200 OUR HUMBLE HELPERS 



"The wolf-dog is the teamster's favorite. A 

 thousand times you have seen it, petulant and wrath- 

 ful, running back and forth on the top of a loaded 

 wagon and barking from the top of this fortress at 

 the children teasing it below. It is superb in its 

 anger, with its little leonine mane, its plumy tail 

 tightly rolled in a corkscrew, and its pretty red col- 

 lar with bells and fox-hair fringe. It has erect, 

 pointed ears like the shepherd dog's, slender muz- 

 zle, hair short on the head and paws, long and silky 

 on the rest of the body. No dog knows better how 

 to curl its tail and hold it proudly. ' ' 



"Is that all it knows how to do?" asked Louis. 



' ' The wolf-dog is too intelligent not to have other 

 merit than its pretty ways. Loubet (that is com- 

 monly its name) knows, if need be, how to turn the 

 spit by means of a revolving drum in which it jumps 

 continually, as does the squirrel in its rotary cage. 

 If it has the companionship of a good shepherd dog, 

 it easily learns the latter 's calling and becomes a 

 pretty good flock-tender. ' ' 



"That is better than raging on the top of a wagon 

 and barking at the passers-by," was Louis's com- 

 ment. 



"I do not know," resumed Uncle Paul, "a more 

 repulsive, brutal physiognomy than that of the bull- 

 dog. Look at its head, massive and short, with thick 

 muzzle and flat nose, sometimes split ; its heavy up- 

 per lip hanging down on each side and dripping with 

 saliva, while the front teeth are exposed to view; 

 its small eyes, with their hard expression; its ears 



