St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-03-11
Pets.
J..

! Jack ana mad been married year
! before we went to housekeeping. Peo-
| pie say that the first year of married
! life is the most trying. All | can say
| is that we did not find it so. We new
er had word of serious difference so
| long as we boarded, but almost as soon
as we were settled in our own tiny,
pretty house, our troubles began.
Jack and | have never been quite
able to decide when our unpleasantness
commenced. He puts the date of 1t in
June, when Lettice Green went to
Europe, and left me her canarics as
parting gift-twO of the loveliest little
! yellow and green darlings that ever
were seen. That is quite absurd,
though. The real trouble BEGAN Il
month later, when he himself brought
home the great, clumsy, blundering
Newfoundland pup, which was the
pest of the house for many a long day.
1t wasn't so bad at first. Jack only
laughed when he saw the canaries, and
said, 'Why, Madge, little woman,
you'll have your hands full now, if you
never did before"
Nonsense ~ | said; ''it's nothing to
take care of pair of birds" But Jack
only laughed.
Such darlngs as those birds were l
amt say that they ever learned to
know me-nOt really, you know. They
fluttered just as much and were just as
hard to catch the last day that | let
them out of the cage as they were the
first. That was one of the things that
Jack objected TONY letting them out
of their cage, | mean. Jack wrote, you
see-fOr the press, | mean-and the
back parlor, which was also his study,
was the only place where | could keep
the birds.
'Really, Madge," said Jack one day,
81 wish you could find some other
place to keep those birds, or else l
wish you would not let them out of
their cage. Their favorite promenade
is my desk, and never can find pa
per that l want after they have been
roofing about there"
"But Jack" said l. ''they must have
their morning fly, poor little dears, and
have always let them have it while
you were taking your constitutional, so
that they need not disturb you. If you
had rather have me let them out while
you're at home, though"
'Thanks, not any," said Jack. 'It's
bad enough to see the results, without
having them Topping down bodily up
on my head. Never mind. I'll be
careful to leave my inkstand uncovered,
and they'll be drinking the ink some
day, and that will be the eud of them
Jack, you are very unkind," | said I;
but Jack only laughed, and went out of
the room. | was always careful to see
that the inkstand was covered after
that, though.
1t was soon after that that he brought
home his dog. l never shall forget
that day. He knows that never could
bear dogs. | am afraid of them, horri-
bly, afraid, and | never thought he
would be so cruel as to bring one of the
great blundering things home to scare
me out of my poor little wits.
''Here, Madge," he said, as he came
in, leading the thing. LAS yOu are so
fond of pets, have brought you one
worth having
Then the thing rushed at me, with its
great red mouth wide open, and its
white teeth shining, and its eyes glar-
ing, and before | knew it, the two big
hairy paws were on my shoulders, and
the frightful face close against mine.
Jack :" / screamed-"ob Jack take
him off, or | shall die"
Jack laughed, and caught the Great
ure by his collar and pulled him away.
"Why, bless your heart, Madge :" lie
said, "the dog won't hurt you. He is
only pup-nine months old to day
and as full of affection as he can stick.
He only wanted to make friends with
YOU
''But don't want to be made friends
with ia that fashion, | said. as well as
| could speak for crying.
Jack laughed, and caresSed me, and
apologized but it was then our troub-
les began, for all that.
) What a nuisance that dog was no
one who has not brought up Il New
foundland pup can imagine. Now it
was the best table-clOths, not only pull
ed off, but torn into rags; or my lace
set-Aunt Clarice's wedding present
which had been laid ont to bleach. had
disappeared bodily. all but tluttering
end which hung out of Hero's mouth as
he careeTed about the yard or it was
one of Jacks dress boots chewed to Il
pulp, and grave enough Master Jack
looked that time. / only wish bis be
f longings had suffered oftener; but un-
4 luckily he took precious good care to
keep them out of the way.
Jack and | were poor enough, but we
had rich relations. Jack had an uncle,
Mr.. Philip Phelps, and | an aunt,
Clarice Vaughan, both of whom had
declared their intention of leaving us
j. their respective heirs. Aunt Clarice
/ was a childlesS widow, and Uncle
4 Philip bachelor. Both of them were
peculiar in their way, and full of whims
+ and "fads." We had never been able
to entertain them. hitherto, but as soon
5 as we were settled in our own house
:, each of them had promised us visit
+ 1t was time for Uncle Philips arrival
!, soon after Jack brought home that
;. wretched dog. Uncle Philip had al
ways seemed very fond of me. and
resolved to appeal to him privately tC
/ induce Jack 70 Danish the hOrIid thing
d from the house.
2 Uncle Philip was stout and rubicund
d with bald pink head fringed will
le white hair, and laughing blue eye
ID two of them, in fact. Unluckily fol
e. my private plans, he took most kindly
c to Hero from the first; and as | watch
" ed the softening of his eye over tn,
S pups clumsy gambOls, | realized tina
= any attempt to influence him as | de
a, sired would be utterly in vain. W,
< were all assembled in the back parlo
:. on the night of his arrival, he sitting il
$ a large easy-cbair in the window. HI
r. was Just giving us graphic description
of a recent visit to New Mexico, whei
) he started, and clapped his hand to hi
or head, with a sudden ejaculation.
i'll Il thought you told me you had u,
ut mosquitoes here" he said, with puz