OUR DOGS. 99 



was going on, in doors or out. But his exuberant spirits 

 at times brought him into sad scrapes. His vivacity was 

 such as to amount to decided insanity, and mamma and 

 Miss Anna and papa had many grave looks over his capers. 

 Once he actually tore off the leg of a new pair of trousers 

 that Johnny had just donned, and came racing home 

 with it in his mouth, with its bare-legged little owner 

 behind, screaming threats and maledictions on the robber. 

 What a commotion ! The new trousers had just been pain- 

 fully finished, in those days when sewing was sewing, and 

 not a mere jig on a sewing-machine ; but Rover, so far 

 from being abashed or ashamed, displayed an impish glee 

 in his performance, bounding and leaping hither and thither 

 with his trophy in his mouth, now growling and mangling 

 it, and shaking it at us in elfish triumph as we chased him 

 hither and thither, over the wood-pile, into the wood- 

 house, through the barn, out of the stable door, vowing 

 all sorts of dreadful punishments when we caught him. But 

 we might well say that, for the little wretch would never 

 be caught ; after one of his tricks, he always managed 

 to keep himself out of arm's length till the thing was a 

 little blown over, when in he would come, airy as ever, 

 and wagging his little pudgy puppy tail with an air of the 

 most perfect assurance in the world. 



There is no saying what youthful errors were pardoned 

 to him. Once he ate a hole in the bed-quilt as his night's 



