d Hop, and, O dear! how nice it was, and how glad I was to get
it!

"When we had eat all up, the show-man took off the hats and coats of
his dogs, and sent them and me to sleep in a large flat box, that
stood at the end of the room. It was full of straw and quite nice.

"Then the man sat down by the fire to smoke his pipe and have a chat
with his old brown nut-shell Gran-ny.

"I was so glad to rest, that I went fast to sleep right off. But, O
dear! O dear! the next morn, it was sad as it could be, for I had to
learn to dance a jig, and stand on my head, and he beat me so, that I
had a fit. I did think he would break each bone I had, and the more I
cried the more he beat me.

"But I had to learn; and in two weeks' time I went out with the rest.

"One day the same man I ran from to-day saw me dance in the street. He
was a big show-man, and had dog plays, and was quite rich and great;
so he tried to buy me. I heard him tell _my_ man, that the dog who
used to play 'Jack, the Run-a-way,' was just dead, and I would make a
first-rate Jack in his place.

"So he paid, I don't know how much, and got me, and set me to learn my
part. O my dear Dash! my life was one scene of hard blows and hard
fare. The poor wee dog who acts the old dame in the play is worse off
than I, for she is so weak, that she can not do her part well; and oh!
how he beats her! She has told me more than once that she would be
glad to die, and I get quite wild when I think I can not help her. If
the bad man would whip me for her, I would be glad to take it, tho' I
get blows all the time for my own share."

"Oh! how sad!" cried Dash, the big tears in his eyes. "What a bad, bad
man! How glad I am you have run a-way from him. But what shall we do
to hide you?"

"Dear Dash, if you will keep me here for four or five days, I may get
some one to take me, who is as good and kind as Mr. Grey, and then
some day I will try to show you how much I feel what you _have_ done
and _will do_ for me."

"Don't speak of it," said Dash. "It is as much of a joy to _do_ good
as to have good done to one's self. You shall stay here with me, dear
Frisk! and we will wait and see what comes of it."

"O you good old dog! you dear Dash! I will stay in your house all the
time. I will be as still as a drum with a hole in it."

"Yes, and I know you will come out all right at last. I tell you what!
I heard May and Hal ask their pa-pa to buy you. O my! they want you
so much!"

"Do