308 
AMERICAN AGRICULTUHIST. 
[August, 
HOW GYP WAS DECEIVED BY THE MIRROR.—- Engraved /or the American Agrkullarht. 
Such a rumpns! It was house-cleanino; time, when 
everything was topsy-tnrvy. How is it that people can't 
clean house without making such a fuss about it? It was 
full noon, and by this time our own Biddy, and a woman 
hired for "house-cleaning," had succeeded in getting 
Fig. 2. — ^JAPANESE FIEESUN. — {Seepage 307.) 
things into a lovely state. There were some of the 
kitchen things in the parlor, and, of course, some of the 
parlor things in the kitchen, while others were placed in 
the hall, so as to be as much in the way as possible. 
Well, things were pretty thoroughly mixed, when there 
was such a rumpus 1 The dog. Gyp, barked as if he were 
several dogs, and he tore around as if he had gone mad 
over the confusion. We all rushed to the hall, for there 
WHS where the trouble seemed to be, to see what was the 
matter, and the whole thing was so funny, tliat even Bid- 
dy forgot to be cross, and actually laughed, and for Biddy 
to laugh at house-cleaning time, was something before 
unknown ; for several days before, she begins to be seri- 
ous, and by the time the day comes, she is in "a state of 
mind." but now Biddy had a good hearty langh I and what 
was more, she had several little laughs to herself, during 
the rest of the day, just at thinking of it. You will wonder 
what it could be that would make Biddy lose her solemn 
face on house-cleaning day. This is the way it wiis : 
Gyp was always fed at noon, as regularly as the time 
came. Seeing ail the confusion, and no signs of his din- 
ner, he hunted for himself, and having found a bone, 
went to the hall, as that seemed to be the quietest place, 
to enjoy it. In setting things where they shouldn't be, a 
large mirror was stood on the floor of the hall, and, of 
course, with the glass outward. Gyp came along with 
his bone, and behold, there was another dog mth another 
bone; this would never do, so GjT), probably thinking 
that no other dog besides himself bad a right to a bone in 
this house, laid down his own to capture the bone from 
the other dog. But the other dog put his bone down, 
Gyp could see it, and was going for it, hut there he came 
face to face with the other dog. Gyp is just a bit of a 
coward, and when he saw the other dog coming towards 
him, he started back, and jumped and barked in a way 
that we never supposed possible. When we came he 
was so busy in going towards and retreating from the 
strange dog, turning this way and that, but all the time 
keeping at a safe distance, that be did not notice us at 
first; but the sight of the bewildered animal, now 
threatening and novv backing away from his own shadow, 
was one of the funniest sights I ever saw. At last we 
laughed so loudly that Gyp noticed us, and looked as if 
he would like help. He still had his eyes fixed on the 
other bone, as if he was still determined to have it. So 
to help him I moved the mirror out from the wall ; he was 
sure of his bone now, and he came behind the glass with 
a bounce, ready to pick il up. Such a change in that dog, 
when he found there was nothing there I He evidently 
felt that he had been imposed upon, and started out with 
a dismal whine, even forgetting his own bone. Gyp has 
evidently been troubled in his mind ; he can't make it 
out, and now that the glass i8 hung, we have only to call 
the dog's attention, and touch the mirror, when he will 
Fig. 3.— JAPAiTESE FABMER.— (iSee^a^e307.) 
put on a most sheepish air, and want to getaway from it. 
This was what made the rumpus. Sarah J, 
