e o' this feller once, an' he traded his life for mine, out there
in the Indian Jungle. Now don't ask me any questions about it."

That night after we'd got the supper things red up, Bill sez; "Now I
don't want no one to punish this dog but me, till he gets his
edication. I don't care a bean for a trick dog; all I expect him to
learn is jest English an' a part o' the sign langwidge, so as he'll be
pleasant company an' useful in an emergency. I'll pay for any property
he destroys, but please don't punish him."

The pup was about fifteen months old when he came, an' at first he
sorrowed a heap for his old boss; but purty soon he see that Bill knew
more about dogs'n he did himself, so he just transferred his affections
over to Bill. Bill never raised his voice, he never whipped him nor
even threatened him; he just reasoned with him an' explained why it was
necessary to learn the conventionalities o' polite society. It took him
a solid week to learn that pup how to shake hands, an' yet Bill told us
confidential that he was certain that the pup knew it all the while;
but at the end of the week the pup gave in, an' from that on he was as
eager for knowledge as a new-born baby.

Cupid was the name of the pup, engraved right on to his brass collar,
an' when he set his mind on acquirin' an edication, he made me an' the
Kid leery 'at he'd beat us at the finish in spite of our start. He
could walk on his hind legs an' speak an' open an' shut doors an' wipe
his feet on the door-mat an' roll over an' pray an'--oh, well he knew
'em all an' six more; but Bill said it wasn't learnin' the tricks that
counted, it was learnin' to think for himself. Bill used to put
obstacles in his way, so that the pup would have to cipher a while to
figger out how to work it, an' this was what Bill called stretchin' his
intellect to match his envirament. He was some the solemnest pup I ever
see, an' it was kind o' creepy to see him come to the shack, open the
door, slam it after him, wipe his feet on the burlap, look into Bill's
face, an' give a short bark. This was to ask if Bill had any new jobs
for him.

I had it all planned out that the pup was to sleep in the wagon shed;
but this didn't look good to the pup, nor to Bill, neither. When night
would come, Cupid would go through his lessons, eat his supper, an'
fling himself slaunchways on the wide bunk. He didn't weigh more'n
sixty pounds, but they was the solidest sixty ever wrapped up in a dog
hi