THE DESERT AND THE ROSE 121 



"Now," says Juan, "watch the perrita!" 



Having sized up her enemy she has her young 

 son, Montezuma, out on the porch in a jiffy. 



"Attention!" she cries. 



Then quick as a cat she is behind the foe, and in 

 another second his spine is broken and he is down 

 and out. 



"I told you she knew the trick!" exclaims Juan 

 triumphantly. 



And Betsinda, addressing the eager and curious 

 pupnv in her own language, remarks, 



"There ! That's the wav to do it. And don't you 

 forget it !" 



And Monte did not forget. A year or so later, 

 when fate had separated the three little dogs, Juan 

 once more brought a gopher to the porch with a 

 view of trainine Hilda in the art of killing. But 

 again she showed the white feather. We were pay- 

 ing no heed to Monte, for as he took no interest in 

 mousing or any of the sports in which his mother 

 had excelled we counted him out of the game. Sud- 

 denly he slipped under Hilda's hesitating head and 

 in a flash had the gopher by the back. In his ardor, 

 however, he had missed the right spot by a fraction 

 of an inch and a furious battle was on. Up and 

 down the path it raged, the gopher snapping at the 

 little dog with some effect, Monte's grip being firm 

 enough but too near the tail, until Juan, watching 

 for a favorable opening, put an end to the gopher 

 with his every ready hoe. 



"Gopher bite not good!" he asserted solemnly. 

 "Monte mny chiquito! carry him in the house, 



