e saw it a wicked plan came into
his head.

"I'll just light that," he thought to himself, "and it will blow this
pen up, and Dr. Pigg with it. Then I can take anything I want. That's
what I'll do. I'll blow the place up!"

Then he lighted the string of the firecracker, standing up on his hind
legs to reach it, you see, and, as it was a long string, the fox knew it
would burn some time before it would explode the firecracker. So the fox
ran out into the kitchen, where Dr. Pigg was getting him something to
eat, and he cried:

"Here, give me what you have ready, I can't wait."

"You must be in a hurry," replied Dr. Pigg, as he gave the fox some
bread and meat and cold potatoes. And of course the fox was in a hurry,
for he wanted to get out of the way before that firecracker went off and
blew the house up.

Then the fox ran and hid in the bushes, waiting for the house and Dr.
Pigg to be blown up, so he could go in and take whatever he wanted. The
string on the firecracker burned slowly, but surely. And the fox knew it
would be a perfectly tremendous explosion, for the firecracker was as
big as a hundred lead pencils made into one.

But now watch and see what happens. After Dr. Pigg had put away the
bread and meat, left over after giving the fox some, who should come
along but Percival, the old, circus dog. He came to pay a friendly call
on Dr. Pigg, but, no sooner had he reached the front door than he cried
out:

"Oh, I smell something burning," and, sure enough it was the firecracker
string sizzling away.

"Maybe the house is afire," said Dr. Pigg. "Let's look!" So he and
Percival went all through the pen, and the first object they saw was the
long, rod thing burning on the mantlepiece. And Percival knew at once
what it was, for he was a smart dog, let me tell you.

"Oh!" he cried, "that is a cannon firecracker, and if it goes off it
will blow the place to pieces, and me and you, too!"

"Then, for mercy sakes, don't let it go off!" cried Dr. Pigg, and that
brave dog Percival jumped up, grabbed the cannon cracker in his mouth,
dashed out of the house, and leaped into a pond of water with it, which
put out the burning string, and wet the firecracker so it wouldn't
explode.

And when the fox saw Percival, he sneaked away with his tail hanging
down, I can tell you. So that's the story of Dr. Pigg and the
firecracker, and when his family came home he told them of of his
narrow escape.

Now, in case I hear a Ju