212 FIVE ACRES TOO MUCH. 



The pups were particularly fond of roaming round 

 the flower garden. &quot;When the seeds had pushed their 

 delicate sprouts above ground, I used to walk through 

 the neatly-boxed paths, and admire the thriving way 

 in which every thing was growing. The pups inva 

 riably watched for such occasions, and rushed toward 

 me in an apparent burst of affection, bounding up 

 and down over the beds, and dancing with delight 

 on my frailest seedlings. If I took no notice of them, 

 they seized one another by the ears, and, thus coupled, 

 rushed about, sweeping away the flowers in their 

 course ; if I scolded them, Slier slipped into the near 

 est bush, and, lying down in the centre, watched my 

 actions with a wary eye, while Gran, on the other 

 hand, came directly to me, and, seating himself on a 

 bed, looked me honestly and affectionately in the 

 face, while his wagging tail swept away the sprout 

 ing plants by dozens. 



Sher was particularly fond of a gilia ; its delicate 

 leaves seemed to please him both as a bed and a hid 

 ing-place, and he soon rolled the life out of it ; if I 

 charged upon him, he fled, taking refuge in some 

 other bushy plant ; and when I did catch him, he 

 would not walk, but insisted upon being dragged in 

 a most destructive manner from off the bed. If I 

 took hold of Gran he retained his sitting posture, 



