2. “In the barn a little Mousie Ran to and fro; For she heard the Kittie coming, Long time ago. 3. “Two black eyes had little Kittie, Black as a sloe; And they spied the little Mousie, Long time ago. 4. “Four soft paws had little Kittie, Paws soft as dough; And they caught the little Mousie Long time ago. 5. “Nine sharp teeth had little Kittie, All in a row; And they bit the little Mousie Long time ago. 6. “When the teeth bit little Mousie Mousie cried ‘Oh!’ But she got away from Kittie, Long time ago.” [Illustration: The Old House-dog.] LESSON XI. _HOW DOGS BEHAVE._ [Illustration] 1. Now that Jessie has told us so much about her cat, we would like to hear about a dog. John, can you tell us something? 2. Yes! The dog in this picture is an old watch-dog. He is sitting by the chair, waiting for his master, and taking care that nothing is stolen from the room. 3. Our old dog Rover is always waiting for me when I get home from school, and the way he runs and jumps and barks, you would think he wanted to eat me up. 4. When I throw a stick he will run and bring it up, and if I try to get it he will hold on and growl, and pretend to be very angry; but he wags his tail and winks at me, to let me know that he is only in fun. 5. He is a good friend to our old Tabby and her kittens; but when a strange cat comes about, away he goes after her like the wind, barking with all his might. Then the cat goes up the nearest tree and spits at him. 6. When the children are at play, he follows them about to take care of them. He will lie down in the shade and go to sleep; but he keeps one eye open, and if anybody comes along, he is up at once to see if anything is the matter. 7. He loves to play with the children, and every day when nurse goes out with the baby, she gives him a ride on old Rover’s back. LESSON XII. _HOW NERO SAVED HIS MASTER._ [Illustration: Nero.] 1. Nero was a dog that slept in a kennel in the yard to keep watch in the night, so that no thieves would come about and steal. 2. One night he followed his master up-stairs to his bedroom. The servant turned him out; but he howled and scratched at the door, and, when he was driven away, he soon came back. 3. At last his master, curious to see what he would do, ordered the door to be opened. The dog at once rushed into the room, and, giving a little, short bark, by way of thanks, he crawled under the bed, as if he meant to stay there. 4. The master thought the dog acted rather strangely; but he soon forgot all about it, and, at the usual time, went to bed. 5. In the middle of the night a great noise in the room woke the master, and he got up to see what was the matter. There, on the floor, was a man flat on his back, while Nero stood over him growling in a way that said, “Lie still if you wish to keep a whole skin.”