498 THE AMERICAN BOOK OF THE DOG. 



handful of brilliant white spun silk than a living creature; 

 but pay him a little attention, and he will spring to his feet, 

 lift his fine, short ears, and hasten to show you how keenly 

 alive and alert he is, from the black tip of his atom of a 

 nose to the waving end of his snowy plume of a tail. As 

 an in-door companion of rank and beauty the tiny fellow is 

 peerless, and his devotion to his owner is absolute. It is 

 said that the faithful pet of hapless Mary, Queen of Scots, 

 found at her feet after her execution, was one of this breed. 



Out of doors he is sharp and full of frolic, but his long 

 coat sadly interferes with his fun. Then, too, he is not as 

 vigorous in constitution as dogs of common clay, and is very 

 susceptible to cold and chills; in short, he pays the penalty 

 of living in the boudoir. A cMen de luxe emphatically, he 

 will always be precious, he can not condescend to become 

 popular; and as for his utility, why demand any such com- 

 monplace quality of a gem! "Beauty is its own excuse 

 for being," and truly a typical Maltese is beautiful when in 

 full coat and well groomed. 



Numberless are the stories of the quick-witted devotion 

 of these little pets, as excitable as they are affectionate, 

 and as sagacious as the wisest philosophers of dogdom. 

 One incident worth recounting occurred many years ago. 

 A baby boy was asleep in an upstairs bedroom, the serv- 

 ants in the kitchen, and the master and mistress at a pub- 

 lic assembly. Suddenly the gentleman's attention was 

 attracted by the unexpected appearance of his tiny Maltese 

 dog, whom he supposed was safe at home. The little 

 creature was in a frenzy of excitement, barking, whining, 

 and tugging at his coat as if to pull him from the room. 

 His master, trusting to the sense of his pet, yielded to his 

 frantic entreaties, and allowed himself to be led home, the 

 dog jumping up and barking all the way. Upon reaching 

 the house, it was found that a candle burning by the bed- 

 side of the baby had set the curtain on fire, and the dog, 

 after rushing down-stairs and calling the servants to the 

 rescue, had made his way out of doors and to the assembly 

 rooms in search of his master. We hope that dear dog lived 



