would amuse himself for hours with an old shoe or rag that he had found
in the street, and it seemed as if he never would get tired of shaking,
and tearing, and biting it. This disposition sometimes led him into
mischief, in the house; but he was always so happy, so good-natured and
so affectionate, that it was difficult to blame him very hard for his
misconduct. If Oscar's grandmother happened to drop her ball of yarn,
when Tige was about, he would seize it in an instant, and she would
have to work hard to get it away from him. She kept her work in a bag,
which she usually hung upon the back of a chair; but one day, the
little rogue pulled the bag down upon the floor, and had its various
contents scattered all about the room, before the old lady noticed what
he was doing.

These mischievous pranks were very amusing to Oscar, and he set all the
more by Tiger, on account of this trait in his character. The other
members of the family, too, seemed to enjoy the sport he made; and it
was easy to see that even old Mrs. Lee, though she pretended to be
angry with the dog for his mischievousness, was in reality pleased with
the attentions he bestowed upon her and her knitting-work.

Oscar's grandmother usually retired to her chamber, soon after dinner,
to take a short nap. One noon, after she had been scolding, with
assumed gravity, about the dog's mischievousness, Oscar thought he
would play a joke upon the old lady; so, on rising from the
dinner-table, he carried Tiger up to her bed-room, and shut him in. He
wanted to conceal himself somewhere, and witness the surprise of his
grandmother, when she should open the door, and the dog should spring
upon her; but it was time to go to school, and he could not wait.

It so happened that Mrs. Lee did not take her nap so early as usual
that day. When she did go to her chamber, Tiger, impatient of his long
confinement, sprang out so quickly, that she did not observe him. But
such a scene as met her gaze on entering the chamber! The first thing
that caught her eye, was her best black bonnet lying upon the floor,
all crumpled up and torn into shreds, looking as though it had been
used for a football by a parcel of boys. She entered the room, and
found a dress upon the floor, with numerous marks of rough handling
upon it; while towels and other articles were scattered about in
confusion. The cloth upon the dressing-table had been pulled off, and
the articles that were kept