4. We believe, that, among the different varieties of dogs, the small spaniel kind is the most affectionate; but probably we are led to entertain this notion from an acquaintanceship with the character of our own favorite Fiddy,-a small spaniel, of joyous and intelligent character, and possessing boundlèss attachment to persons about her. An anecdote is told of a small dog of this variety which does not appear to us to be in any respect incredible.1 5. During the Reign of Terror in France, a gentleman in one of the northern departments was accused of conspiring against the republic, and sent to Paris, to appear before the revolutionary tribūnal. His dog was with him when he was seized, and was allowed to accompany him, but, on arriving in the capital, was refused admission to the prison of his master. The distress was mutual: the gentleman sorrowed for the loss of the society of his dog; the dog pined to get admission to the prison. 6. Living only on scraps of food picked up in the neighborhood, the poor dog spent most of his time near the door of the prison, into which he made repeated attempts to gain admittance. Such unremitting fĭdělity at length melted the feelings of the porter, and the dog was allowed to enter. His joy at seeing his master' was unbounded; that of his master, on seeing his dog, was not less. 7. It was difficult to separate them; but the jailer, fearing for himself, carried the dog out of the prison. Every day, however, at a certain hour, he was allowed to repeat his visit. At these interviews, the affectionate animal licked the hands and face of his master; looked at him again; again licked his hands, and whined his delight. After a few mornings, feeling assured of re-admission, he departed at the call of the jailer. 8. The day came when the unfortunate captive was taken before the tribunal; and, to the surprise of the court, there also was the dog. It had followed his master into the hall, and clung to him, as if to protect him from injury. One would naturally imagine that the spectacle of so much affection would have 3 Master (mås' ter). 1 In ċred' i ble, not possible to be credited or believed. 4 Spěċ ta čle, something pre'Tri bū' nal, the seat of a judge; sented to view; usually, a remarkahence, a court of justice. ble sight. moved the judges, and induced them to be merciful. But this was a period in which ordinary feelings were reversed, and men acted in the spirit of maniacs' or dēmons.' 9. Will it be credited ?-the prisoner, accused only of being an aris'tocrat,' was doomed to be guillotined; and, in pronouncing sentence, the judge added, partly in jest and partly in earnèst, that his dog might go with him! The condemned man and his humble companion were conducted back to prison. What were the mental sufferings of the unhappy gentleman, it is needlèss to inquire; the dog was happily unconscious of the approaching tragedy. 10. Morning dawned; the hour of execution arrived; and the prisoner, with other victims of revolutionary vengeance, went forth to the scaffold. One last caress was permitted; next minute the ax fell, and severed the head of the poor gentleman from his body. His dog saw the bloody deed perpetrated, and was frantic with grief. He followed the mangled corpse of his master to the grave. No persuasions could induce him to leave the spot. Night and day he lay on the bare ground. Food was offered, but he would not eat. 11. If a dog's heart could be broken, the heart of this one surely was. Day by day his body grew thinner, his eye mōre glassy. Occasionally he uttered low, moaning sounds. They were the expiring efforts of nature. One morning he was found, stretched lifeless on the earth. Death had kindly put an end to his sufferings. 12. Who can describe the depth of agony that this faithful creature had endured? None. All can, however, tell how France has been punished for the crimes of which the above is only one among many thousands. 1 Mā' ni ǎċ, a madman. ? De' mon, a spirit holding a middle place between men and the gods of the pagans; an evil spirit ; a devil. 3 A ris' to crǎt, one who favors, in principle or practice, a form of government whose power is vested in the chief persons of a state; one 4 Guillotined (gil` lỗ tènd'), be- 1 MA II. 24. LEWIS AND HIS DOG. ASTER JOHN had come to sail a little bōat which his grandfather had given him: the string by which the length of its voyage was to have been regulated had broken, and the boat had drifted farther and farther from its hăplèss owner, until at last it had reached a species of buoy' to which the park-keeper's punt' was occasionally moored, and there it had chosen to stick hard and fast. In this rebellious little craft was embarked, so to speak, all Master John's present stock of earthly happinèss; thence the sorrow which Mary's caresses were unable to assuage, and thence the lămentations' which had attracted Lewis's attention. 4 2. "Don't cry so, my little man, and we'll see if we can't find a way of getting it for you," observed Lewis, encouragingly, raising the distressed ship-owner in his arms, to afford him a better view of his stranded property. "We must ask my dog to go and fetch it for us. Come here, Mr. Faust! You are not afraid of him? he wouldn't hurt you; that's right, pat him-there's a brave boy. Now, ask him to fetch your boat for you: Say, 'Please, Mr. Faust, go and get my boat'—say so.” 5 8 3. And the child-half-pleased, half-frightened, but with implicit faith in the dog's intellectual powers, and the advisability of conciliating its good-will and implōring its assistancerepeated the desired formula with great fervor." "That's well! Now, nurse, take care of Master-what did you say?—ay, Master John, while I show Faust where the boat is." As he spoke, he took up a stone, and, attracting Faust's attention to his proceedings, jerked it into the water just beyond the spot where the boat lay, at the same time directing him to fetch it. 4. With a bound like the spring of a lion, the noble dog 1 Buoy (bwål), a float; a floating mark to point out the position of objects beneath the water. 2 Punt, a flat-bottomed boat. 3 Lăm` en ta' tion, the act of bewailing; expression of sorrow. 4 Can't (kånt). 5 Im plic' it, resting on another; trusting fully to another's word, power, or authority; entire. • Formula (får mu lå), a set rule or form; a fixed method in which any thing is to be arranged, done, said, or the like. "Fervor, heat; very great feeling. · Ay (¡Î), yea; yes. 8 dashed into the water, and swam vigorously toward the object of his quest,' reached it, seized it in his powerful jaws, and turned his head toward the bank in preparation for his hōmeward voyage; while the delighted child laughed and shouted with joy at the prospect of regaining his lost treasure. Instead, however, of proceeding at once toward the shore, the dog remained stationary, beating the water with his fore-paws to keep himself ǎfloat, and occasionally uttering an uneasy whine. "Here-Faust! Faust! What in the world's the matter with him ?" exclaimed Lewis, calling the dog, and inciting him, by gestures, to return—but in vain. His struggles only became mōre viölent, without his making the slightest progress through the water. 2 5. Attracted by the sight, a knot of loungers gathered round the spot, and various suggestions were hazarded as to the dog's unaccountable behavior. "I think he must be seized with cramp," observed a good-natured, round-faced man, in a velveteen jacket, who looked like one of the park-keepers. "The animal is suicidally disposed, apparently," remarked a tall, aristocratic-looking young man, with a sinister expression of countenance, to which a thick mustache imparted a character of fierceness. "Anxious to submit to the cold-water cure, more probably," replied his companion. "It will be kill, rather than cure, with him, before long," returned the former speaker, with a half-laugh. "He's getting lower in the water ěvèry minute." 6. "He's caught by the string of the boat which is twisted round the buoy!" exclaimed Lewis, who, during the above conversation, had seized the branch of a tree, and, raising himself by his hands, had reached a position from which he was able to perceive the cause of his favorite's disaster. "He'll be drowned if he is not unfastened. Who knows where the key of the boathouse is kept?" "I"l run and fetch it," cried the good-natured man; "it's at the receiving-house, I believe." "Quick; or it will be no use!" said Lewis, in the greatest excitement. 66 7. The man hurried off, but the crowd round the spot had 1 Quěst, desire; search. ? In cit' ing, moving to action; rousing. 3 Sin' is ter, left-handed; evil. 4 Mustache (můs tåsh'), that part of the beard which grows on the upper lip; hair left to grow above the mouth. now become so dense, even carriages filled with fashionably dressed ladies having stopped to witness the catastrophe,'-that it was no easy matter for him to make his way through it; and several minutes elapsed without witnessing his return. In the meantime, the poor dog's struggles were becoming fainter and fainter; his whining had changed to something between a hoarse bark and a howl,-a sound so clearly indicative of suffering as to be most distressing to the bystanders; and it was evident, that, if some effort were not speedily made for his relief, he must sink. 66 8. "He shall not perish unassisted!" exclaimed Lewis, impetuously-"Who will lend me a knife ?" Several were immediately offered him, from which he selected one with a broad blade. May I inquire how you propose to prevent the catastrophe ?" asked, superciliously,' the mustached gentleman to whom we have befōre alluded. "You shall see, directly," returned Lewis, divěsting himself of his coat, waistcoat, and něckcloth. "I presume you are aware there is not one man in a hundred who could swim that distance in his clothes," resumed the speaker, in the same sneering tone; "do you actually,-I merely ask as a matter of curiosity,-do you really consider it worth while to peril your life for that of a dog ?" 9. "For such a noble animal as that-yes!" replied Lewis, sternly. "I might not take the trouble for a mere puppy," and he pronounced the last two words with a marked emphasis, which rendered his meaning unmistakable. The person he addressed colored with anger, and slightly raised his cane,—but he read that in Lewis's face which caused him to relinquish his intention; and, smiling scornfully, he folded his arms and remained to observe the event. 10. Having completed his preparations, Lewis placed the knife between his teeth, and, motioning to the crowd to stand aside, gave a short run, dashed through the shallow water, and then, breasting the stream gallantly, swam, with powerful strokes, toward the still struggling animal. As he perceived his master approaching, the poor dog ceased howling; and, seemingly re-animated by the prospect of assistance, redoubled his 2 Super cil' i oŭs ly, proudly; haughtily; overbearingly. 1 Ca tǎs' tro phe, a final event, usually of a disastrous nature. |