5 6 Gentleman Jack 



to obstruct his way, and he pushed it hastily to one 

 side, at the same time speaking harshly. The child 

 began to cry, when, with a single bound, and before 

 the carrier really knew what had occurred, Jack had 

 torn his collar and tie completely from his throat and 

 stood glaring at him defiantly. The man hastened 

 away ; but from that time Jack cherished a strong 

 antipathy to letter-carriers or anyone dressed in grey. 



Appreciation of humor is largely a matter of 

 education. The savage sees the ludicrous only in 

 physical mishaps ; the highly cultivated, in mental 

 subtleties. I have often detected a glimmer of mirth 

 in many animals, but I never saw the faculty so keen 

 as in my canine protege. He always enjoyed the 

 mishaps of others, although solicitous for the welfare 

 of the unfortunate. He enjoyed playing tricks of a 

 harmless nature upon other animals. A favorite one 

 was to feign lameness, and thus throw certain bullies 

 off their guard. The satisfaction he enjoyed when 

 they discovered their mistake was immense. 



And now I come to the tragic portion of Jack's 

 history. It was midsummer. The season of roses 

 had passed ; the leaves and grasses that had lately 



