Snap 
maintain that they gather something of our in- 
tention at least, even if they do not understand 
our words; but the Dog evidently put me down 
fora hypocrite and scorned my approaches. At 
first he took his post under the table and kept 
up a circular watch for a leg trying to get down. 
I felt sure I could have controlled him with 
my eye, but I could not bring it to bear where 
I was, or rather where he was; thus I was left 
a prisoner. I am a very cool person, I flatter 
myself; in fact, I represent a hardware firm, 
and, in coolness, we are not excelled by any but 
perhaps the nosy gentlemen that sell wearing- 
apparel. I got out a cigar and smoked tailor- 
style on the table, while my little tyrant below 
kept watch for legs. I got out the telegram 
and read it: ‘‘ Remarkable pup. Be polite to 
him; it ’s safer.” I think it was my coolness 
rather than my politeness that did it, for in 
half an hour the growling ceased. In an hour 
he no longer jumped at a newspaper cautiously 
pushed over the edge to test his humor ; possibly 
the irritation of the cage was wearing off, and 
by the time I had lit my third cigar, he waddled 
out to the fire and lay down; not ignoring me, 
201 
