"'Why bless me, dame!' he cried, 'where did this dog come from?'
"'Where to be sure,' said the dame; 'you let him in your-self.'
"'Did I, Gran-ny? Well, that is queer. I did not see him. He seems to know how to stand up—sit down, sir.'
"Down I went like a flash.
"'Get up, sir,' and up I got once more as stiff as a po-ker.
"'Why don't you take him for one of your set,' said the old dame. 'He must be lost, for just see here! his name is on the brass ring round his neck.' Then she put on a pair of old horn specs to spell my name out. 'F-r-i-s-k Frisk; what a nice name! and what a clean, trim chap he is! Why, John, he would be a great help to you, he seems so smart.'
"'So he would,' said the man. 'He would soon learn to dance, and he knows now how to stand up. I can soon teach him more. Here, you, sir! take that!' and he threw me a large bit of meat, which I was glad to get, you may be sure. Then I took the rest of my share in my turn with Pete and Hop, and, O dear! how nice it was, and how glad I was to get it!
"When we had eat all up, the show-man took off the hats and coats of his dogs, and sent them and me to sleep in a large flat box, that stood at the end of the room. It was full of straw and quite nice.
"Then the man sat down by the fire to smoke his pipe and have a chat with his old brown nut-shell Gran-ny.
"I was so glad to rest, that I went fast to sleep right off. But, O dear! O dear! the next morn, it was sad as it could be, for I had to learn to dance a jig, and stand on my head, and he beat me so, that I had a fit. I did think he would break each bone I had, and the more I cried the more he beat me.