r's neck, it always seemed as if he were not quite a dog, but
something very like a dear human friend. Gyp had such winning ways
too. He would stand on his hind legs and beg, or he would seat
himself on a chair, and hold out a paw to shake hands with, in the
most knowing manner; and all of these accomplishments he owed to
his little master's patient teaching.

Almira Jane was through washing the dishes now; and as she took
the broom in hand to begin sweeping out the kitchen, Tim gave a
frightened growl, and fled to the dining-room.

Almira Jane grew very red in the face as she said, "That dog can
think well enough, and tell his thoughts too. It is plain to me
that some one has used a broom to ill-treat the poor, helpless
creature with."

Almira Jane looked very hard at Tommy as she spoke; but Tommy
threw back his head as if he did not much care what she said, and
followed his dog into the dining-room. "Let's keep away from that
girl," he said coaxingly; "it seems to me she is very interfering."

"She taught me how to teach Gyp," said Master Sunshine politely;
"and she is very wise about animals. You'll be fond of her, too,
when you understand her ways. She only gets 'nervous,' like she
was now, when she is very busy and hurried, or when she thinks
people have been unkind. I'm sure she did not mean that you had
beaten your Tim with a broom."

Tommy hung his head.

"But I did," he said, almost in a whisper; "he would not shake
hands, as I wanted him to, so I took up the broom and gave him a
blow with it. I thought no one saw me do it, and I never imagined
Tim would tell."

Master Sunshine was very much shocked. He had not believed that
his friend would be guilty of such a deed. "Tommy," he said
gravely, "if you are unkind to Tim he will never look at you as if
he loved you, and that is the nicest thing about having a dog."

"I got him a pound of raw meat from the butcher's to make up for
it," said Tommy, half sulkily.

"But that wasn't kind, either, though you meant it to be so,"
cried Master Sunshine; "Tim is too young a dog to have so much
meat at one time. He needs to have his meals regularly, just like
you and me. Too much fresh meat will make him very cross. Perhaps
that is part of the reason why he snaps at you."

Tommy was much interested. "I wonder why I never knew that
before?" he cried. "After this I will see about his meals myself.
I always thought that if you gave a dog a bone now and then he
wo