25 



away. She never made a mistake about the time 

 of the trains, nor took the wrong ones. When her 

 master came home she whined and cried with 

 dehght, and gave up her trips on the cars. 



Bianca's master Hved on the outskirts of the city. 

 Opposite the house were fields and a little wood. 



Three times a week the butcher came driving 

 along the road and stopped at the Major's house to 

 serve the family with meat. Bianca was always 

 waiting at the gate to meet him. She waited there 

 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, the days 

 he came ; never on any other day. 



Brock, Major Smith's Newfoundland dog, used 

 to follow her out and wait there too. Then the 

 butcher would give them scraps of meat from the 

 wagon. 



One day the butcher was slow and the dogs had 

 to wait a long time. Bianca seemed to think it out. 

 There was evidently going to be a short allowance 

 of meat that morning, — barely enough for one. 

 She must get Brock away somehow or other. 



Suddenly, just as the butcher's wagon came in 

 sight, she turned her head and pricked up her ears 

 as though she heard something. Then she gave the 

 yelp that meant game, and started toward the wood. 



