NATURE'S REALM. 47 
of the wild stampede of both dog and master 
with a score of the pugnacious inmates in hot 
pursuit ; of the cunning chipmunk which 
eluded her so adroitly, escaping to its lair in 
the mossy log; of the clever ruse of the part- 
ridge with the broken wing which tolled her 
so deceitfully from the spot where her skulking 
babes lay concealed among the withered leaves. 
But she would have refrained from grieving 
their hearts with an account of the tragedy 
in the plum thicket—the dove’s nest on the 
branch containing two little skeletons, with 
the mutilated remains of the mother bird on 
the sod below. The vandal had been there 
with his gun. 
Lorene’s fondness for the society of children 
was one of the leading traits in her character, 
and I think the following incident will serve to 
Show that she likewise entertained a favorable 
opinion of those amiable and time-honored su- 
perstitions which tend only to brighten the 
morning of their existence, and to which the 
ministry throughout the land, being aware that 
“even religion delights in shadows and dis- 
guises,” kindly lends the stamp of its approval. 
One autumn day Lorene crouched at her - 
-master’s heels on the pavement of a little west- 
ern city, where a large concourse of people 
were assembled gazing at Barnum’s street pro- 
cession, which presented a spectacle brilliant 
and imposing. With stately pomp the gilded 
band chariot, drawn by plumed and bedizened 
horses, passed along wita a flourish of trum- 
pets and drums, followed by the open dens of 
lions, tigers and leopards. Then came ambling 
along the solemn. elephants with their bespan- 
gled housings, and next the haughty and dis- 
dainful camels, those antique specimens from 
the Orient that knew Egypt before the Sphinx’s 
shadow darkened the desert ‘sands, came 
swinging by with their lurching and ungainly 
strides, and disappeared from view around the 
square. But whence the source of the sudden 
commotion, the clapping of tiny hands, the 
eager and rapturous applause of delighted 
children, which now breaks the spell of silent 
wonder hitherto maintained among the crowded 
- mass of humanity thronging the walks? Santa 
Claus, with his sleigh and reindeers, his robes : 
of fur, his flowing, snow-white beard.and hair 
and his beaming and benevolent countenance, 
which for generations has charmed the dreams 
of youth and innocence in every land. It is 
little wonder that with the juvenile chorus was 
mingled the voice of Lorene, for the handsome 
collar that adorned her neck had been clasped 
there by childish hands, with the solemn as- 
surance that it came as a gift from this same 
father saint; and truly it would require a deep 
philosophy to persuade her master that the 
lusty barking of Lorene on this occasion was 
provoked by the extremely bizarre appearance 
of the hoary benefactor’s turnout, or the gamy 
scent of his reindeers, and not by her righteous 
and unqualified approval of the general enthu- 
siasm along the line. 
In justice to the memory of Lorene, it would 
ill become her master to indite a fabulous ac- 
count of her character, or in any way to over- 
estimate her qualities. Be it enough to say 
that the history is proceeding within the 
bounds of strict veracity. She was indeed 
an accomplished creature, and most sincerely 
have I deplored the dumb limitation which de- 
_ nied her the power of language, for her long 
familiarity with those scenes of natural and 
romantic beauty as seen by wood and river, 
and in view of her superior intelligence, her 
conversation would have lent an edifying charm 
to our solitary excursions, and served, per- 
chance, to throw an occasional gleam of light 
on those subtle and elusive mysteries of Nature 
which stir the heart to its profoundest depths, 
but which apparently the eye alone can inter- 
pret. 
Then, too, had Lorene indeed been endowed 
with speech and reason, with what a fine in- 
dignation, methinks, she would have inveighed 
against the perverted tenets of that Russian 
Count across the water, whose intellect exhales 
a philosophy as rigorous as his own Siberian 
plains, and who would fain restrict the soaring 
aspirations of mankind to his own narrow views 
of human destiny, and to whose unresponsive 
ears the enthralling spirit of music and the 
pleading whispers of Nature are alike un- 
meaning sounds. While themes essentially 
relating to the wondrous glories of Nature 
would chiefly have engrossed the mind of Lor- 
ene had she been graced with. the. power of 


