THE LITTER OF PUPS.

“Oh! my! what beauties!” exclaimed Jessie Barton, on coming down one morning and finding that their dear old “Floss” had become a joyful mother. The household was soon informed of the fact and hastened to welcome the little strangers. Tom, who was Jessie’s brother, and two years older, immediately had ideas of appropriation, and wanted to know which he might have. But his father said they would not decide yet, but had better select two that were to live, and destroy the rest. In vain Tom urged, in vain Jessie pleaded for the innocents; Mr Barton said it was kindness to the mother, who could not possibly do justice to the whole litter—seven in number; and to the pups themselves, who could not be all kept by them, but would be given away, and might fall into cruel hands.

So five of the number were quickly immersed in a bucket, and were kept under water by a mop until, in a few seconds, their very young life was extinguished.

The two that were spared, were by general consent the prettiest; and when in the course of nine days they looked out upon the world into which they had been born, it was then considered the time had come for their appropriation. This was a rather important matter to Tom and Jessie, to whom they were to belong. One pup was black and tan, with rather a sharp nose; and the other was brown with a shorter nose and more amiable look.

It so happened that the one each had fixed on was just the one the other did not want, so that both were well pleased.

As soon as they could leave their mother the young people took the pups under their especial charge, whilst “Floss” exercised a parental watchfulness over them both.

Jessie had, after great deliberation, and asking the advice of all her young friends, called her pet “Gyp,” and it must be acknowledged that she took great care of him, and appeared very fond of him. But Gyp was ungrateful from his earliest puppyhood; he never thought of his poor mother when any food was going, but gobbled up as much as he possibly could; and when he had done would even try to take a bone from his mother’s mouth, which was perhaps all she had had. He soon resented any interference with his freedom and liberty, and showed his mother he did not want her to be following him about, licking his back, or trying to keep him in any way clean. You will judge from this that “Gyp” was rather a strong-minded and self-willed dog. He was also of a reflective turn of mind, and as he had plenty of time hanging on his paws, he would sit and puzzle over things that did not concern him, and try to find out the reason for things which had puzzled older and wiser dogs than he.

There was one thing that troubled him much; he saw “Pincher” Tom’s dog, go out with him continually, and always on half-holidays, and heard from him what fun they had had; whilst he seldom went out, and even then was dragged along by his mistress with a piece of red window-blind cord; so that if he wanted to investigate anything for himself, or if he met with other dogs whose acquaintance he might like to form, he found himself suddenly jerked along by the neck, in a most humiliating, and sometimes painful manner.

One afternoon, the two brothers met, and, of course, stopped and had a chat. “Pincher” was off to the country with Tom and a number of his school-fellows, but “Gyp” had been out with Jessie on an errand, and was going home. He complained to his brother of his confinement, when he suggested he should slip the cord, and make a bolt of it; but he was unable to do it; he was nearly choked, both by the cord and with indignation, and he returned home in a desperate frame of mind.

The next day “Gyp” was gone, and was nowhere to be found, nor did he ever return to his native place, for soon after, the family changed houses. Of course, Jessie missed her pet for some time; but long after she had ceased to think much of him, he thought with sorrowful regret of the comfortable home and kind mistress he had lost.

He soon got tired of his wandering, roving life, and found it very unsatisfying to his appetite. Then he followed some little boys for a day or two, who gave him some crusts, but who soon ceased to care for him, and gave him the slip. He then attached himself to a cat’s-meat woman, from whom he now and then got a stray piece; but some stronger dog witnessed his good fortune and usurped his place, when the woman, finding herself surrounded by quite a pack of hounds of various sorts, sternly drove them all off, and never gave them as much as a skewer to pick.

One day in his hungry wanderings, “Gyp” found himself in the street in which he had formerly lived, and seeing a board up in the garden of his old home, he trotted up, hoping to find a notice of a reward offered for his restoration; but it was only to the effect that the house was to let, and the family had gone, he knew not whither.

However, they had not moved very far off; and so tired was “Gyp” of his roving life, that he determined to hang about the neighbourhood with the hope of getting some one to recognise him. He came across the milkman, and wagged his weary tail against his can to attract his notice, but he only drove him away. He loitered outside the butcher’s, hoping to be remembered, but he was thought to have designs upon the meat on the boards, and was driven off with a whip. At last one day he met “Pincher,” and great was the delight of both, for Tom had gone to boarding-school, and his dog was very dull. Of course he took “Gyp” with him to the house, and soon brought Jessie to the door, who at once recognised her dear old “Gyp,” in spite of his hungry and dirty condition; and what was far more important to poor “Gyp,” received him with open arms.

He has now grown up a faithful, steady dog, and has learned the lesson that he and others did not think necessary—that it is well when young to be subject to control and discipline, and that at that period we do not know what is best for ourselves.