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KIDD'S OWN JOUENAL. 



cause; yet I unhesitatingly declared, " It was 

 not he ! It was not he ! " (Many thanks, par 

 parenthese, Mr. Editor, for your former emen- 

 dation of my bad grammar.^) The following 

 anecdote, most opportunely furnished by Pierre 

 Durand (M. Eugene Guinot) in a recent feu- 

 illeton, will give me courage to proceed. " A 

 dog of distinction inhabits the faubourg St. 

 Honor 'e, where he enjoys a certain degree of 

 celebrity and marked respect (haute consideration). 

 He belongs to a personage who has played a 

 leading part under the late Government. This 

 faithful animal has always been the inseparable 

 companion of his master, even when the statesman 

 filled the highest ministerial office ! He had his 

 entries to the Council, when the Council was 

 held at his master's residence ; he was known to 

 the diplomatic world, flattered by those who 

 solicited preferment, and caressed by the mem- 

 bers of foreign diplomacy. Now, although shorn 

 of his grandeur, he still maintains an honorable 

 position in private life. In the reception room, 

 whatever may be the rank of the guest, the dog 

 always occupies a good place. In winter he lies 

 by the fire, of which he has the first enjoyment 

 [on ne se chauffe qu' apres lui, in the original]- 

 So much favor has aroused envy, and he has a 

 declared enemy in the noble son-in-law of his 

 master. Constant differences take place between 

 them, the advantage is always on the side of the 

 dog. The ex-statesman always decides in favor 

 of his dog, against his son-in-law, who is 

 obliged to yield, — the father-in-law's good graces 

 being indispensable to enable him to maintain 

 his splendid establishment." And now, dear 

 Mr. Editor, I feel nervous, — no, not nervous, — 

 that would imply a doubt of your impartiality 

 and justice; but diffident, which implies merely 

 consciousness of my own deficiencies, in ven- 

 turing any remark on your article in No. 29 ! 

 Yet, in my quality of " Forestiera," is it not more 

 in character, and, above all, is it not more candid 

 and loyal to come to battle at once, rather than 

 " nurse my wrath and keep it warm," or main- 

 tain a sullen silence? I am amongst those whom 

 your shaft has touched. If you say, " this is well," 

 / may be permitted to demur at the conclusion. 

 Are ladies to be prohibited keeping dogs at 

 all? Then I must say it is a selfish prohibition. 

 You acknowledge them, in point of fidelity, 

 affection, companionship, and constancy, . to be 

 preferred to the human race. I will add also, in 

 point of honesty and gratitude. A dog will not 

 fawn upon you for a morsel and bite you after he 

 has it; nor if you confer on him a benefit, will he 

 shun you as a biped under similar circumstances 

 would do: happy if it stopped there! They may 

 be kept, " but in their places!" In what place, 

 s'il vous plait, a — dog-box? Then scarcely are 

 they companions. I had hitherto imagined a 

 dog could not be more in his place than when 

 accompanying his mistress in her walk, — not 

 visiting, shopping, or to bazaars, &c. ; and that 

 if there was one place where he was less ob- 

 noxious than another, that one was her private 

 carriage. It seems I have been all along in error, 

 — but those who consider him out of place 

 whilst following his mistress, or in her carriage, 

 will scarcely consistently think him in it, in her 

 boudoir or drawing-room. Does not this amount 



to prohibition? I readily admit public demon- 

 strations of endearment are offensive; in bad 

 taste ; in every way objectionable ; especially in 

 this country. I once saw two German school- 

 fellows, who had become vieux moustaches, em- 

 brace each other lovingly after a long absence, 

 and was rather pleasingly affected than other- 

 wise; but I am " Forestiera," and Germany is 

 not England. The fondling is then offensive; 

 one has no right to intrude one's pet into public 

 conveyances (is not this a matter of necessity, ge- 

 nerally, not choice?) But what can be the 

 objection that a lady should be followed by her 

 dog, when he can annoy no one but herself ? and 

 when, in the excitement of his glee and enjoy- 

 ment, he endeavors to show his gratitude the best 

 way he can, is he to be punished and his joy sub- 

 dued into sorrow? I have a pet blackbird; after 

 reflective contemplation and study of my fea- 

 tures, he has arrived at the conclusion that the 

 most prominent — a snub — corresponds to his 

 beak. His way of showing affection is to 

 stretch his neck towards me, quiver his wings 

 rapidly, open his beak and close it, very ten- 

 derly, upon my finger, if nearest; if not, upon 

 the tip of my nez a la Roxalane. I frequently 

 gratify him with a mealworm ; should I, instead, 

 twist his neck for the atrocity? I will own I 

 have had friendly remonstrance and anonymous 

 abuse on this weighty matter. The latter per- 

 haps, counteracted the effects of the former ; and 

 few, better than myself, know the anxiety and 

 inconvenience of having always a canine attend- 

 ant. Landing at Boulogne some years since, the 

 first words of greeting directed at me (English 

 c'est entendu) were, an observation as to the ab- 

 surdity of bringing " a dog like that " to the 

 Continent! He is not a French poodle, nor an 

 overgrown puppy, nor a King Charles, nor a 

 " love " of an ugly pug. The peculiar temper 

 of my dog added to my difficulties. Though 

 rarely out of my sight, yet did it so once occur, 

 during his puppy days, when he was most cru- 

 elly beaten — beaten in such a manner that he 

 could not crawl back to me. To this beating, I 

 attribute the furious attacks he made long after 

 upon every person and creature that might 

 approach, or rather endeavor to approach me; 

 as well as his perfect horror at being removed 

 from me even to the most gentle hands. 

 Kindness has enabled him to outgrow this; but 

 in those days he could best have pleaded his own 

 cause. No one within hearing of his ear- piercing 

 shrieks, when I merely transferred the leader to 

 another hand, but would, in the interest of their 

 own auricular nerves, have approved of the rea- 

 diest method of silencing him; and could you 

 have seen his clear hazel eyes turn first steel-blue 

 and then blood-red, while every nerve trembled 

 in the most painful agitation, — I am quite sure 

 your heart would not have " revolted from the 

 brute," nor I think from its owner, even if " the 

 caresses" were somewhat too liberally bestowed. 

 I have travelled by public conveyances on the 

 Continent with my dog, and am happy to say 

 that, on all occasions, my fellow travellers (utter 

 strangers) in answer to my inquiries whether he 

 was objected to, expressed surprise that a dog, 

 not snappish, that I kept to myself by a leader, 

 could be supposed to be of annoyance to anyone; 



