DOGS AND SNOWSHOES, 



There were three of them — Joe was a 

 rather small, black and white, shaggy 

 dog; Don a big brown hound, and Hero 

 a large, black Newfoundland. 



Joe was the most good natured dog 

 that ever lived. He belonged to my sis- 

 ter, and had traveled very much for a 

 dog. He had moved three times and 

 had ridden three or four hundred miles 

 in the cars. At first he was very much 

 afraid, because he usually had to wear 

 a check and be chained up in the bag- 

 gage car, along with the trunks. And 

 sometimes the baggageman was not 

 very good to him and would kick him 

 because he was in the way. So the sec- 

 ond time my sister's people moved, he 

 had heard them talking about it, and de- 

 cided that he would not ride on the train 

 again, if he could help it. When he 

 heard the whistle he ran and hid under 

 the house. Of course they were all very 

 much frightened, for how could they 

 leave dear, old Joe? and they could not 

 stay with him, because all their furni- 

 ture had gone before, and they would 

 have nothing with which to keep house. 

 So my sister called to him, and her lit- 

 tle boy, who loved Joe very much, near- 

 ly cried because he would not come out 

 and go with him on the "too-too-cars," 

 But Joe would not budge. You see, he 

 knew that if he came out, he would be 

 tied up in that horrid old baggage car 

 again, and he remembered the man who 

 had kicked him before, and thought 

 probably he would do it again. I don't 

 suppose he knew that if he did not come 

 he would have to be left all alone, and his 

 kind mistress and master would go 

 away and leave him. Perhaps he 

 thought that he was such an important 

 personage that they would stay with him, 

 no matter what he did. But just as the 



train pulled into the station, his master 

 icame and said to him, very sternly : 

 "Joe, come out here this minute," so Joe 

 came out, looking very much ashamed 

 because he had not minded them as he 

 ought to have done. 



But his master felt sorry for him,, so 

 this time he went into the baggage car 

 with Joe, and stayed with him. 



Once his master left him at a hotel 

 while he went down town. He had told 

 Joe to stay in his room, but Joe was a 

 very curious dog, so after his master had 

 gone he went down stairs to find out what 

 sort of a place it was and to see if he 

 could find some other dogs to visit. But 

 he was punished for not minding, be- 

 couse he could not find any more dogs, 

 and he lost his way, and couldn't find 

 Master's room. Altogether he was a 

 very miserable dog, when he happened 

 to stray into the kitchen, where the cook, 

 who didn't like dogs, was sweeping. His 

 master was just returning from town, 

 when a commotion at the kitchen door 

 attracted his attention, and he looked up 

 just in time to see the cook strike Joe 

 over the head with the broom and tell 

 him in loud, angry tones to ''go long; 

 we don't keep dogs here." Of course, 

 his master called to him, and if ever 

 there was a repentant dog who was 

 glad to see his master, it was Joe. 



In a little while they went on to their 

 new home, which was in the northern 

 part of Michigan, where it is very cold 

 in the winter and the snow is very deep. 



It was here that Joe met Don and 

 Hero. Don belonged to a man called 

 Jim, who came to board with Joe's mas- 

 ter, so, of course, Don came also, and 

 that was how they came to live together. 



Hero belonged to a neighbor and was 

 a noble, wise-looking old fellow, who 



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