THE BOG. 



a like number before tbe writer. The dog having a double 

 number, took one up in bis mouth, and put it in tbe middle of 

 the table ; the writer played a corresponding piece on one 

 side ; the dog immediately played another correctly ; and so on 

 tiU aH tho pieces were engaged. Other six dominoes were then 

 giren to each, and the writer intentionally played a wrong 

 number. The dog looked surprised, stared very earnestly at 

 the writer, growled, and finally barked angrUy. Finding that 

 no notice was taken of his remonstrance, he pushed away the 

 wrong domino with his nose, and taking up a suitable one from 

 his own pieces, played it instead. The writer then played 

 correctly ; the dog followed, and won the game." 



The lady whose name has already been used in connection 

 with the King Charles spaniel story tells a pleasant anecdote 

 of dogs working in concert, though not in so peaceable a manner 

 as is revealed by the foregoing narrative. The lady possessed, 

 a smaE retriever — very pretty, but very hot tempered — named 

 Charger, and another dog — a tremendous mastiff — named 

 Neptune. Charger's deportment towards his big relative was 

 no less insolent than towards the rest of the world, but the 

 great dog was a generous fellow, and either pretended not to 

 hear the petty abuse of the other, or else looked amused and 

 wagged his tail. 



" But," says Mrs. Hall, " all dogs were not equally chari- 

 table, and Charger had a long-standing quarrel with a huge 

 bull-dog, I believe it was — for it was ugly and ferocious enough 

 to be a bull-dog — ^belonging to a butcher — ^the only butcher 

 within a circuit of five miles — ^who lived at Carrick, and was 

 called the Lad of Carrick. He was very nearly as authorita- 

 tive as his buU-dog. It chanced that Charger and the bull-dog 

 had met somewhere, and the result was, that our beautiful 

 retriever was brought home so fearfully mangled that it was a 

 question whether it should not be shot at once, everything like 

 recovery seeming impossible. 



"But I really think Neptune saved his life. The trusty 

 friend applied himself to carefully licking his wounds, hanging 

 over him with such tenderness, and gazing at his master with 

 such mute entreaty, that it was resolved to leave the dogs 

 together for that night. The devotion of the great dog knew 

 no change ; he suffered any of the peoi3le to dress his friend's 

 wounds, or feed him, but he growled if they attempted to 

 remove him. Although at the end of ten or twelve days he 

 could limp to the sunny spots of the lawn — always attended 



