IT is a nice light night, and if you youngsters have stared long enough at the moon, since neighbor Sport has come to call we will try to be a little more social.

Pet and Spot and Curley may play on the lawn if they choose, and have as good a time as they like.

You have come to ask my advice, have you, Sport?

Well, it doesn’t cost much to give advice, but it isn’t always so easy to take it.

What is the question in mind?

Have been slighted and abused, have you? Tell us about it.

Scolded you after you hunted birds all day for him, and then forgot to give you any supper. That was pretty hard; pretty mean treatment, I should say.

Had your master been drinking?

No? How came it about?

“Why, just before time to start for home I found a big flock of quail, and showed him just where they were; and he crept up, gun in hand, and tried to fire, but for some reason the gun did not go off.

“That put him out of humor, and he scolded the gun, and by that frightened the birds so they flew away.

“Then he sent me to find them, and I could get no snuff of them, hunt as hard as I could. Then he spoke to me as he never did before, and throwing the gun upon his shoulder started for the house, never noticing me by any word, whistle or sign.

“Well, I dropped my tail between my legs, and followed at a good distance.

“He didn’t forget the cow, or the pig, or the pony, but took no notice of me, and I don’t believe I could eat now if I had a chance.”

Poor fellow! come here and lie down by me. Never mind, never mind; these men seem sometimes to have no heart for us, no matter how faithful we have been.

I am so thankful we have a master of another kind.

One of you run and bring some of that supper that was left.

We had a very nice supply this evening, and there is enough for two hungry fellows yet.

You just say no more till you have had the meat from that bone, and see if you don’t feel better. Things hurt worse when one is tired and hungry.

There, now rest a while, and I will tell you a story about a great-uncle of mine, who lived in Groton.

He was pretty well educated, and did a great many things that some of his four-footed friends would not be trusted to do, even if they knew enough.

Well, Diamond—that was his name—was pretty good-natured, but a little sensitive. Being very affectionate, it was easy for those whom he loved to hurt his feelings.

His master was a mechanic, and had to go to his shop every day. The distance was so great that he did not come home to dinner; so his wife would prepare his dinner, put it in a pail, or in a basket, as it might happen, lay in the bottom a nice bone for Diamond, and give it all to him to take to his master. That he would do as faithfully as any one.

When the master had finished eating what had been brought, or as much as he wanted, he would take the bone, and any scraps left, and give them to his faithful carrier, who had been, the while, lying under the bench, patiently waiting.

But one day there was a break. The mistress said she was going shopping that day, and would take the dinner to her husband herself.

That rather hurt Diamond’s feelings, though he said nothing, but followed on, and lay down in his usual place to wait for his bone. The master sat down to his dinner with no word for his faithful servant who was not permitted to bring the basket, finished his meal, closed the basket, and handed it to his wife.

No bone was there, nothing for the one who had been waiting, hungry, but patient. The only notice taken of him was a call to follow the lady and carry the empty basket. With a heavy heart and drooping tail he obeyed. When the purchases were made and put into the basket, Diamond was ordered to go ahead of his mistress and take the burden home.

On he trudged until he neared a bridge which they must cross, when a thought came suddenly into Diamond’s mind, and quickly darting forward to the middle of the bridge he went to one side of it, and deliberately let the basket and its contents fall into the stream; then ran for home as fast as his four legs could carry him.

I am not telling you this because I think he did right, but that you may see that others are treated as badly as you have been.

I suppose I am sorry that a relative of mine ever resorted to revenge; but it does sometimes seem very strange to me that more dogs do not revenge themselves in some way for the hard treatment they so often receive.

You would not like to be guilty of such an act as that?

Well, I am glad of it. Indeed, I think my kinsman was soon sorry for what he had done.

Let me tell you how he proved it. His master had been out nearly all day with Diamond hunting. The next morning he discovered that he had somewhere lost a key. So he showed Diamond another, and told him his trouble, and ordered him to go and hunt for it.

Off he went, and at three o’clock that afternoon returned, bringing the lost key.

He was tired and hungry, but a good dinner was ready for him, and kind words soon made him forget his fatigue.

In fact, I believe both master and dog were ashamed and sorry for the past, and inwardly determined to do right in the future.

Now after these true stories of my great-uncle, I hope you feel better, and will go home, not to plan how you can be revenged, but how you can be true and faithful, and, if possible, win better treatment in future.

R.