78 MY OLD DOG TRIM. 



a worthless cur. How should 1 ever look him in the face 

 again I On account of this feeling, I did not go to see Trim, 

 and it was more than a month before I saw the farmer. It 

 was with conscious blushes and a deep feeling of abjection 

 that I responded to his cheery, "How fare you?" and was 

 much surprised when he proceeded to laud Trim to the 

 skies. "Why," said he, "I haven't fed him a mouthful 

 since he has been there ; he catches a woodchuck every day, 

 and sometimes two, and don't eat anything else." I took an 

 early opportunity to pay Trim a visit, as, notwithstanding 

 his many faults, I had a warm place in my heart for him. 

 I shall never forget the human expression of his eyes as he 

 looked up to me when I spoke his name. My eyes were full 

 of tears, and I put my arm around his neck, and did not 

 speak for some time, and was just thinking that the farmer 

 and his wife would think that I was foolish when he said : 

 "Mary, I never saw such an expression in any eye, dumb 

 or human, but once before in my life, and that was up under 

 the big elm when I asked a certain little woman a certain 

 little question, and she laid her head on iny shoulder and 

 looked just as that dog did ; I really believe he's got a soul, 

 and I don't wonder that the boy sets such store by him." 

 This was many, many years ago, but the scene was 

 impressed indelibly upon my memory, and oftentimes, with 

 mental vision, I see that loving glance. 



At the urgent request of the farmer I let Trim remain 

 with him until the middle of November, when I brought him 

 home and took him out for a hunt. If possible he was 

 lazier than ever, and I had hard work to keep him with me; 

 he would lie down and I could hardly start him. After a 

 while he seemed to understand that it was either travel or 

 trouble, and he followed at heel with a dogged look that did 

 not augur very well for future usefulness. He paid not the 

 slightest attention to the other dog, and when I killed a bird 

 he took no notice of it whatever, and continued to act in this 

 manner during several trips. One day when I saw him walk 

 through a bevy of quails and the birds rose all around him, 

 and he took no more notice of them than if they had been so 



