herself and Duke was unique
in its strength, and in its demonstration. He was fully as noble and as
intelligent as she, but of a less lively, cheerful temperament. The
arrival of six little Dukes was an occasion of anxiety and excitement
for us all, and we were much relieved when the event was safely over,
and we saw Lady and her beautiful family established in peace and
comfort. Matters had run smoothly for about four or five weeks, when one
day I was startled by a series of sharp yelps, which I knew came from
Lady. I ran to the window, and saw the poor creature rolling in the
middle of the street, in the greatest pain. By her side was Duke, and
his outcries mingled with hers. The hard-hearted teamster, whose wagon
had done the mischief, had driven off, but I ran to the rescue, and
finally got her into the stable, where her little ones were awaiting
her. She only lived a few hours, and her last act was an effort to nurse
her clamorous doggies, while with her great, sad eyes she seemed to say
good-by to Duke! The grief of this noble fellow was so great that we
thought he would go mad. For a time he refused to let us come near her.
He stood over her, licking her senseless form, pushing her gently once
in a while with his head and paws, and then uttering lamentable cries
when he saw that she did not move, or in any way respond; and meanwhile
the tiny dogs were crawling over her, and mingling their voices with
their father's deep notes of distress. It was a most pitiable sight,
and we all breathed a sigh of relief when the dear old fellow permitted
us to lead him off into the house, and we had an opportunity to dispose
of poor Lady. I'll not try to tell of Duke's excitement and distress
when he missed her; of his frantic search all over the place, and of how
we followed him about, and talked to him, and tried to divert him; or
how we all--Duke, and the rest of us, finally sat down in the stable,
beside the motherless little family, and wept together.

"The morning after Lady died, I went out to the stable with a cup of
warm milk. I had not been able to do anything with the puggy little dogs
the evening before, but I thought that their sharp hunger, after several
hours of abstinence, would lead them to make an effort to drink. I
carried a spoon with me, also a rag to suck, and a bottle, with a
nipple--all kinds of appliances, in fact.

"What was my surprise upon entering the stable, to find Duke occupying
Lady's place. He