WAS IT REASON OR INSTINCT? 



Old Boney is a large shaggy dog of a 

 deep tan color, and a general favorite 

 among the people in the quarter of the 

 city in which he lives, while he is honored 

 and respected by every member of the 

 canine race for miles around. Especially 

 are the little children fond of him; and 

 it seems to be as much a pastime for him 

 as for his young playmates to carry the 

 boys and girls on his broad back, "their 

 little, chubby hands buried in his long, 

 matted hair in their half-frightened ef- 

 forts to keep from slipping ofif and tum- 

 bling upon the ground. 



His owner's daughter, a young girl 

 just entering her teens, attends the high 

 school, about three blocks from her home, 

 which is reached by rather a circuitous 

 route. Boney had often accompanied his 

 young mistress to the school and was fa- 

 miliar with the way thither as well as 

 with the main entrance and winding stair- 

 way of the building. 



It was in the showery month of April, 

 and Etta had repeatedly neglected to wear 

 her rubbers when she started for school 

 in the morning, a fault for which she had 

 often been reprimanded. 



Now it happened one warm afternoon 

 that a copious shower came down in due 

 April style. The door leading from the 

 dining room out upon the veranda was 

 wide ajar, and Etta's mother, looking out, 

 saw her daughter's rubbers upon the ve- 

 randa floor near the rug where they were 

 usually deposited when not in use. 

 "There," exclaimed the mother, "that 

 child has gone again without her rubbers 

 and will come home with wet feet." 



This sharp remark aroused the atten- 



tion of old Boney, for he got up from his 

 prone condition on the rug, looked at the 

 speaker, sniffed at the rubbers and lay 

 down again. At this juncture Etta's fa- 

 ther quietly picked up the rubbers, car- 

 ried them over to the school building and 

 handed them to his daughter, whom he 

 met at the upper landing of the stairway. 

 This had been done more than once, 

 Boney generally lying upon the veranda 

 floor where he could easily hear and see 

 what was being done on such occasions, 

 and he had often followed his master 

 and stood by when father and daughter 

 met at the school building. 



Now comes the interesting part of our 

 story. A drenching shower came down 

 about three o'clock one afternoon and 

 Etta had, as usual, neglected to take her 

 needed footwear. It happened this time 

 that none of the family was at home. 

 Boney, however, was keeping house in 

 his accustomed place on the rug. Now,, 

 what do our readers think the noble ani- 

 mal did. Why, he just picked up both 

 of the rubbers, carried them in his mouth 

 through the driving rain to the school 

 building, up the winding stairway and 

 laid them upon the landing. As if this 

 were not enough, he lay down and faith- 

 fully watched his charge till Etta made 

 her appearance, when he politely dropped 

 her property at her feet. 



Thereafter Etta's father was relieved 

 of this service, Boney regularly attending 

 to the business himself, and, what is more 

 wonderful still, he never attempted to 

 discharge his duty on a pleasant day. 



Query. Was this reason or instinct? 

 If the latter, what is instinct? 



L. P. Venen. 



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