was one of my principal pleasures to sit on that rug with my feet on the fender, warming my nose. I sometimes toasted myself all over, till my coat was so hot that Lily squeaked when she touched me. She would have barked, I suppose, if she had known how. Now Craven stood in my place, with one of his hind paws on my fender. He looked scornfully at me, and I returned his glance with one of equal contempt, though I longed to snap at his shining heel, and teach him sense and manners. But Lily, who never was angry with any body, did not perceive how much we disliked each other, and exclaimed in her innocent way, "Craven, here is Captain come to make friends with you, and to beg pardon for deserting you yesterday. Shake a paw, Captain." Shaking a paw with Craven was a thing I would not do; and my master, a good sportsman himself, entered into my feelings. "The dog was thoroughly provoked by your bad shooting, Craven," said he, "and you will never make either him or me believe it was his fault. But try again. There is no necessity for you to be a sportsman; but if you choose to do a thing at all, you had better do it properly; and you may learn as well as any body else, if you will not fancy yourself perfect. We will all go out together to-day." And so we all went out together on that fatal day. I did myself credit, and my master did me justice, and I was happy in my ignorance of coming events. Craven shot and missed, and shot and missed again; but my master's laugh stopped him whenever he was beginning to lay the blame on dog or gun. "Bad workmen always find fault with their tools, Craven," said my master. "Take better aim." John tried to te _______________________________________________ Bah-alcarria mailing list [email protected] https://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/bah-alcarria
