposited +the breeches at his master's feet. Just then the owner of the breeches +burst in, loudly demanding his property and accusing Dumont of having +taught his dog to steal. + +"'Softly, softly,' said Dumont. 'Caniche is no thief, and he would not +have done this without a reason. You have a coin in these breeches +that is not yours.' + +"At first the stranger denied this, and then he remembered the coin he +had picked up in the Boulevard St. Antoine. Explanations followed, the +breeches and gold were restored to the traveler and the six-livre +piece was handed to Caniche, who returned it to his master with the +air of one who had fulfilled his duty. Dumont's friend paid his wager +and Dumont opened a bottle of wine, and they all drank to the health +of the cleverest dog in France. + +"Whether that is a true story or not you must judge for yourselves. I +have told it as it was told to me, and I prefer not to vouch for it." + +Laughing over this story, and thanking Mr. Hartshorn for telling it to +them, the boys trooped off to bed. + +So far as Ernest and Jack Whipple were concerned, all the interest of +the second day of the Massatucket Dog Show centered about the judging +of the English setters. They had been studying the entry carefully, +and though there were some champions entered in the open and limit +classes, and though Mr. Hartshorn pointed out to them the superior +qualities of several of these dogs from the fancier's point of view, +it seemed to the boys that Romulus and Remus were as good as any dogs +there. + +"Don't set your hopes too high," cautioned Mr. Hartshorn. "They will +be pitted against some good dogs, and I don't want to see you too +greatly disappointed. One has to learn to lose in the dog-show game +more often than one wins." + +"Anyway," said Ernest, "I haven't seen anything in the novice class +that can beat them." + +At last the hour arrived for the judging of the setters. The puppy +class was disposed of first, and then the novices. Ernest and Jack led +their own dogs into the ring, with numbers pinned to their +coat-sleeves. The two dogs behaved beautifully, holding up their heads +and standing at attention, as their masters had patiently taught them +to do. They were both in good condition, their eyes bright and their +coats soft and glossy. It was quite evident to the spectators about +the ring that the other dogs in the novice class were not to be +compared with them. Ernest and Jack were quite unconscious of the fact +that they were being observed as much as the dogs and that there were +some people present who admired their bright eyes as much as those of +Romulus and Remus. But it was the judge of this class that held their +fixed attention. + +He was a brusque, dour-looking man, without a smile for anybody, but +he had a reputation for strict impartiality and for a true judgment of +dog-flesh. It did not take him long to reach his decision. With no +word of congratulation he handed Jack a blue ribbon and Ernest a red +one, and ushered them out of the ring. + +"The Remus dog has the best head and most shapely body," was all that +he said. + +But the spectators clapped and showered congratulations upon the boys, +and they were very happy. + +"I knew it, I knew it!" cried Jack in an ecstasy of triumph. "Nose +doesn't count in the show ring, and Remus is, in every other way, the +best dog in the world. I told you he'd have his day. Good old Remus!" + +And right before all those people he leaned down and hugged his dog +and kissed him on the silky ear. + +But that was only the beginning. Remus also took first in the open +class, which was more than Mr. Hartshorn had hoped for, and Romulus +took third. And when it came to the final contest of the winners, +Remus won reserve to Ch. The Marquis, a dog that had won his spurs in +the biggest shows in the country. He was the only dog in this bunch +that could beat Remus, and there were those who affirmed that in +another year Remus would defeat him. + +Ernest showed himself to be a good sport and was glad that Remus had +won. Jack communicated his high spirits to the other boys, and by the +time the afternoon was over they were in a hilarious mood and eager to +bring their trophies back to Boytown. They forgot their weariness, and +as the spectators began to leave the grounds, and it was proper to +release the dogs, they started off pell-mell, across the central oval +of the race track, boys and dogs together, shouting and barking in a +gladsome chorus. It was a goodly sight for some of the grown-ups to +see, and they paused to watch the frolic. + +"I'm so glad Remus won," said Mrs. Hartshorn, smiling upon them all. + +"Yes," responded her husband, "Jacky deserved it. He has stood by his +dog through thick and thin." + +As the boys and dogs came romping back, Mrs. Hartshorn observed, +"Youth is a wonderful thing." + +"Sometimes," said her husband, "I think it is a greater thing than +wisdom." + +Perhaps a vision of her own youth came back to her, for she leaned +against her husband's arm and softly quoted: + + "When all the world is young, lad, + And all the fields are green, + And every goose a swan, lad, + And every lass a queen; + Then hey, for boot and horse, lad! + Around the world away! + Young blood must have its course, lad, + And every dog his day." + + + + +CHAPTER XVIII + +ON HULSE'S POND + + +A week or so after the Massatucket Show, when Ernest Whipple's kennel +paper arrived, he and Jack scrutinized it eagerly for the account of +the show. The man who reported it had a great deal to say, in more or +less technical terms, about a good many of the dogs. He seemed to +pride himself on his ability to pick future winners and he was rather +free with his predictions. Romulus he mentioned favorably in passing, +referring to his enviable field-trial record. But to Remus he devoted +an entire paragraph. + +"This dog," he wrote, "owned by Master Jack Whipple, is a twin brother +to the afore-mentioned Romulus. Barring a slight weakness in the loins +and a look of wispiness about the stern, he was set down in good shape +and easily defeated the other novices. He has the classic type of +Laverack head, and this had much to do with his being placed reserve +to Ch. The Marquis in the winners class. He is a young dog, and with +proper treatment he should figure in the primary contests of next +winter. We predict a bright future on the bench for this Remus." + +Incidentally the boys were pleased to learn that Tippecanoe and Tyler +Too had won the prize for the best brace of beagles in the show, +besides some individual honors, and they rejoiced for their +bright-faced little acquaintances of the baggage car. + +The triumph of Remus was not short-lived. The residents of Boytown +learned through the local papers what had happened, and began to look +with a new interest upon these boys and their dogs as they passed +along the streets. Romulus came to be pointed out to strangers as a +coming field-trial champion, and Remus as a famous bench-show winner. +Such dogs were something for the citizens of any town to be proud of. +And there were not a few persons who gained thereby a new interest in +dogs, to the lasting betterment of their characters. + +As the autumn days came on, Ernest began to feel the call of the woods +and fields, and begged to be allowed to have a gun and go hunting with +Sam Bumpus. He was now a tall, good-looking lad of fifteen, and he +felt himself quite old enough to become a hunter. Besides, what is the +use of owning a fine bird dog if you don't hunt with him? + +Mrs. Whipple strongly objected, for she was afraid of guns, and at +last a compromise was reached. Ernest was to be allowed to go hunting +with Sam provided he would not ask to own or use a gun until he was +sixteen, and reluctantly he consented to this arrangement. Jack, who +was still only twelve, had not yet caught the hunting fever, and since +he owned a dog that could not hunt anyway, he was content to remain at +home, while Ernest spent his Saturdays afield with Sam. + +Sam Bumpus, during the past three years, had grown to be a less lonely +man. Through the boys he had made friends in town, and people began to +look upon him as less queer and to recognize his sterling virtues. And +all that made him happier. + +"It was a lucky day for me," he once said, "when I brought those +puppies down in my pockets." + +"It was a luckier day for us," responded Ernest with warmth. + +Now, tramping together 'cross country with their dogs, they became +even closer friends, and there was implanted in Ernest's character a +certain honesty and a love of nature that never left him. And withal, +it was great fun. + +Then came another winter, and one day, during the Christmas vacation, +Mr. Hartshorn invited the whole crowd of boys up to his house to enjoy +an indoor campfire. Mrs. Hartshorn, as usual, spread her table with a +wealth of good things to eat, and after the dinner they all gathered +in the big living-room, where huge logs were blazing and crackling in +the fireplace. + +"I only wish," said Ernest Whipple, "that there were more breeds of +dogs for you to tell us about, Mr. Hartshorn. I always enjoyed those +talks so much." + +"Do you think you know all about all the breeds now?" asked Mr. +Hartshorn, with a smile. + +"Well, no," confessed Ernest, "but I know something about them all, +and I have one or two good books to refer to. I guess there's always +more to be learned about everything." + +"That is true," said their host, "and fortunately there are always +good things being written about dogs by men who know them. I never let +a chance go by to add to my own fund of dog lore." + +Alfred Hammond and Horace Ames, who were home from college for the +holidays, were present at the campfire, and Alfred was now loudly +called upon for a dog story, Mr. Hartshorn insisting that he had told +every one he knew. Finally Alfred acceded to the demand. + +"I ran across two anecdotes the other day which may fill the bill," +said he. "I think they are both about collies, but I am not sure. The +first is about a Scotchman and his dog Brutus. The Scotchman, having +gone far out of his way in a storm, stopped at a lonely house and +asked for a shelter for the night. The owner of the house admitted him +and showed him to a chamber, and the Scotchman, being very weary, +prepared to go to bed. + +"Brutus, however, was not so readily satisfied with his strange +surroundings and proceeded to investigate. At length he returned to +his master and began tugging at the bedclothes. The Scotchman was at +last sufficiently aroused to follow the dog out of the room and down +the stairs, and Brutus led him to the door of a closed room and +sniffed at it very cautiously. Light which made its way through the +cracks indicated that the room was occupied. The Scotchman could find +no hole to peep through, but much to his surprise he heard several +voices, for he thought that he and his host were alone in the house. + +"He placed his ear to the door and heard enough to make him believe +that his life was in danger. He was a brave man, and prompt action +seemed necessary. Suddenly he pushed open the door and rushed in, +surprising half a dozen men. They reached for their weapons, but the +traveler was ready first. With his pistol he shot his host and cracked +another over the head. Brutus, meanwhile, attacked so vigorously and +to such good purpose that the man and his dog were able to escape +uninjured. He afterwards learned that the house where he had sought +hospitality was the resort of a gang of highwaymen. + +"The other story is rather tragic, but I guess I'll tell it, as it's +the only one I have left. A traveling merchant in England was riding +along on horseback, when he dropped a bag containing all his money. He +was quite unconscious of his loss, but his dog had seen the bag fall. +The dog began to run in front of the horse's head, barking, and +dashing back along the road, but the merchant, who must have been +uncommonly stupid, I think, did not understand the meaning of his +strange actions. The dog became more insistent, as the man urged his +horse ahead, barking in an unusual tone and snapping at the horse's +feet. + +"The merchant, who apparently did not know dogs very well, began to +fear that he was going mad. 'Mad dogs will not drink,' he reflected. +'At the next ford I will watch, and if he does not drink I must shoot +him.' + +"Of course, the dog was much too anxious and excited to drink at the +next ford, and his master shot him. After riding on a little way the +man began to be troubled with doubts and misgivings, and he turned his +horse about. When he reached the ford again, the dog was not there, +but the man traced him back along the road by the marks of his blood. + +"The merchant found his dog at last, lying beside the money-bag, +protecting his master's property with his last gasp. Remorsefully the +merchant stooped down and begged the dog's forgiveness. The faithful +animal licked his hand and looked up at him with eyes that seemed to +say, 'It's all right, my master. You didn't understand.'" + +No more stories being forthcoming, the talk soon drifted to other +things. The boys vied with one another in telling of instances which +illustrated the superior courage, intelligence, and faithfulness of +their own dogs, and then fell into reminiscence. They talked of the +awakening of interest in the dogs of Boytown and what it had meant to +each of them, of the activities of the Boytown Humane Society, of the +Boytown Dog Show in Morton's barn, of the days at Camp Britches and +the death of beloved Rags, of the Eastern Connecticut field trials and +the winning of Romulus, of the Massatucket Dog Show and the triumph of +Remus, and of all the good times the boys and their dogs had had +together. They quoted Sam Bumpus's quaint sayings and Tom Poultice's +good advice about the care of dogs, and they told dog stories that +they had read. + +"I don't see how anybody can help loving dogs," said Elliot Garfield. + +"There are men who hate them, though," said Mr. Hartshorn. "American +sheep growers, for example, are bitterly opposed to dogs, and many of +them would like to see the canine race annihilated. And it must be +admitted that the dog forms the greatest obstacle in the path of +increasing the important sheep-raising industry in the United States. +Dogs do kill sheep, and there's no denying it." + +"I thought there were laws to protect the sheep," said Ernest Whipple. + +"There are," said Mr. Hartshorn. "Some of them are good and some of +them are bad. Some of them place it in the sheep man's power to take +the law into his own hands and act as judge, jury, and executioner on +the spot, which of course is all wrong. But unfortunately the best of +the laws do not protect the sheep. The state may pay damages, but that +does not restore the slain sheep." + +"I don't see what can be done, then," said Theron Hammond, dolefully. + +"For one thing," said Mr. Hartshorn, "more study should be put on +these laws before they are passed. They should not be drawn up by +either partisans of the dog or of the sheep. They should aim to +eliminate ownerless dogs and to make all owners responsible for the +acts of their dogs. On the other hand, the sheep owners should not be +allowed to collect damages unless they can show that they have taken +due precautions on their own part, such as the erection of dog-tight +fences. A man has to keep up his fences to keep his neighbor's cows +out of his corn, or he has no redress. Why shouldn't a sheep owner be +compelled to do likewise? But the real cure for the menace of the +sheep-killing dog is more dog. The American sheep men don't seem to +have learned the lesson that the past has tried to teach them. For +centuries the trained shepherd dog has been the protection of the +flock in all sheep-raising countries, and is so to-day in Great +Britain, Europe, and Australia. I don't believe there are a dozen +first-class trained shepherd dogs in this country, except in the Far +West. In Scotland there are more dogs to the square mile than there +are in the United States, yet the Scotch don't try to legislate the +dog out of existence. The Scotch shepherd never thinks of taking out +his flock without his trained collie, and the result is that few sheep +are killed either by stray dogs or wild animals. When the American +sheep growers learn their lesson from the shepherds of other +countries, overcome their prejudice against the dog, and adopt the +method that has been successfully employed for centuries in other +countries, they will solve this problem, and not until then. I hope to +see the day come when the sheep man is numbered among the dog's best +friends here as he is in Scotland." + +A lively discussion followed, and then, still talking dogs, the boys +trudged home in the moonlight, over the crisp snow. + +A few days later the whole crowd was out skating on Hulse's Pond. A +week of clear, cold weather following a thaw had made ideal skating, +and Boytown was making the most of it. There were a number of young +men and girls out and a few older devotees of the sport, but the boys +and their dogs had full possession of one end of the pond. Here a game +of hockey was in progress, which was somewhat interfered with by the +activities of Tatters, who had grown into a fine, lively, sport-loving +dog. He seemed to think the game was arranged for his special benefit, +and he chased the puck to and fro across the ice wherever it went. +Another general favorite was Rover, who never tired of racing with the +skaters and particularly enjoyed pulling the younger children about on +their sleds. These small children had another name for him--Santa +Claus--and he indeed looked the part. Others of the dogs were enjoying +the sport, too, though Romulus and Remus showed a tendency to leave +the ice and go scouting off on imaginary trails in the neighborhood. + +Suddenly, while the fun was at its height, a sharp cry arose from the +upper end of the pond where the brook ran in. It was different from +the other shouts and cries that rang out over the ice; there was +terror in it. The loud, insistent barking of Tatters immediately +followed. + +The hockey game was interrupted, and everyone looked toward that end +of the pond to see what could be the matter. Tatters was running +excitedly about the edge of a hole where the ice had broken in, and in +the black water appeared the head and shoulders of little Eddie +Greene, who had ventured too near a dangerous spot and had broken +through the thin ice. + +The sounds of merrymaking suddenly ceased, and there was a general +rush in that direction. The bigger boys threw themselves flat on the +ice and tried to reach out to Eddie with their hands, but the ice +cracked alarmingly beneath the weight of so many of them, and they +dared not approach too close. + +"Get back, boys, get back!" cried Theron Hammond, who was always a +leader. "Get back, or we'll all go in." + +They saw that such a catastrophe would only make bad matters worse and +obeyed the command. Only Theron and Harry Barton remained to try to +reach the frightened little fellow, and they could not get near him. + +The water was deep, and Eddie was struggling wildly to keep from going +under the ice, which broke off wherever he grasped it. + +"Keep calm, Eddie," called Theron, but Eddie was terrified and could +not keep calm. His head went under once, and he seemed to be +weakening. Meanwhile Ernest Whipple and one or two of the others had +kicked off their skates and had run off in search of boards or fence +rails to throw across the hole, but there seemed to be none near by +and help was a long time coming. It began to look as though they would +be too late. + +It was a tense moment. Some of the little girls had begun to cry, and +there was one young lady who gave way to hysterics. No one seemed to +know what to do. It was awful to stand there and watch the little +fellow drown before their eyes. + +Then there came a sudden rush and a plunge and the black and white +head of Remus appeared beside that of the drowning boy. Though an +aristocrat of the bench show, this good dog had a brain that worked +quickly and a heart that knew no fear. + +It was a good thing that Remus had learned to be such a good swimmer +in days gone by; he had need of all his strength and skill now. He +seized the boy's collar in his teeth and struggled to drag him out. +But it could not be done. The ice broke repeatedly under the dog's +paws, and it was all he could do to keep the boy's head and his own +above water. He could only struggle bravely and cast imploring looks +toward the helpless humans. The water was ice-cold, of course, and it +sapped the good dog's strength. His efforts weakened and he tried no +more to climb out, but he never relaxed his hold. He would have gone +down to his death with the boy before he would have done that. + +Both heads went below the surface and came up again, and the dogged, +imploring look deepened in Remus's eyes. Jack Whipple called words of +encouragement, and it was pitiful to watch the noble dog's efforts to +respond. It was wonderful the way he held out, and in the end he won. +When it seemed as though the last atom of his strength must have been +spent, Ernest Whipple came running up with a plank which he threw +across the hole. Remus rested his paws on this and so was able to keep +from going under, but he had no strength left to drag himself and the +boy out. Eddie was now unconscious, and could not help himself. Then +Elliot Garfield and two other boys arrived with boards and fence +rails, and with these they built a sort of bridge across the dangerous +gap. Theron crawled cautiously out upon this, with Harry Barton +holding to his feet. He grasped Remus's collar, and with Harry's help +dragged the boy and the dog to firm ice. + +Eddie was seized in friendly arms and was rubbed and rolled until he +revived. Remus fell, faint and trembling, to the ice, and Jack +Whipple, unconscious of his own sobs, gathered the heroic dog to his +breast. + + + + +CHAPTER XIX + +EVERY DOG HIS DAY + + +Eddie Greene was hurried home and put to bed, and a doctor was called. +For a day or so he was watched over with tender solicitude by his +mother, but he soon insisted on getting up, and the doctor said that +the danger was past. His healthy young body recuperated rapidly and he +suffered no serious effects from his harrowing experience. In a few +days he was running about as well as ever, and his parents, watching +him, had good reason to bless the brave dog that had saved their boy's +life. + +But with Remus it was different. Almost immediately he showed signs of +having contracted a severe cold. Weakened as he was by exposure and +exhausted by his almost superhuman struggles in the water, he was in +no condition to combat the malady, and pneumonia set in. + +For days he lay dangerously ill on his bed in Rome, while Jack hoped +and prayed in vain for a noticeable turn for the better. Tom Poultice +came down and diagnosed the case and left some medicine, but still +Remus failed to show much improvement. Sam Bumpus came, too, and did +what he could, but he was forced to confess that the case was beyond +his powers. Remus was very weak and seemed unable to rally. Jack +Whipple was beside himself with anxiety. + +When Remus had distemper he received visits from a good many of the +boys in town, but that was nothing to the interest that was now +displayed in him. The boys of the Humane Society hung about the +Whipple gates at all hours of the day, vainly wishing that they might +be of some help. Mr. Morton, Mr. Pierson, and other prominent citizens +telephoned their inquiries. Mr. Fellowes came every day, and total +strangers rang the doorbell to ask how the sick dog was getting on. +All Boytown did its best to show honor and sympathy for the hero, but, +alas, that brought no relief to the poor dog suffering on his bed in +Rome. + +For some time now Mrs. Whipple had been unconsciously displaying a +different attitude toward the dogs. She never petted them; she was not +yet ready to go quite so far. But she never said anything against dogs +any more, and she had not concealed her pleasure and pride in the +triumphs that had been won by both Romulus and Remus. And now that +Remus was sick she made no attempt to conceal her anxiety, and +answered all the inquiries patiently. One day Mr. Whipple observed her +stealing out to Rome with a dish of warm broth, while the boys were +in school, and he couldn't help smiling a little. The mother's heart +had been won over at last. + +There came a day when Remus seemed to be getting worse instead of +better, and Tom Poultice was sent for again. Mr. Hartshorn himself +brought Tom over in the car from Thornboro. Tom tested the sick dog's +temperature and general condition and shook his head solemnly. + +"I'm afraid it's come to a crisis," said he. + +"Nothing more you can do?" asked Mr. Hartshorn. + +"I'm afraid not, sir," said Tom. + +"Then there's no time to be lost," said Mr. Hartshorn. "We must send +for Dr. Runkle. I ought to have done it before." + +They jumped into the car and drove down to the telegraph office. + +The next day Dr. Runkle appeared with Tom and Mr. Hartshorn. He was +the Bridgeport veterinary surgeon that had come too late to save poor +Rags. Mr. Hartshorn considered him the best veterinarian in the state. + +With gentle, skilful hands he made a thorough examination. + +"A bad case of pneumonia," said he. "The first thing to do is to get +him into a warmer place. This barn is all right for most things, but +he needs some artificial heat now." + +Mrs. Whipple was standing near, and Jack looked at her doubtfully. She +did not hesitate. Apparently she had forgotten all about her vow never +to allow the dogs into the house. + +"Bring him right into the house," said she. "Jack, you go and get some +of that burlap from the storeroom, and we'll make a bed for him in the +kitchen." + +Tom picked Remus up in his strong arms, and the little procession made +its way up to the house. Bringing up the rear came Romulus, a subdued +dog these last anxious days. His big eyes questioned the faces of his +human friends for the meaning of it all. He could not speak, but no +one showed a more genuine sympathy. + +Never before had Romulus attempted to enter the house. Now he seemed +to understand that the ban had been lifted. He followed quietly in +through the door, and no one said him nay. + +But I am happy to say that this story is not going to end sadly. I +don't believe I could tell it if it did. Dr. Runkle stayed at +Willowdale for three days, and each day he came down to attend his +patient. At last his skill and knowledge and the constant careful +nursing won the battle, and gradually Remus fought his way back to +health. His splendid constitution and stout heart stood him in good +stead, and once the crisis was passed, recovery was rapid and certain. + +And that is really the end of the story, though by no means the end of +Romulus and Remus. They were destined to live to a ripe old age, much +honored in Boytown, and to win many triumphs on field and bench. I +need not tell you how happy Jack Whipple was to have his beloved dog +restored to health and strength again. The rest of the family were +hardly less so, and all Boytown rejoiced. I will only tell what a few +of the people said and did, because Remus, you will agree, deserved +all the honors and all the love that could be heaped upon him. + +The first day that Jack was allowed to take Remus out into the +sunshine for a little airing, there was one who watched them from the +kitchen window. It was Irish Delia, who had objected so strenuously +when the puppies had first been brought into her kitchen. When Jack, +smiling happily, brought the dog in again, and Remus, whose legs were +still a bit unsteady, walked over to his dish for a drink of water, +Delia could restrain herself no longer. She flopped down on her knees +beside him, and putting her arms about him, sobbed unrestrainedly into +his soft coat. + +"Ach, Remus, dear," she cried, "ye niver knew it, but I loved ye like +me own brother." + +And what did Tom Poultice say after the danger was over? He placed a +kindly hand on Jack's shoulder and said, "I read a book once called +'The Mill on the Floss,' and there was a chap in it named Bob +Jakin--just a hordinary chap like me. One day 'e says to a lady, 'e +says, 'Hev a dog, Miss. They're better friends nor any Christian.' +I've always thought 'e was right, Jacky, and I think so now more than +ever." + +Mr. Hartshorn didn't say much. He was not the demonstrative kind, but +everyone knew what he thought. One day he told the boys that he had +just received a letter from a cousin of his in the West who was a +sheep man. + +"He hates dogs," said Mr. Hartshorn, "worse than coyotes. He always +makes fun of my sentimentality, as he calls it, and can't say too much +against an animal that can furnish neither eggs, milk, wool, nor meat. +He calls the dog a useless creature. I sat down and wrote him what +Remus did on Hulse's Pond, and asked him if he had ever heard of a +sheep that had saved a human life. I guess that will hold him for +awhile." + +Sam Bumpus didn't say much, either. He just stroked Remus's head and +patted his flank, and then remarked, "I've sometimes thought life was +a pretty tough proposition, but I reckon so long as there's boys an' +dogs in the world, we can manage to stagger along an' bear up under +it." + +What other people said didn't matter so much as what they did. Mr. +Morton quietly started a little affair of his own, and after he had +made numerous calls on business acquaintances of his, a little +ceremony took place in the Whipple yard, just outside of Rome. A +committee called, consisting of Mr. Morton, Mr. Pierson, and Mr. +Fellowes, and after a short speech was made by the banker, a bronze +medal was presented to Remus. + +"It isn't to be hidden away in a drawer somewhere," explained Mr. +Morton. "He's to wear it on his collar, and if he loses it, we'll get +him another one." + +One side of the medal bore the words, "Presented to Remus by the +citizens of Boytown." On the other side was a setter's head and the +words, "For heroism in saving human life." + +April came again to Boytown, and with it the bluebirds and robins, the +pussy willows and red maple blossoms, and the green buds of the +dogwoods that watched over the resting-place of Rags on the hill. With +it, too, came strength to the graceful limbs of Remus. There were +warm, sunny days, when it was good for dogs and boys to be out of +doors, and there were crisp, cool evenings, when a crackling fire on +the hearth was pleasant. + +Let us bid farewell to our friends as they sit before their open +fires, Sam Bumpus in his lonely shack, but not unhappy any more, Mr. +and Mrs. Hartshorn side by side in the big house at Willowdale, and +the Whipples in their pleasant sitting-room on Washburn Street. At one +side of the table sits Mrs. Whipple, sewing, with a look of +contentment on her face, mingled with pride as she watches the two +fine young fellows who are her sons. At the other side of the table +Mr. Whipple is reading aloud from that wonderful story, "Greyfriars +Bobby." Remus lies comfortably stretched out on one side of the hearth +and Romulus on the other, for they are no longer banished to Rome. The +house is none too good for them. And about each happy dog's neck are +entwined a loving master's arms. + + +THE END + + + + +THE MORE IMPORTANT BREEDS OF DOGS + + +I. NON-SPORTING AND UTILITY. + +A. LARGE DOGS. + + PAGE + =St. Bernard.= (109) St. Bernard Rough and smooth + varieties. Colors, red, orange, or + brindle with white markings, or white + with patches of these colors. Height, + 30 to 39 inches. Weight, 160 to 190 + pounds or more. + + =Mastiff.= (111) Colors, fawn or brindle, with black + on the head. Coat, short. Height, 28 + inches average. Weight, 170 pounds + average. + + =Newfoundland=. (111-112) Colors, jet black, black and white, + or brown and white. Height, 25 to + 29 inches. Weight, 110 to 150 pounds. + Coat, long. + + =Great Dane.= (115) Colors, brindle, fawn, blue, black, + and harlequin. Height, 28 inches up. + Weight, 90 pounds up. Coat, short. + +B. SMALLER DOGS. + + =English (57-58, Colors varying from pure white to dark + Bulldog.= 115-116) brindle. Weight, 40 to 50 pounds + average. Coat, short. + + =French Bulldog.= (116) Colors, any brindle or solid color + except black, black and white, black + and tan, liver, and mouse color. + Weight, 22 to 28 pounds. Coat, smooth. + + =Chow Chow.= (116) Colors, all red, black, chocolate + brown, blue, smoke, yellow, and white. + Weight, 30 pounds up. Coat long. + + =Poodle.= (116) Colors, all black, white, red, brown, + or blue. Coat, curly. + + =Dalmatian.= (118) Color, white with black or brown spots. + Height, 19 to 23 inches. Weight, 35 + to 50 pounds. Coat, short. + + =Schipperke.= (118) Tailless. Color, all black. Weight, + 12 to 20 pounds. Coat, medium, thick. + +C. SHEEP DOGS. + + =Collie.= (201-202) Colors not restricted. Height, 20 to + 24 inches. Weight, 40 to 65 pounds. + Coat, long. + + =Old English (189-190, Tailless. Any color permissible except + Sheep dog.= 205-206) sable, brown, and black, the most + popular being gray and white. Height, + 20 inches up. Coat, very long. + + =German Shepherd (206) Color, dark, grizzled gray commonest. + Dog.= Also black, iron gray, ash gray, + reddish tan, reddish brown, white, + and harlequin. Height, 21 to 26 inches. + Weight, 54 to 65 pounds. Coat, rather + short. + + =Belgian Sheep (206-207) Smooth and wire-coated, usually fawn + dog.= or sable. Long-coated or Groenendaele, + jet black. + + +II. SPORTING BREEDS. + +A. THE HOUND FAMILY. + + =Bloodhound.= (252) Colors, black and tan, red and tan, and + tawny. Coat, short. Height, 24 to 27 + inches. Weight, 80 pounds up. + + =Otterhound.= (252-253) Colors, gray, buff, black, red, and + mixtures. Height, 22 to 24 inches. + Coat, wiry. + + =Foxhound.= (253) Combination of black, white, and tan + preferred. Height, English foxhound, + 22 to 24 inches; American foxhound, + 20 to 24 inches. Coat, short. + + =Harrier.= (253) Foxhound colorings. Height, 16 to 19 + inches. Coat, short. + + =Beagle.= (253) Foxhound colorings. Height, 15 inches + maximum. Coat, short. + + =Dachshund.= (253-254) Colors, all reddish, black, brown, or + gray and tan, and dappled. Weight, + 17 to 24 pounds. The length is three + times the height. Coat, smooth. + + =Basset Hound.= (254) Black, white, and tan preferred. + Height, 12 inches average. Coat, + smooth. + +B. GREYHOUND FAMILY. + + =Greyhound.= (259) Any color allowable. Weight, 60 to 70 + pounds. Coat, smooth. + + + =Whippet.= (259-260) Colors, black, red, white, blue, + brindle, fawn, and mixtures. Height, + 18 to 23 pounds. Weight, 20 pounds + average. Coat, smooth. + + =Irish Wolfhound.= (261) Colors, gray, brindle, red, black, + white, or fawn. Height, 32 to 34 + inches. Weight, 140 pounds up. Coat, + wiry. + + =Scottish Deerhound.= (264) Blue-gray preferred; lighter gray, + brindle, yellow, sandy red, and fawn + acceptable. Height, 26 to 30 inches. + Weight, 65 to 105 pounds. Coat, rather + wiry. + + =Russian wolfhound.= (264) White predominates, often with markings + of tan, fawn, blue-gray, lemon, or + black. Height, 26 to 31 inches. Weight, + 65 to 100 pounds. Coat, long and silky. + +C. BIRD DOGS. + + =Sussex Spaniel.= (131) Color, golden liver or chestnut. + Weight, 35 to 45 pounds. Coat, long. + + =Clumber Spaniel.= (131) Color, pure white with lemon or orange + markings. Weight, 35 to 65 pounds. + Coat, long. + + =Field Spaniel.= (131) Color, pure black. Weight, 32 to 45 + pounds. Coat, long. + + =Cocker Spaniel.= (131) Coat, long. Colors, black, red, liver, + or parti-colored with white. Weight, + 18 to 24 pounds. + + =Irish Water (131-132) Coat, curly. Color, a deep, pure + Spaniel.= liver without white. Height, 21 to + 23 inches. + + =English Setter.= (133-134) Coat, long. Colors, white and + black, white and liver, white and + lemon or orange, white and tan, or + tri-color--black, white, and tan. + Flecked dogs are called beltons. + Height, 21 to 23 inches. Weight, + 35 to 55 pounds. + + =Irish Setter.= (134) Coat, long. Color, all red. Size, + same as English setter. + + =Gordon Setter.= (134) Coat, long. Color, black and tan. + Weight, somewhat greater than that + of the English setter. + + =Retriever.= (154-155) Wavy-coated variety, black or liver. + Curly-coated variety, dull black, + occasionally liver. Weight, 65 to + 80 pounds. + + =Labrador Dog.= (154) Coat, medium. Similar to wavy-coated + retriever. + + =Chesapeake Bay (155) Coat and color, variable. Height, 25 + Dog.= inches maximum. Weight, 65 to 80 + pounds or more. + + =Pointer.= (153-154) Coat, short Colors, liver and white, + lemon and white, black and white, and + other combinations; also ticked and + speckled. Height, 20 to 25 inches. + Weight, 45 to 60 pounds. + + =Wire-Haired (155) Coat, wiry. Color, steel-gray + Pointing Griffon.= with grizzled brown patches; also + gray-white with brown or yellow + patches. Height, 20 to 24 inches. + Weight, 56 pounds average. + + +III. THE TERRIERS. + +A. SMOOTH-COATED. + + =Manchester.= (69) Color, black and tan. Weight, 16 to + 20 pounds. + + =Bull Terrier.= (65, 69) Color, pure white. There are also + brindles, but they are not recognized. + Weight, 45 to 60 pounds. + + =Boston.= (69) Color, brindle and white. Weight, + 17 to 27 pounds. + + =Smooth Fox (69-70) Color, white, with black, sometimes + tan, markings. Weight, 20 pounds + maximum. + + =Doberman Pinscher.= (70) Color, black and tan. Height, 22 to + 26 inches. Weight, 40 to 48 pounds. + +B. WIRE-HAIRED. + + =Wire-Haired (71) Same as the smooth variety except for + Fox Terrier.= the coat. + + =Airedale.= (64-65, 71) Color, tan, with black or dark grizzled + body or saddle. Weight, 40 to 45 + pounds. Larger ones not approved. + + =Bedlington.= (71) Coat, mixture of soft and wiry. + Colors, dark blue, blue and tan, + liver, liver and tan, sandy, and + sandy and tan. Height 15 to 16 + inches. Weight, 22 to 24 pounds. + + =Irish.= (71) Colors, red or red wheaten. Weight, 22 + to 24 pounds. + + =Welsh.= (71) Colors, black and tan, or black, + grizzle, and tan. Height, 16 inches + average. Weight, 22 pounds average. + + =Scottish.= (72) Colors, steel or iron gray, brindle + or grizzle, black, sandy, and wheaton. + Height, 9 to 12 inches. Weight, 16 to + 20 pounds. + + =West Highland (72) Color, pure white. Height, 8 to 12 + White.= inches. Weight, 12 to 18 pounds. + + =Cairn.= (71-72) Colors, red sandy, gray, brindle, or + nearly black. Weight, 11 to 15 pounds. + + =Dandie Dinmont.= (72-73) The colors are gray, known as pepper, + and fawn, known as mustard. Height, 8 + to 11 inches. Weight, 14 to 24 pounds. + + =Sealyham.= (73) Color, white, or white with black or + brown markings, or both. Weight, 12 + to 17 pounds. + +C. LONG-HAIRED. + + =Skye.= (73-74) Colors, dark or light blue or gray, or + fawn with black points. Height, 8 to 9 + inches. Weight, 14 to 20 pounds. + + =Clydesdale.= (74) Color, steel blue and golden tan. + Weight, 18 pounds maximum. + + =Yorkshire.= (74) Color, dark steel blue with tan + markings. Weight, 5 to 12 pounds. + + +IV. TOY DOGS. + +A. SMOOTH-COATED. + + =Italian (82, 260) Colors, all shades of fawn, red, mouse, + Greyhound.= blue, cream, and white; also black, + brindle, and pied. Weight, 8 pounds + average. + + =Pug.= (82) Colors, black, silver fawn, or apricot + fawn, with black mask and trace. + Weight, 12 to 16 pounds. + + =Toy Manchester.= (82) Same as large Manchester, but weighing + only 4 to 7 pounds. + + =Toy Bull Terrier.= (82) Pure white preferred, brindle allowed. + Weight, 3 to 15 pounds. + + =Miniature Bulldog.= (82) Same as the large English bulldog, but + weighing less than 20 pounds. + + =Chihuahua.= (83) Colors, fawn, black, chocolate, cream, + and white. Weight, 23 ounces to 4 + pounds. + +B. WIRE-HAIRED. + + =Brussels Griffon.= (85) Colors, reddish, black and tan, gray, + or fawn. Weight, 6 to 10 pounds. + +C. LONG-HAIRED. + + =Pomeranian.= (83) Colors, white, black, blue, gray, + brown, sable, red, orange, fawn, or + parti-colored. Weight, 5 to 12 pounds. + + =English Toy (83-84) The four recognized varieties are the + Spaniel.= Blenheim, pure white with bright red, + orange, or chestnut markings; the ruby, + a chestnut red; the black and tan; the + tri-color, black, white, and tan. + Weight, 9 to 12 pounds. + + =Pekingese Spaniel.= (84) Colors, red, fawn, black, tan, brindle, + sable, white, and parti-colored. + Weight, 18 pounds maximum. + + =Japanese Spaniel.= (84-85) Colors, black and white or red and + white, the red including sable, + brindle, lemon, and orange. Weight, + 7 pounds average. + + =Maltese.= (85) Color, pure white with black points. + Weight, 10 pounds maximum. + + =Toy Poodle.= (85) Colors, all black, red, white, or blue; + white preferred. Weight, 4 to 10 + pounds. + + +V. ARCTIC AND SUB-ARCTIC BREEDS. + + =Eskimo.= (269) Coat, hard and dense. Color, grizzled + black or gray. Weight, 75 to 100 + pounds. + + =Husky.= (269) Color, variable. Weight, 125 pounds up. + + =Samoyede.= (268) Coat, medium long. Color, usually + white; also black, black and white, + brown, and fawn. + + =Spitz.= (268) Coat, long. Color, white or wolfish + gray. + + =Norwegian (268-269) Coat, thick and coarse. Color, grizzled + Elkhound.= brown or black. Height, 20 inches + average. + + + + +THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT DOGS + + + Bench shows, 157-159, 245 _et seq._ + + Championship, how won, 158 + + Convulsions, 91, 93 + + Discipline, 22-23 + + Distemper, 88 _et seq._ + + Eczema, 104-105 + + Feeding, 39, 53-55 + + Field trials, 218-221, 230 _et seq._ + + Fleas, 127-128 + + Gun-shy dogs, 24 + + How to approach a dog, 267 + + Judging show dogs, 174-175 + + Medicine, how to administer, 51-52 + + Puppies, care of, 39, 53 + + Sheep, dogs used with, 286-288 + + Skin troubles, 104-105 + + Teeth, 120-121, 123-124 + + Training bird dogs, 21-24, 137-138, 140-141, 142, 144 + + Worms, 50-51 + + + + +COMPANION STORIES OF COUNTRY LIFE +FOR BOYS_ By CHARLES P. BURTON_ + + +THE BOYS OF BOB'S HILL + +Illustrated by GEORGE A. WILLIAMS, 12mo. $1.30 net. + +A lively story of a party of boys in a small New England town. + + "A first-rate juvenile ... a real story for the live human + boy--any boy will read it eagerly to the end ... quite thrilling + adventures."--_Chicago Record-Herald._ + + "Tom Sawyer would have been a worthy member of the Bob's Hill + crowd and shared their good times and thrilling adventures with + uncommon relish.... A jolly group of youngsters as nearly true + to the real thing in boy nature as one can ever expect to find + between covers."--_Christian Register._ + + +THE BOB'S CAVE BOYS + +Illustrated by VICTOR PERARD. $1.30 net. + + "It would be hard to find anything better in the literature of + New England boy life. Healthy, red-blooded, human boys, full of + fun, into trouble and out again, but frank, honest, and + clean."--_The Congregationalist._ + + +THE BOB'S HILL BRAVES + +Illustrated by H. S. DELAY. 12mo. $1.30 net. + +The "Bob's Hill" band spend a vacation in Illinois, where they play at +being Indians, hear thrilling tales of real Indians, and learn much +frontier history. A history of especial interest to "Boy Scouts." + + "Merry youngsters. Capital. Thrilling tales of the red men and + explorers. These healthy red-blooded, New England + boys."--_Philadelphia Press._ + + +THE BOY SCOUTS OF BOB'S HILL + +Illustrated by GORDON GRANT, 12mo. $1.30 net. + +The "Bob's Hill" band organizes a Boy Scouts band and have many +adventures. Mr. Burton brings in tales told around a campfire of La +Salle, Joliet, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Northwestern +Reservation. + + +CAMP BOB'S HILL + +Illustrated by GORDON GRANT. $1.30 net. + +A tale of Boy Scouts on their summer vacation. + + HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY + PUBLISHERS NEW YORK + + + + +BY ALFRED BISHOP MASON + +TOM STRONG, WASHINGTON'S SCOUT + +Illustrated. $1.30 net. + +A story of adventure. The principal characters, a boy and a trapper, +are in the Revolutionary army from the defeat at Brooklyn to the +victory at Yorktown. + + "The most important events of the Revolution and much general + historical information are woven into this interesting and very + well constructed story of Tom and a trapper, who serve their + country bravely and well. Historical details are correctly + given."--_American Library Association Booklet._ + + +TOM STRONG, BOY-CAPTAIN + +Illustrated. $1.30 net. + +Tom Strong and a sturdy old trapper take part in such stirring events +following the Revolution as the Indian raid with Crawford and a +flat-boat voyage from Pittsburgh to New Orleans, etc. + + +TOM STRONG, JUNIOR + +Illustrated. $1.30 net. + +The story of the son of Tom Strong in the young United States. Tom +sees the duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr; is in +Washington during the presidency of Jefferson; is on board of the +"Clermont" on its first trip, and serves in the United States Navy +during the War of 1812. + + +TOM STRONG, THIRD + +Illustrated. $1.30 net. + +Tom Strong, Junior's son helps his father build the first railroad in +the United States and then goes with Kit Carson on the Lewis and +Clarke Expedition. + + HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY + + PUBLISHERS NEW YORK + + + + +THE HOME BOOK OF VERSE FOR YOUNG FOLKS + +_Compiled by_ BURTON E. STEVENSON, _Editor of "The Home Book of +Verse."_ + +_With cover, and illustrations in color and black and white by WILLY +POGANY. Over 500 pages, large 12mo. $2.00 net._ + + +Not a rambling, hap-hazard collection but a vade-mecum for youth from +the ages of six or seven to sixteen or seventeen. It opens with +Nursery Rhymes and lullabies, progresses through child rhymes and +jingles to more mature nonsense verse; then come fairy verses and +Christmas poems; then nature verse and favorite rhymed stories; then +through the trumpet and drum period (where an attempt is made to teach +true patriotism) to the final appeal of "Life Lessons" and "A Garland +of Gold" (the great poems for all ages). + +This arrangement secures sequence of sentiment and a sort of +cumulative appeal. Nearly all the children's classics are included, +and along with them a body of verse not so well known but almost +equally deserving. There are many real "finds," most of which have +never before appeared in any anthology. + +Mr. Stevenson has banished doleful and pessimistic verse, and has +dwelt on hope, courage, cheerfulness and helpfulness. The book should +serve, too, as an introduction to the greater poems, informing taste +for them and appreciation of them, against the time when the boy or +girl, grown into youth and maiden, is ready to swim out into the full +current of English poetry. + + HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY + PUBLISHERS NEW YORK + + + + +BY ALICE CALHOUN HAINES + +_For Young Folks from 9 to 16 Years old._ + + +PARTNERS FOR FAIR + +With illustrations by FAITH AVERY. $1.35 net + +A story full of action, not untinged by pathos, of a boy and his +faithful dog and their wanderings after the poor-house burns down. +They have interesting experiences with a traveling circus; the boy is +thrown from a moving train, and has a lively time with the Mexican +Insurrectos, from whom he is rescued by our troops. + + +THE LUCK OF THE DUDLEY GRAHAMS + +Illustrated by FRANCIS DAY. 300 pp., 12mo. $1.35 net. + +A family story of city life. Lightened by humor and an airship. + + "Among the very best of books for young folks. Appeals + especially to girls."--_Wisconsin List for Township Libraries._ + + "Promises to be perennially popular. A family of happy, + healthy, inventive, bright children make the best of restricted + conditions and prove themselves masters of + circumstances."--_Christian Register._ + + "Sparkles with cleverness and humor."--_Brooklyn Eagle._ + + +COCK-A-DOODLE HILL + +A sequel to the above. Illustrated by FRANCIS DAY. + +296 pp., 12mo. $1.35 net. + +"Cockle-a-doodle Hill" is where the Dudley Graham family went to live +when they left New York, and here Ernie started her chicken-farm, with +one solitary fowl, "Hennerietta." The pictures of country scenes and +the adventures and experiences of this household of young people are +very life-like. + + "No better book for young people than 'The Luck of the Dudley + Grahams' was offered last year. 'Cock-a-Doodle Hill' is another + of similar qualities."--_Philadelphia Press._ + + + HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY + + PUBLISHERS (VIII'12) NEW YORK + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Dogs of Boytown, by Walter A. Dyer + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 41444 *** |