12. He was not in the least quarrelsome, and never hurt a little dog under any provocation, but he would not endure insults from dogs of his own size; so sometimes he had hard fights.

13. One day he was attacked by a large, fierce bull-dog, and a dreadful fight began. A crowd gathered round, and all the women of the family ran out, begging that some one would separate the dogs. But the men said it was very dangerous to interfere; so the women cried, and the men looked placidly on; and the dogs fought, and might have torn each other to pieces if George had not appeared on the scene.

14. He came running at full speed, broke through the ring of men and seized the bull-dog round the throat. Then the men were ashamed not to help him, and George soon emerged from the group, dragging Pero with him. Pero's eyes were red with rage, and he was uttering frightful growls, but he still retained sense enough not to hurt his best friend.

15. Those who saw George do things like this in his boyhood did not wonder afterward that one regiment never broke its ranks though all around it fled, and it was more than once left to face the foe alone.

16. Pero lived to be very old, and his loss at last was such a grief to all that his mistress resolved never to have another dog.

ON

XXXVII.-THE SURPRISE.

(See Frontispiece.)

NE day Charlie Truman and his sister Kate were walking along a pleasant road. Charlie was carrying a pretty little ship, just finished.

2. "Kate," said Charlie, looking at his little ship with delight; "I don't know what you think of my little clipper-girls never like such things—but I think it is the handsomest ship out."

3. "You know I like it as much as you do," said Kate; "and I think I ought to partly own it, for did n't I hem the sails? Did n't I find the bright ribbons for the flags, too?"

4. "Yes, you did," said Charlie, "and you may own half. It shall be your ship and mine."

5. "Do you mean it? Oh, thank you!" said Kate. Just then they met George Lee.

6. "Oh!" said George; "what a beauty! Where did you get it?"

7. "Old Joliffe gave it to me," said Charlie. 8. "What! that crabbed old sailor?" said George. "How came he to make it for you?"

66

9. "I'll tell you," said Kate. "Poor old Joliffe was sick last summer. Charlie was sorry for him, and used to carry him fruit to eat, and when he got better he carried him books and newspapers to read. Old Joliffe was so grateful

that he told Charlie one day that he was going to give him a surprise when he got well."

10. "We could n't think what he meant. But

one day he showed this little ship to Charlie, and asked him if he wanted it."

11. "You may believe I answered him pretty quick," said Charlie.

12. "Yes," said Kate; "and we named it the 'SURPRISE,' for it was a surprise, you know. I made the sails."

13. "I wish old Joliffe would make me one just like it," exclaimed George.

14. "I don't believe he would if he knew you called him 'a crabbed old sailor,'" answered Kate.

15. "Where are you going, and what are you going to do with it now?" asked George.

16. "We are going down to Willow Brook to launch the Surprise," said Charlie. "Don't you want to go too?"

17. "Yes," said George; "you'll want somebody there to hurrah."

18. By this time they had reached a lovely green meadow. At the farther end were some dark pine woods. A beautiful stream came forth from the woods. You could tell its course through the meadow by the willows that grew along its banks.

19. "Here is a lovely place to play in,” said

Kate, pointing to a mossy hillock in a sort of arbor formed by the drooping branches of the willows.

20. "This is a first-rate place," said Charlie. "We will play that the branches are the roof of a big house where we have built the Surprise." 21. "Hoh!" cried George; "they don't build ships in houses."

22. "Yes, they do sometimes," said Charlie ; "for when I went to the navy-yard, I saw three big houses where they were building ships."

23. "Yes," said Kate; "and we will play that our clipper is a war-ship."

24. “How are you going to launch her?" inquired George.

25. "I am going to wedge her in between these two rocks so," said Charlie. "Now, when I say 'Three,' I am going to push her off the stocks, and you must both hurrah."

26. "Yes, yes, we will," said Kate.

27. So Charlie counted "One-two-three !" at the same time he gave the little clipper a push with his hand and started her off into the

water.

28. "Hurrah!" said Kate, dancing with joy. 29. "Hurrah! hurrah!" shouted George, throwing up his cap; and Charlie was so excited that he too joined in and hurrahed with all his might.

30. It almost seemed as if the little ship was