“‘What is the matter with your dog?’ asked the gentleman, noticing a smile on the woman’s face.
“‘O, nothing at all,’ was her reply; ‘he only wishes to escape his work. He is anxious to know what you decide upon; for if you say a fowl, he is sure he will have to turn the spit.’”
Both Mrs. Lee and Minnie laughed heartily at this anecdote.
“That story reminds me of Dr. Kane’s old dog Grim,” said Mrs. Lee. “He was a curious old fellow.”
“O, will you please tell me about it, mamma?” cried Minnie.
“Yes, my dear. He was very aged; his teeth, almost gone; and his limbs, once so nimble, now covered with warts and ringbones.
“In the intense cold of the arctic regions Grim suffered much, and at last, by a system of patient watching at the door of the deck-house, together with a curious wag of his tail, pleading for admittance, he was allowed a place in the warm room, and used Dr. Kane’s seal-skin coat as a bed for weeks together.
“Somehow or other, when the dogs were being harnessed into their sledges for a journey, old Grim was sure to be missing; and one time, when he was detected hiding in a barrel, to avoid the labor of drawing the sledge, he began to limp badly, as if he were very lame.
“‘Poor fellow,’ said one of the men, ‘he must be left at home.’
“Strange to say, he was lame ever after, except when the team was off from the ship.