to laugh, January joining in.
Beth then ran into the house for Mrs. Davenport.

"Mamma, come and hear the concert," she cried.

"What concert?"

"Come with me and you'll see, if they'll do it again. It's the
funniest singing you ever heard."

Beth led her mother to the barn.

"Where are the singers?" asked Mrs. Davenport.

"Wait," answered Beth, calling the dogs to her. Then she began singing
and the dogs began howling, holding their heads high in the air. Duke,
however, proved lazy. He would come in only once in a while with his
deep bass, but this made the effect more funny.

Mrs. Davenport laughed over the performance until her sides ached.
That afternoon Beth and the dogs had another concert for the benefit of
Mr. Davenport and Marian. In the evening the Gordons and the Bakers
called, and, hearing of the wonderful concert, they insisted upon a
repetition of it. The lantern was brought in, therefore, and, with
Beth heading the procession, the party adjourned to the barn. The dogs
were asleep, but at the first sound of Beth's shrill little voice, they
all, even to the smallest pup, pricked up their ears, and then howled
in concert. After that Beth's concert became famous. People drove out
from Jacksonville to see and hear the canine musicale. After a time
Beth trained the dogs so that they would sit up in a row on their hind
legs while they sang. They were apparently carried away by the music,
and appeared quite human in their vanity, swaying their bodies and
rolling their eyes in a very ludicrous manner, while howling an
accompaniment to Beth's singing.

[Illustration: January with his perpetual laugh and fiddle.]

Duke greatly endeared himself to the Davenports by his wonderful
sagacity. He could almost talk. One of the very smartest things he
ever did happened in this wise:

Beth had a sudden attack of fever.

"We must have a doctor," said Mrs. Davenport.

Beth overheard the remark. Since her experience of the stitches under
her nose, she hated all doctors; so she declared:

"I don't want any horrid doctor. I'll get well without one. Really I
will."

Mrs. Davenport laid a cooling hand on her head, and said soothingly:

"Can't you trust mamma to do what is best?"

Thereupon she gave private instructions to Mr. Davenport to get a
doctor as soon as possible, after which she neglected all work, trying
to keep Beth quiet.

Two little kittens, brothers of those brought by Gustus in t