lifted and quivered, his eyes brightened and
his tail moved slightly. He was not afraid of children. They had always
loved and petted him. Once more he rose and slowly pushed through the
thicket to an open place where two little girls laughed and chattered as
they picked wild blackberries into a small tin pail.

He edged toward the sunbonnets bobbing over the pail. The children heard
the rustle and turned about, then the pail dropped, the berries spilled
on the ground and the sunbonnet children ran, screaming wildly, "Father!
Father! It's a big, black bear to eat all of us up!"

The dog halted, wondering why they ran from him. He heard a man's quick
words, the children's excited voices and a woman's soothing tones.

"It's all right now!" thought poor Prince Jan. "Women and children won't
hurt me."

He moved through the brush, but found himself looking straight into the
barrel of a gun held by steady hands. Jan knew what that meant. His legs
trembled as he pressed forward. Oh, if he could only make this man
understand that he did not mean to hurt or frighten the little girls! He
only wanted some one to take off this horrible muzzle.

The dog's pleading eyes were lifted to the man's face and then, unable
to stand any longer, Jan fell weakly to the ground and pulled himself
forward, inch by inch, to show that he meant no harm, and all the while
his ragged tail kept beating very feebly. The man looked at him, then
lowered the gun.

"Come here, girls! Your bear is only a lost dog!"

Jan did not look around at the patter of feet, but his paws went to the
muzzle, and as he lay with his head against the man's feet, the
pitifully pleading eyes and tugging paws of the dog spoke as plainly as
words.

"Poor fellow!" said a gentle voice, then a woman's fingers worked
carefully at the strap and Jan felt the muzzle fall away.

He touched her hand with his dry, stiff tongue, and saw the two little
sunbonnet children, laughing, yet still afraid of the big dog, come to
their mother's side. The man noticed the broken rope and examined the
collar.

"No name or license," he spoke at last, "but somebody will be looking
for him. I wonder how long he has been wandering around with this muzzle
on him, poor chap!"

"Bring water, children," said the mother, "and the things that were left
over from lunch. He must be hungry."

The tin pail was rescued from the ground and filled twice with water
before Jan's thirst was slaked and he