eep, though he pretends to be; he is listening to what we
say."

Minnie laughed aloud. "It is too funny!" she exclaimed.

"I have heard of many cases," remarked her father, "where it was evident
that dogs understood well certain words uttered in their presence."

"O, father," urged Minnie, "do please tell them to me."

He looked at his watch, and then began:--

"A gentleman by the name of Taylor was once travelling in Spain. He
arrived early one evening at a village inn, and sat down before a stove
to dry his boots. Close by him was a dog, which watched him very
attentively.

"'What can you give me for supper?' the gentleman inquired of the
hostess.

"'Some eggs,' was the reply.

"'No; they are too mawkish.'

"'A rabbit?'

"'That is too indigestible.'

"The attention of the dog seemed to become more and more directed to
the conversation.

"'Some ham?' the woman added.

"'No,' said Mr. Taylor; 'that would make me too thirsty.'

"'Some pigeons?'

"The dog here stood up.

"'No; there is no nourishment in them.'

"'A fowl?' said the hostess, on which the dog started hastily out of the
room.

"'What is the matter with your dog?' asked the gentleman, noticing a
smile on the woman's face.

"'O, nothing at all,' was her reply; 'he only wishes to escape his work.
He is anxious to know what you decide upon; for if you say a fowl, he is
sure he will have to turn the spit.'"

Both Mrs. Lee and Minnie laughed heartily at this anecdote.

"That story reminds me of Dr. Kane's old dog Grim," said Mrs. Lee. "He
was a curious old fellow."

"O, will you please tell me about it, mamma?" cried Minnie.

"Yes, my dear. He was very aged; his teeth, almost gone; and his limbs,
once so nimble, now covered with warts and ringbones.

"In the intense cold of the arctic regions Grim suffered much, and at
last, by a system of patient watching at the door of the deck-house,
together with a curious wag of his tail, pleading for admittance, he was
allowed a place in the warm room, and used Dr. Kane's seal-skin coat as
a bed for weeks together.

"Somehow or other, when the dogs were being harnessed into their sledges
for a journey, old Grim was sure to be missing; and one time, when he
was detected hiding in a barrel, to avoid the labor of drawing the
sledge, he began to limp badly, as if he were very lame.

"'Poor fellow,' said one of the men, 'he must be left at home.'

"Strange to say, he was lame ever after, except