WHY ROVER RAN AWAY.
One morning Rover was very hungry indeed. He had been going from place to place with his master, and now it was two long days since he had eaten a good dinner. His master was a poor tinker who traveled about the country and never stayed long in one place. Rover would have liked this if his master had been kind to him, but the dog was used only to blows and kicks.
Rover was a rough, shaggy dog, and his tail curled down under him in a way that showed he had been ill-treated. But he had good, faithful, brown eyes, and the drooping tail was always ready to wag at a kind word.
The tinker's breakfast was on the table. How good it smelt! Rover looked at it with longing eyes.
"Please give me a bit, master," said Rover. "I am so hungry!"
The tinker did not seem to hear. At last he said roughly: "Be still,
Rover!"
Rover waited patiently for a few minutes, but his master had no thought of feeding him. At last Rover put out his long, red tongue and swept the meat and bread into his mouth.
[Illustration: Caption: "Can't you talk?" Small child kneeling in front of dog, while kitten looks on.]
Then the angry tinker struck the poor dog and spoke sharply to him. An hour later Rover had run away.