aid,
"Well, sir, then your name shall be Pomp." Then John began to play with
him, and found that Pomp was not only acquainted with a good many
tricks, but was quick to learn new ones.

Pomp would walk on his hind-legs better than any dog that John ever saw.
Pomp would let John dress him up in an old coat and a hat; and would sit
on a chair, and hold the reins that were put in his paws, just as if he
were a coachman.

Pomp learned so well, and afforded such amusement to those who saw his
tricks, that the thought occurred to John, "What if I try to earn some
money by exhibiting Pomp?"

So John exhibited him in a small way, to some of the neighbors, and with
so much success, that he bought another dog and a monkey, and began to
teach all three to play tricks together.

A kind lady, who had been informed of his efforts to do something for
his aunt, made some nice dresses for the dogs and the monkey. The
pictures will show you how the animals looked when dressed up for an
exhibition.

[Illustration]

The kind lady did still more: she hired a hall in which John could show
off his dogs; and then she sold five hundred tickets for a grand
entertainment. It was so successful, that John was called upon to repeat
it many times.

Oh! was he not a proud and happy little boy when he found himself so
rich that he could put a twenty-pound note in the hands of his aunt as a
token that he was grateful for all her care of him?

It was more money than the poor woman had had at any one time in her
whole life before; and she kissed her little nephew, and called him the
best boy in the world.

John and his dogs grew to be so famous, that he had to go to other
cities to show them; and soon he earned money enough to keep him till he
could learn to be a watchmaker.

As he was a diligent, faithful workman, he at last became the owner of a
nice house, and then took his aunt and some of her children to live with
him.

UNCLE CHARLES.

[Illustration]

THE SLIDERS.

COME Clara and Jane, Frank and Tom, come along;
We'll watch the boys sliding, and listen their song:
You'll hear it ring out like the notes of a horn,
In the clear, frosty air of this cold winter's morn.

THE SONG.

Oh! how pleasant it is when the snow's on the ground,
And the icicles hang on the eaves all around,
O'er the white winter-carpet our way to