NANCY AND HER DOG PLUTO.

Otago Witness, Issue 1320, 17 March 1877, Page 19

NANCY AND HER DOG PLUTO.

Yes, children, seventy years ago grandma was a little girl four years old. Her name was Nancy ; but that ia rather an old-fashioned name now. Well, Nancy had a dog, and his name was Pluto. Nancy's father made Pluto understand that his duty was to follow her, and see that she ran into no sort of danger ; for Nancy was not yet old enough to go to' school ; and so, in pleasant weather, she \ised to play on the lawn and in the fields about the house.

But one day she strayed off to a pond, where some boys had left a raft, lying partiyon the shore, and partly in the water. Pluto tried to prevent her from going on to the raft. He barked, and placed himself in her way, and took hold of her dress with his teeth, as much as to say, " You must not do it : I forbid it." But Nancy, who had a stick in her hand, struck Pluto with it several times, and said, "Go off, naughty Pluto ! You are nothing but a dog ; and I am a little girl. I know a great deal more than you do. I shall not obey you, sir. You must obey me. Go off, sir !"

With these words she jumped on to the raft ; but, in doing so, she made it slide from the shore into the water ; and the next moment she had fallen into the pond, where the water was so deep as to be over her head.

Pluto, who had been keeping up a lo w anxious whine, as if in expectation of some accident, dashed into the water took the slack of her dress between his teeth, and brought her safely to the shore, where he dropped her on the dry grass.

He then barked loudly for help ; and soon Nancy's father and mother came running to see what had happened. Papa took the little girl up in his arms. She was much frightened, but not senseless ; for Pluto had been so quick, that he had seized her before she had sunk three times.

" How is this, Pluto 1" said papa sternly. "Did I not tell you, sir, to take good care of thia little girl, and keep her out of danger V Poor Pluto looked as if he would like to say something, if he only could ; and I think his low, tremulous whine meant just this : " Indeed, sir, I tried to prevent it ; but she would not let me."

Then Nancy said, " It was not Pluto's fault, papa. He tried to make me not go on to the raft ; but I struck him with a stick, and made him loosen his hold of my dress. But, when I began to drown, he took hold of me with his ,teeth, , and brought me safe to land." , ■" What!',', cried papa, "did you strike poor old Pluto when he was trying to take care of you ?" Here Pluto drew near, and licked Nancy's feet ; for that was the .only way in which he could say to papa, "Please don't scold her, sir. "She did not strike very hard, and I forgive her. . Though I am'a dog, I can.love and be true." . Nancy's mother knelt down, and patted the good dog, and praised him so much for saving her little girl's life, that he was very happy. Papa was so much pleased at Pluto's conduct that, when a famous painter came to the house to make a likeness of Nancy, papa said that Pluto must be put into the same picture. And so the dog's likeness was taken also.