180 Cross Country with Horse and Hound 



clare she will never again allow another puppy on the 

 place ; to which her spouse answers : " Yes, you will ; 

 the huntsman will come here again next year, drink our 

 cider, stay to dinner, compliment your coffee, and go away 

 and send us another pair." Although the goodwife denies 

 that she was caught by the huntsman's nice speeches, her 

 husband strictly maintains his ground, and the question is 

 dropped with, from her : " We shall see. This last puppy 

 is the very worst one we ever had." But as she has been 

 saying this for years, it is not considered worthy of a reply. 

 The farmer and his wife seldom renew the question, but 

 when a neighbour calls, the first topic is the new puppy. 

 The poor woman declares that " everybody's life on the 

 farm is made miserable by the mischievous brute," and then 

 goes on to tell the latest tricks the scamp has played how 

 he stole a leg of mutton as they were sitting down to din- 

 ner ; and again, one day when the presiding elder was there 

 to dinner, ate up the custard pudding the girl had set in the 

 summer kitchen to cool. "Steal ? They are the most 

 rascally set of thieves out of prison. Why, that puppy 

 kills more chickens and goslings every year than all the 

 skunks and foxes in the county ! The idea of growing up 

 a foxhound to hunt foxes and preserve the poultry ! Steal ! 

 Why, only the other day this puppy here came home lug- 

 ging a neighbour's door-mat after him. And the butcher's 

 wagon came along one day, and while the butcher was 

 delivering a pound of sausages to the kitchen door the little 

 whelp stole a whole ham out of his wagon. Served him 

 right for gossiping with the hired girl. My land ! but he 

 was mad ! My husband took him in and gave him a glass 



