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Show ! The Story of Boxer "Boxer" was a bird-dog, or was dos-lined dos-lined to bo ono when ho grew up. As yet ho was Just a big, funny-looking, anxlous-to-plense, lovnlilo puppy. Undo Un-do Ted said he would bo worth a hundred dollars after ho was trained; and Uncle Ted ought to know, for he had as many dogs as tho old woman who lived In tho shoo had children. Only Uncle Ted know what to do There nevur was a man, Ben nnd Laurv thought, who was as clover with dogs as Uncle Ted. Ho never would have loft Boxer at grandma's, only a telegram camo very suddenly calllug him away. "Tako good care of the dog," bo said tho last thing, and Ben and Laura, with ono voice, answered: "Wo will!" ' Thoy wero delighted to think of having such a dear, ridiculous ridicu-lous puppy to play with. Undo Ted had left htm chained to a post, but tbey begged their father to lot tho I poor follow loose. "Why, yes," said papa, laying asldo his paper. "The larm Is big enough to hold him, I guess; and oven If he does get Into mischief, I think wo can manage him." When Boxor shw them coming, he wiggled and frisked till his tall almost touched his head. "WufI Wuf!" ho barked In his funny, fun-ny, puppy way, which was to say, "Let mo loose! Lot mo looso! Whai's the uso of being on a lovely big farm If you have to bo hitched to a post by a stupid old chain?" You should havo seen him when ho heard the chain dropl Ho bounded off and then back again, upset Ben In comical oxcltemout, leaped up to give Laura a kiss, and thero Is no telling what ho would havo done noxt If ho hadn't caught sight of some chickens scratching away In the flower flow-er bed, R-r-wuf! And In a twinkling he had chased the last one out. "Deary mo!" ejaculated grandma, from tho window. "If we had a dog as smart as that, my sweet peas might havo a chance to bloom!" "Ho wasn't thinking of sweet peas," chuckled papa. "It's Just because he's a bird-dog. He'd chaso anything with feathers till he's trained, If It woro only an old stuff od owl!" The children listened with respect and admiration, for papa knew almost as much about clogs as Uncle Ted. They had a delightful afternoon with Boxer, and ho "begged off'" so when thoy took him back to tho post thnt thoy decided to leavo him loose. Next morning thero wore seven little lit-tle green goslings missing at feodlug tlmo. Thoy found them at last, scattered scat-tered along tho edgo of tho pond all dead! "Oh, dear!" walled tho children, distracted botweon grief for tho goslings gos-lings and pity for tho guilty pup in tho punishment that was suro to over-tako over-tako him. "Why didn't wo chain him up? Oh, what will papa do?" What papa did was to gather up tho goslings and arrange them In a pile, with their poor, limp necks all drooping ono way. Then ho sent for Boxer. "Naughty dog!" ho said, sternly, pointing to tho goslings. "Bad, bad dog!" Thon ho whipped him. Poor Boxer! Ho looked at the goslings gos-lings and he looked at papa, and If thero ovor waH n penitent puppy, It was he. His brown eyes shono with tears and ho licked papa's hand and whined bo sorrowfully that It was all tho children could do" to keep from throwing their arms about his nock and tolling him not to feel sad any moro that It didn't matter, anyhow. Thero could not havo been a hotter dog than Boxer was that day. Tho family thought him a moro wonderful croaturo thau over. Ho seemed no delighted de-lighted wheuovor ho pleased any ono, and was so hoartbroken when ho blundered, blun-dered, that no ono. really had tho heart to scold Mm very much, So that night they let him Icmo ngaln, convinced thnt tho lesson bad been learned. Noxt morning before breakfast fte came bounding up Joyfully to papa. I "WufI Wuf!" he said, as express ively as If ho hnd said, "Corao wlf' mo I Como overybody!" Everybody camo. Boxer frisked along proudly nt tho head of the procession pro-cession and led thorn straight to tho duck pond, "Wuf! Wuf!" ho barked again. "Just see how I did It this tlmo!" Thero on tho bank wero seven more llttlo dead goslings, arrnuged neatly In a pile, with their bills nil pointing ono wayl "Well, I never " began grandma. Put pnpn suddenly stooped ovor and patted Boxer on the head, "Good doggy!" he oxclalmcd In a uoor, shaking kind of voice. And then, "Don't you sco what ho's done? lie thought I whipped him all because be didn't put them In a pilot Good doggy! Yna-s'r-onl Nice old fellow 1" "Wuf J" barked Boxer, wagging almost al-most double for Joy. It Is doubtful If any of tho goslings would havo lived to becomo geese If Undo Tod had not como that afternoon after-noon to take Boxer home. And the next tlmo ho visited tho farm ho was much too wlso a dog to chaso barnyard barn-yard fowls of any kind. St. Nicholas. |
