she did
not love the dog.

Hans was never lonely after Prince came. Even at night they stayed
together; and in the winter Hans would put his arms about his friend's
shaggy neck and sleep close beside him to keep warm.

The winters are very cold in the country where Hans lived. The winds
whistle through the pine-trees, and the snow comes down for days,
till the valleys are as white as the mountain-tops.

Few travellers go to the mountains then. They are afraid of the bad
roads, and of the snow, which sometimes slides in great masses,
burying everything in its way.

Hans's uncle knew many stories of travellers who had been lost in the
snow, and he told, too, of some good men, living in the mountains, who
sent their dogs out to find and help people who were lost--"dogs like
our Prince here," he would say; and Hans would hug Prince and say: "Do
you hear? Your uncles and cousins and brothers save people out of the
cold snow."

Prince would bark sharply whenever Hans told him this, just as if he
were proud. He knew all about travellers, and snow, for, often, Hans's
uncle took him on short trips over the mountains.

Hans always let him go, willingly, with his good uncle; but one day
when his soldier cousin (the one who had bought the silver chain in
the city) asked if he might take the dog with him for a day, Hans was
very sorry to let Prince go.

"Fie!" said his aunt, when she saw his sorrowful face. "What harm
could come to a great dog like that?"

But Hans was not satisfied. All day long his heart was heavy, and
when, in the afternoon, the little white snowflakes came flying down
he watched for the return of his soldier cousin and the dog with
anxious eyes.

After a long while he heard great laughing and talking on the road,
and he ran out to see who was coming.

It was the soldier cousin with a party of friends, and they laughed
still more when they saw Hans.

"Little Hans! Little Hans!" cried one of them, "this fine cousin of
yours has forgotten your dog."

"Forgotten my dog!" said Hans. "What do you mean?"

"He was asleep behind the stove at the inn," said the soldier cousin,
who looked very much ashamed of himself.

"And he never missed him until now," cried the friends. "Think of
that--a great dog like Prince!"

Hans looked from one to another with tears in his eyes; but they were
all too busy with their joking to notice him. Only the soldier cousin,
who was really sorry for his carelessness, trie