The boys were delighted with their new pets, and thinking that his dogs were in good hands, Uncle Frank went away for two years.

When he came back he went to see William, and asked about his dog.

“Oh, he was very troublesome, Uncle Frank!” said William.  “He cried and whined all the time, and after a while he was so cross that I did not like to go near him.  I kept him chained to the kennel, but one day he broke his chain and ran away.”

“Why did you chain him?” asked Uncle Frank.  “We were going to train him for a watchdog,” said William.

“That is not the way to train a watchdog,” said his uncle.  “I am sorry that I gave him to you.  How would you like to be tied to a kennel all day, with no chance to run about?  Did you take him to walk often?”

“Not very often,” said William.  “When I am playing I have no time to look after a dog.  He would get into mischief if I let him go where he liked.”

[Illustration:  Hearing.  By H. Sperling.]

“Of course,” said Uncle Frank.  “He was only a baby.  I can remember when you needed looking after.  Now I am going to see Edward.”

“Edward’s dog is different from mine,” said William.  “He is very kind and gentle.  I wish I could have a dog like that.”

Uncle Frank walked away without a word.  When he came to the house where Edward lived, he saw a fine dog lying near the steps, looking very comfortable and happy.

“Is it possible this was once my little dog?” asked Edward’s uncle, when the first greetings were over.  “How do you keep him in such good condition?”

“When you first gave him to me,” said Edward,” I fed him five or six times a day with boiled milk.  After a few weeks I gave him oatmeal or Indian meal porridge.  Sometimes he had bread or crackers in milk.

“As he grew older, I gave him brown bread and corn cake, and once in a while I let him have a beef bone to play with.  He liked that very much, and he did not object to being tied up sometimes, if he had a bone to gnaw.”

“Did you keep him chained?” asked Uncle Frank.

“Oh, no!” said Edward.  “He soon learned not to run away, and now I never chain him.  Even when he was tied up, he had room to run about.  I stretched a long wire across a corner of the yard, and on the wire was a large iron ring.  When the dog’s light chain was slipped through the ring, he could run back and forth for twenty feet, and could lie in the sun or shade as he liked.”

“Where does he sleep?” asked Edward’s uncle.

“He has a large, clean kennel,” said the boy, stooping to pat the dog’s silky head.  “I wash the whole kennel every week.  His bed is made of pine shavings, and in cold weather I put in a pile of them, so that he can have a blanket as well as a bed.  The kennel is raised on blocks, so that it will not be damp, and there is a platform in front of it for hot nights.  When it is chilly, I hang a piece of old carpet over the door, and on very cold nights he sleeps on his own rug in the laundry.  He is a big, strong dog, and he doesn’t like too warm a room to sleep in.”