Dost thou feel at thy sides as though wings were to start From some place where they lie folded up in thy heart? 9. Then love the green things in thy first simple youth, The beasts, birds, and fishes, with heart and in truth, And fancy shall pay thee thy love back in skill; Thou shalt be all the birds of the air at thy will. F. W. FABER. SECTION VII. I. 23. THE FRENCHMAN'S DOG. VOLUMES could be filled with anecdotes 2 of the mutual VOLUM attachment of men and dogs; and we are of opinion that the affection in such cases is very much more noble and generous than is usually supposed. No person, probably, can have any proper idea of this tendernèss of feeling, who has not kept a favorite dog. 2. Coŭrage, watchfulnèss, fidělity —many of the best qualities that awaken respect, admiration, and love, among human beings are possessed to a wonderful extent by dogs. There seems to be a sort of humanity 4 in them. In their love for man, they play a part in nearly ěvèry tragedy. A modern novelist, describing a murdered man, adds, with râre power of picture-words: "The full, sweet light of the summer-day fell into the chamber of the dead, where they had laid him down, and left him in the deep stillnèss that no footfall stirred, no voice disturbed, and no love watched, save that of a little 1 Frederick William Faber, an English convert to the Catholic faith, born June 28, 1815: died Sept. 26, 1863. He was ordained a priest, and entered the English congregration of St. Philip Neri, known as the Oratorian Fathers. He is the author of a series of very widely circulated devotional works, and has also a deservedly high reputation as a poet. 2 An'ec dōte, a particular fact or single passage of private life of an interesting nature; a short story. Fí děl'i ty, loyalty; faithfulness. 4 Hu mǎn'i ty, the nature peculiar to man; kindness. 5 Trăg'e dy, a poem prepared for the stage, representing some action having a fatal and mournful end; any event in which human lives are lost by human violence. spaniel,1 which had crept into his breast, and flew at those who sought to move her from her vigil,2 and erouched there, trembling and moaning piteously." 3. We believe, that, among the different varieties of dogs, the small spaniel kind is the most affectionate; but probably we are led to entertain this notion from an acquaintanceship with the character of our own favorite Fiddy—a small spaniel, of joyous and intelligent character, and possessing boundlèss attachment to persons about her. An anecdote is told of a small dog of this variety which does not appear to us to be in any respect incredible.3 4. During the Reign of Terror in France, a gentleman in one of the northern departments was accused of conspiring against the republic, and sent to Paris, to appear before the revolutionary trībūnal. His dog was with him when he was seized, and was allowed to accompany him, but, on arriving in the capital, was refused admission to the prison of his master.5 The distress was mutual: the gentleman sorrowed for the loss of the society of his dog; the dog pined to get admission to the prison. 5. Living only on scraps of food picked up in the neighborhood, the poor dog spent most of his time near the door of the prison, into which he made repeated attempts to gain admittance. Such unremitting fidělity at length melted the feelings of the pōrter, and the dog was allowed to enter. His joy at seeing his master was unbounded; that of his master, on seeing his dog, was not less. 6. It was difficult to separate them; but the jailer, fearing for himself, carried the dog out of the prison. Every day, however, at a çêrtain hour, he was allowed to repeat his visit. At these interviews, the affectionate animal licked the hands and face of his måster; looked at him again; again licked his hands, and whined his delight. After a few mornings, feeling assured of re-admission, he departed at the call of the jailer. 7. The day came when the unfortunate captive was taken before the tribunal; and, to the surprise of the court, there also 1 Spaniel (spǎn'yĕl). 2 Vig'il, the act of keeping awake; watch. 3 In crěd'i ble, not possible to be credited or believed. 4 Trī būʼnal, the seat of a judge; hence, a court of justice. 5 Master (mås'ter). was the dog. It had followed its master into the hall, and clung to him, as if to protect him from injury. One would naturally imagine that the spectacle1 of so much affection would have moved the judges, and induced them to be merciful. But this was a period in which ordinary feelings were reversed, and men acted in the spirit of maniacs or dēmons.3 8. Will it be credited ?-the prisoner, accused only of being an aristocrat, was doomed to be guillotined; and, in pronouncing sentence, the judge added, partly in jest and partly in earnest, that his dog might go with him! The condemned man and his humble companion were conducted back to prison. What were the mental sufferings of the unhappy gentleman it is needlèss to inquire; the dog was happily unconscious of the approaching tragedy. 9 7 9. Morning dawned; the hour of execution arrived; and the prisoner, with other victims of revolutionary vengeance, went forth to the scaffold. One last caress was permitted; next minute the ax fell, and severed the head of the poor gentleman from his body. His dog saw the bloody deed perpetrated,1o and was frantic with grief. He followed the mangled corpse of his måster to the grave. No persuasions could induce 11 him to 11 leave the spot. Night and day he lay on the bâre ground. Food was offered, but he would not eat. 10. If a dog's heart could be broken, the heart of this one surely was. Day by day his body grew thinner, his eye mōre glassy. Occasionally he uttered low, moaning sounds. They 1 Spěc'ta cle, something presented to view; usually, a remarkable sight. 2 Ma'ni ǎc, a madman. 3 Dē'mon, a spirit holding a middle place between men and the gods of the pagans; an evil spirit; a devil. 4 A ris'to crǎt, one who favors, in principle or practice, a form of government whose power is vested in the chief persons of a state; one who is haughty, proud, or overbearing in his temper or habits. 5 Guillotined (gil' lō tēnd'), beheaded with the guillotine, a machine in which a heavy ax is raised by means of a cord, and let fall upon the neck of the victim. 6 Un con'scious, not knowing. 7 Věn'gĕance, passionate or unrestrained revenge. 8 Scǎf'fōld, an elevated platform for the execution of a criminal. 9 Sěv'er ed, cut apart; divided. 10 Per'pe trate, to perform a base action. "In duce', prevail on, were the expiring efforts of nature. One morning he was found, stretched lifeless on the earth. Death had kindly put an end to his sufferings. M II. 24. LEWIS AND HIS DOG. ASTER JOHN had come to sail a little boat which his grandfather had given him: the string by which the length of its voyage was to have been regulated had broken, and the boat had drifted farther and farther from its håplèss owner, until at låst it had reached a species of buoy1 to which the park-keeper's punt was occasionally moored, and there it had chosen to stick hard and fast. In this rebellious little craft was embarked, so to speak, all Master John's present stock of earthly happiness; thence the sorrow which Mary's caresses were unable to assuage, and thence the lamentations & which had attracted Lewis's attention. 2. "Don't cry so, my little man, and we'll see if we can't find a way of getting it for you,".observed Lewis, encouragingly, raising the distressed ship-owner in his arms, to afford him a better view of his stranded property. "We must ask my dog to go and fetch it for us. Come here, Mr. Faust! You are not afraid of him? he wouldn't hûrt you; that's right, pat him—there's a brave boy. Now, ask him to fetch your boat for you: Say 'Please, Mr. Faust, go and get my boat'—say so." 3. And the child-hälf-pleased, half-frightened, but with implicit faith in the dog's intellectual powers, and the advisability of conciliating its good-will and implōring its assistance repeated the desired formula with great fervor." "That's well! Now, nûrse, take câre of Måster-what did you - 1 Buoy (bwại), a float; a floating mark to point out the position of objects beneath the water. 2 Punt, a flat-bottomed boat. 3 Lăm'en ta'tion, the act of bewailing; expression of sorrow. 4 Can't (känt). trusting fully to another's word, power, or authority; entire. 6 Formula (fôr'mu lå), a set rule or form; a fixed method in which anything is to be arranged, done, said, or the like. 'Fer'vor, heat; very great feel 'Im plic'it, resting on another; ing. say?-ay,1 Master John, while I show Faust where the bōat is.” As he spoke, he took up a stone, and, attracting Faust's attention to his proceedings, jerked it into the water just beyond the spot where the boat lay, at the same time directing him to fetch it. 4. With a bound like the spring of a lion, the noble dog dashed into the water, and swam vigorously toward the object of his quest, reached it, seized it in his powerful jaws, and tûrned his head toward the bank in preparation for his hōmeward voyage; while the delighted child läughed and shouted with joy at the prospect of regaining his lost treasure. Instead, however, of proceeding at once toward the shōre, the dog remained stationary, beating the water with his fore-paws to keep himself ǎfloat, and occasionally uttering an uneasy whine. "Here, Faust! Faust! What in the world's the matter with him?" exclaimed Lewis, calling the dog, and inciting him, by gestures, to return-but in vain. His struggles only became more viölent, without his making the slightèst progress through the water. 3 5. Attracted by the sight, a knot of loungers gathered round the spot, and various suggestions were hazarded as to the dog's unaccountable behavior. "I think he must be seized with cramp," observed a good-natured, round-faced man, in a velveteen jacket, who looked like one of the park-keepers. "The animal is suicidally disposed, apparently," remarked a tall, aristocratic-looking young man, with a sinister expression of countenance, to which a thick mustäche imparted a character of fierceness. "Anxious to submit to the cold-water cure, more probably," replied his companion. "It will be kill, rather than cure, with him, before long," returned the former speaker, with a hälf-läugh.. "He's getting lower in the water every minute." 6. "He's caught by the string of the boat which is twisted round the buoy!" exclaimed Lewis, who, during the above con 1 Ay (äi), yea; yes. 2 Quěst, desire; search. In cit' ing, moving to action; rousing. 4 Sin'is ter, left-handed; evil. 5 Mustache (mus täsh'), that part of the beard which grows on the upper lip; hâir left to grow above the mouth |