KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



363 



quently in the habit of walking. Pluto and I 

 were not long in forming an acquaintance; this 

 ripened into friendship. Whenever I came to 

 the gate, there was he ready to meet me; and his 

 pleasure was unmistakeably great. On such oc- 

 casions, I was in the habit of carrying with me 

 either some corn or a slice of bread. On taking 

 this from my hand, it was evident to myself and 

 others, that he felt a regard for me, and seemed 

 delighted to receive me on his back. One day I 

 remember having strolled to a greater distance 

 from home than I had intended. On my return, 

 to shorten the distance, I passed through the 

 meadow. Not expecting to come home this way, 

 I had not brought anything in my hand for 

 Pluto ; still, there he was— come out to meet me. 

 I talked'to him, fondled him, patted him, and 

 promised him a double allowance on the morrow. 

 I might as well have addressed him in the un- 

 known tongue. He felt slighted ; his temper 

 was ruffled ; his ears went back ; and I left him. 

 The next day I paid him an early visit. He saw 

 me, but avoided me. I tried to coax him to the 

 gate; but he would not move. I "went to him, 

 patted him, and offered him his accustomed treat. 

 He looked at it first, and then at me; but he 

 would not touch it. Day after day I visited him, 

 but with no better success. About a fortnight 

 subsequently, he was brought round to carry me 

 up the hill ; and to the surprise of all, he seemed 

 unusually bright and intelligent, going at an in- 

 creased speed. When we reached the top of the 

 hill, the cause of Pluto's pleasure was soon made 

 manifest. No sooner had I alighted, than he 

 endeavoured to push me down the precipitous 

 side of the hill ! We at first thought this was 

 accidental; but he tried the experiment a second 

 time. The same occurred again, within a few 

 days afterwards; and two months subsequently, 

 when I repeated my visit, I tried him once more. 

 This was my last attempt; for his aversion for 

 me had now rendered him dangerous. We 

 parted, to meet no more. — Bonetta, Newport. 



Anecdote of a Robin. — As the summer is over, 

 and all our summer visitors are gone, our little 

 favorite, the robin, has it nearly all his own way. 

 This is just the time to prattle about him, and 

 tell all we know. The bird I now wish to in- 

 troduce, lives only in my memory. He first 

 visited us in the autumn ; and it was then very 

 cold. Previous to his becoming a settler, he 

 satisfied himself, by a personal scrutiny, that our 

 kitchen was well provisioned. He also looked 

 to see if the trees close to the door would give 

 him sufficient protection. These investigations 

 completed, he took possession of the garden, and 

 made our house his home. AVhen we breakfasted, 

 he breakfasted. At luncheon he was there. 

 "When the dinner bell rang, he heard it. When 

 the covers were raised,he was there — a self-invited 

 guest. He seldom waited an invitation to begin, 

 but he helped himself! More than once we have 

 assigned him a plate to himself; but this was a 

 branch of etiquette that he shook his head at. 

 His familiarity was extreme. He would readily 

 perch upon an extended finger, and there make 

 a hearty meal— >•" happy in his innocence." We 

 lived together half through the winter, enjoying 

 thus each other's company; but one morning we 



found Master Bob lying on the ground near the 

 door, his leg broken ! It had been snapped just 

 above the foot. A brave, stout heart had our 

 red-breasted little friend! Oh! Mr. Editor, you 

 should have seen his fine bright eye, shining 

 lustrously, as if he cared nothing for pain. Not 

 he ! He knew he was in good hands, and he lay 

 passive as a lamb. I shall never forget how sub- 

 missively he gave himself up to my gentle care, 

 and seemed to know that " his case " was pro- 

 perly understood and provided for. We pro- 

 cured a splint ; and bound up the broken limb with 

 that and some soft cotton. We then placed him 

 on a slight spray of willow near the door, and 

 had a little table set for him, well stored with 

 dainties. For some time he sat very patiently, 

 preferring to eat from our hand rather than to 

 hop down for his own food. He felt thoroughly 

 " at home," and in a short time the splint came 

 off, and the leg was strong as ever. Bob was 

 now himself again. In the spring he chose him- 

 self a wife, first wooing and then winning her. 

 Hard-hearted must she have been, to have turned 

 adenfear to such eloquence! Of course, her 

 ladyship was introduced to us; but she was rather 

 shy, and kept at a respectful distance. She did 

 not, however, object to her husband keeping up 

 his former acquaintances, and in this she evinced 

 much good sense. Time passed on. One morn- 

 ing Bob entered the window in a high state of 

 excitement, bowing and scraping in a most ridi- 

 culously amusing manner. Imagining he wanted 

 us to follow him, we went out, and saw him 

 enter a hole in the wall. He stood at the entrance, 

 bow r ing us fairly up to the spot. We looked in. 

 There sat Mistress B., the happy owner of five 

 beautiful eggs ! In due time, all were hatched; 

 and never shall I forget the assiduity of the 

 loving pair as they carried in dainties out of 

 number throughout the entire day. Of course, 

 v^e placed many a treat within their reach; and 

 their pleasure thereat was great. Now for the 

 usual fate of "pets." One morning, early, on 

 going into the garden, we found our little hero 

 drowned in a tub of water. There was a worm 

 wriggling at the bottom. Bob had seen it. 

 He had coveted it. In essaying to seize it, he 

 had met his death! — Kitty, 



Window Gardening. — I see in your Journal, 

 (p. 314), a communication on this subject, by 

 Dr. McCormac. Referring to this, I may 

 mention that the use of Ward's cases, as sub- 

 stitutes for short blinds, for sitting room windows, 

 is by no means an uncommon thing here. There 

 are a couple a few doors from my own residence, 

 which haye been in existence for ten years; and 

 since the reduction in the price of glass, such 

 things have become quite common ; so much so, 

 that, in my own immediate neighborhood, I know 

 of upwards of twenty windows, in which the use 

 of short blinds is dispensed with, by the in- 

 troduction of these cases. I, myself, have two in 

 use, and I can assure your readers that, when 

 filled, either with flowering plants, or ferns, ly- 

 copods, myrtles, etc., they form a much prettier, 

 and, of course, more interesting blind than any- 

 thing else, and the original cost is about the same, 

 or less, than that for wire blinds so much in use. 

 Those which I have, are not closely glazed, as they 



