The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1908-04-24
THE DOG THAT DANCED.

there was no school. All the week
the ice on the ponds had been grow
ing thicker and thicker, to the great
joy of the Conway boys, James and
Arthur, and their friend, George
Arnold; for their fathers had told
them that if the ice was strong
enough by Saturday they might skate
down across Long Pond and go
through the pass to Big Island Lake.
1t was found that the ice was
thick enough, so about 10 O'Clock
they started. Their mothers had put
up luncheons for them, and the boys
were going to build fire on the ice,
near the shore, to keep warm while
they ate, and perhaps cook some
bacon by sticking the slices in the
ends of split sticks, and holding it
over the fire.
The ice was so clear that the boys,
by putting their faces down close to
it, could look through it like a pane
OF glass, and see things on the bot
tom near the shore, and dead leaves
moving slowly along toward the out
let. Once George saw a fish-a big
pickerel, as long as his arm.
BY the time they reached the foot
of Long Pond it was nearly noon,
and the boys were SO hungry that
they decided to have their luncheon
at once. They wanted some dry
wood to make the fire, so they all
took off their skates and laid them
down on the ice by the boxes OF
luncheon. Then they went back
little way into the wood on the shore,
for the sticks.
Each boy gathered big armful-
so big that it stuck way up in the
air in front of him and almost kept
him from seeing where he was going.
But they pushed their way through
the bushes to the ice again, and
dropped the wood in pile for their
fire
Just then they heard a cracking
in the bushes. They turned and saw
a big, funny looking dog coming out.
He was shaggy, and a kind of dirty
brown in color; and he had small
eyes, very black, that twinkled, and
a sharp nose that kept quivering and
wrinkling UP.
When he saw the boys he stopped
a moment, and put his nose up in
the air and shifted. Then he walked
slowly out on the ice toward the
boys luncheon. His walk was un-
calmly.
What big dog he isl" said
James; and indeed he was-bigger
than any the boys had ever seen be-
fore.
And what a funny walk he has,
said George Then the other boys
noticed it, too-a kind of roly-poly,
waddling walk, as if he were made OF
jelly, all shaky. They had never
seen a dog walk like that before.
The dog did not pay any attention
to the boys, but kept on toward the
lunch boxes they had left en- the ice.
He did not seem to be cross and they
went a few steps toward him, and
shouted and shook sticks at him,
which they took from the pile of
wood. Then he growled, but kept
right on toward the luncheon.
Throw your stick at him." said
James to Arthur, perhaps that will
scare him."
Arthur threw the stick, but as it
whirled through the air, the big dog
suddenly :tood up on his hind legs
and caught the stick in one of his
paws. just as boy will catch a base
ball bat which another boy tosses
to him. Then the boys were aston
ished and terrified to see him begin to
dance on his hind legs, moving his
head up and down, and making a
funny noise that was partly growl
and partly as if he were trying to
sing when he had bad cold.
It's a bear! It's a bear" cried
George and Arthur together, and get
ting James by the hand. they all
three started to ruin.
Now every boy knows how hard
it is TO run on ice without skates.
You keep slipping and sliding, and
you cannot turn quickly at all. Be
fore the boys could reach the shore,
the bear, moving III a circle, had got
between them and the land, and in
trying to turn, James slipped and
slid right ahead, toward the bear.
He set up a great cry, but George
and Arthur did not let go of him,
although they, too, were very much
frightened.
Then, all at once. there came a
great shouting and crashing in the
bushes, and out popped a little man
with high boots and Il red flannel
shirt and fur cap. His eyes were
big and black, and his hair curly;
and in his ears he had little rings
OF gold He talked very loud to the