THE LITTLE BLACK DOG

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXII, Issue XXII, 3 June 1899, Page 785

THE LITTLE BLACK DOG

Most people keep ;a little black dog in their houses. Sometimes he is only had in occasionally; in some „ cases, I regret to say, he is always there, either in the schoolroom or the nursery, and the children keep him very busy. The wore of the little black clog is to jump on to the back of any boy or girl who makes room for him; and as long as he is there the child scowls and frowns and pouts, and is so disagreeable that no one likes to go near him. No one can see the little black dog, but everyone knows when he is there by the look on the face of the child who has him.

Perhaps ‘Graphic’ cousins never heard of the little black dog before; but I am afraid that even the goodest child has had the animal on his back sometimes. For it is the simplest thing in the world to get him. You only have to hump up your shoulders and say one cross word or give one angry look, and, with a. hop and a skip.’ doggie is there, and there he will remain as long as he possibly can. Don’t you think you have had him sometimes on your back? And don’t you know how very difficult it is to get rid of him when he has a firm hold? You don’t really want to go on being cross; you feel miserable and nnconify all over, and you want to be gooder; but the little dog won’t

be shaken off, and the naughty feelings won’t go! It’s easy enough to get the little black dog on one’s back —the puzzle is how to shake him off. Of course, the best thing is not to let him settle there at all. When you hear his feet pattering behind you, and your .boulders humping up ready to give him a nice bed, and all sorts of naughty thoughts crowding into your head, what you ought to do is to straighten your back so that nothing could rest here, count one—two—three—and say something kind; then the little black dog will have to run away disappointed. When the cross words have been said, and someone has been thumped, and the little black dog is curled up safely on your shoulders, it is not so easy to get rid of him. I think the only way is to do it with a jerk. All of a sudden make your back as stiff and fiat as if you had swallowed a poker, and say ‘Pax,’ or ‘l’m sorry.’ ‘1 hope I didn’t hurt,’ ‘Let’s make it up now,’ or something like that; and if you can drive out all the naughty feelings that poor dog will tumble off on to the floor and run away with his tail between his legs.

Jerk him off if you possibly can. The resting-places that the black dog finds most company are the backs of sulky children. If he can once get a hold there, he knows he may be safe for hours. In fact, I have known a child take doggie on to his back and keep him there for a whole week. Towards the end of the week that child was quite the ugliest thing I have ever seen. His face looked as if it had grown into frowns and scowls which could never be ironed out. What he did with doggie at night 1 do not know. Kept him under the pillow, perhaps, or on the rail at the head of the bed. Anyhow, they got up together, and washed and dressed and came down to breakfast just as scowly and horrid as the day before. At the end of the week a funny uncle came to stay at the house, and when he saw the pouts and frowns, he whistled to doggie to come down. He called ‘Come here! and patted his knee and made such quaint noises that the child forgot to be cross and burst out laughing. So the little black dog had to run away. But if I were you, ‘Graphic’ cousins, I would never, never, never, let that dog stay on my back more than half a jiffy—better not even that.