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TO THE MEMOBY OF SQUOUNCEB 



Squouncer was a dog by himself. Other dogs may 

 boast of belonging to large families of collies, grey- 

 hounds, or dandies, with cousins as numerous as the 

 sands of the sea ; but there could only have been one 

 Squouncer. 



How did he get his name ? Well, his master (before 

 he became his master) saw the word Squouncer in a book 

 he was reading, and thought it so delightful that he 

 instantly made up his mind to search through the world 

 till he could find a dog that would fit it. 



And one day he found Squouncer. What was he like ? 

 He was what the French call a ' Beau-laid ' — ' beautiful- 

 ugly.' His ancestors may have been bull-dogs, and it is 

 whispered that they gained their laurels in Spain. Squoun- 

 cer was a middling-sized dog, with a golden-brown skin, 

 much the colour of dark amber. And he had a broad face, 

 and a nose which stuck out that gave him the air of what 

 used to be known as a ' fire-eater.' Like another gentle- 

 man of a similar disposition, he might have been nick- 

 named ' fighting Bob ' if you had only gone by bis looks, 

 but a milder-mannered dog never snorted when he 

 breathed — as long as there was no food in sight. Then, 

 all the lion in Squouncer's forefathers rose up, and woe be 

 to the person who came in his way. 



It was just because he was so different from any other 

 dog that ever was or ever will be that his master and 

 mistress were so fond of him. Anybody who reads history 



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