he had just sat down, as if she was shot! Bang! came a great
gilt book, that she let fall in her start, right on the end of my poor
tail, as I leapt to the floor! 'E-e-e!' went she; 'yi! yi! yi!' went
I; and 'Hur-ra! here's the dog!' cried Ned, as he came bang in at the
door, caught me by one ear, and ran up to the top floor with me in
wild joy; which put the last touch to my woes!

"Once in their play-room, the bad boys made me drag a toy-cart full of
dirt, ran straws in-to my ears, beat me with sharp sticks, and shot
peas at me out of a pop-gun. They kept up these nice plays till
tea-time; when they were so kind as to let me go, and treat me to a
few old scraps of cold meat for my share of the meal.

"When tea was done, their mam-ma bid them go right to work and learn
their tasks; and, with pouts and whines from all three, they sat
down. As soon as their mam-ma left the room, Ned took out of his desk
a mouse-trap, with a poor wee mouse in it, all in a shake of fear, and
cried: 'Here, Sam, just see what I've got! An't that gay?'

[Illustration: "Ned took from his desk a mouse-trap."--P. 64.]

"'What? what? let me look!' cried Bob, who had sat till now with
his legs spread out, and a book be-fore him up-side down.

"'No, you shan't. Go 'way!' said Ned, in a whine.

"'I will! I will!' Bob did bawl; and as he spoke he did jump up and
give Ned's hair a great pull! Then Sam gave Bob a punch, and the three
boys did fight and kick each other at a fine rate; in the midst of
which pow-wow I left the room, and ran off down the back stair.

"Here the maids were more kind to me than the boys; for cook made me a
nice soft bed in a box, and gave me some bones to pick; while Jane,
the maid, took me in her lap, and let me sleep there, snug and warm,
till she went to bed.

"But you could no more guess what the next day had in store for me,
than you could say how deep the sea is; so I will tell you.

"Just as Jane came in with the tea-tray, and cook had got a tin pan to
pour me out some milk, down came those vile boys full tilt, to grab
hold of me once more. The kind cook asked them to let me be, till I
had had my milk; but she might as well have asked the wind not to
blow; and with Bob to hold me, and Ned and Sam to mount guard on each
side, they made haste once more to the play-room.

"When they had me safe, and the door shut, Bob cried in great glee:
'Now, boys, I tell you what we'll do: let's play our dog was a slave,
tha