duck. All our family
do. So I stayed at home. Well, Miss Daisy had gone out with only Trap
and her hoop. I wish I had been there, for Trap is far too easy-going,
and a hoop never gives any advice worth listening to. Trap told me all
about it as well as he could. Trap can't tell a story very well, poor
fellow!

It seems that, as Miss Daisy went across the village green, she saw a
crowd of children running after a dog with--I hardly like to mention
such a thing--a tin saucepan tied to his tail! The dog bolted into the
empty dog-kennel by the blacksmith's shop, and stayed there, growling.

"Go away, bad children," said Miss Daisy; "how dare you treat a poor
dear doggie so?"

The children wouldn't go away at first. "Very well," said Miss Daisy; "I
shall tell Trap what I think of you all."

Then she whispered to Trap, and he began to growl so fiercely that the
children dared not come nearer. Any one can growl. Presently the
children got tired of listening to him, and went away. Then Miss Daisy
coaxed the unpleasant, tin-tailed creature out of the kennel, and untied
the string, and took off the pan. Then, if you'll believe a dog of my
character (and of course you must), she carried that low dog home in her
arms, and washed him, and set him down to eat out of the same plate as
Trap and myself! Trap was friends with him directly--some people have
no spirit--but I hope I know my duty to myself too well for that. I
snarled at the base intruder till he was quite ashamed of himself. I
knew from the first that he'd be taught jumping and begging, and things
like that. I hate those things myself, but that's no reason why every
low dog should be taught them. Miss Daisy called him Tinker, because he
once carried a tin pan about with him, and she tried very hard to make
me friendly to him; but I can choose my own friends, I hope.

Every one made a great fuss about one thing he did, but actually it was
nothing but biting; and if biting isn't natural to a dog, I should like
to know what is; and why people should be praised and petted, and have
new collars, and everybody else's share of the bones, only for doing
what is quite natural to them, I have never been able to comprehend.
Besides, barking is as good as biting, any day, and I'm sure I barked
enough, though it wasn't my business.

Miss Daisy had gone away to stay with her cousins in London, and she had
taken Trap with her. Why she should have taken him instead of me is a
matte