,,pierrot1 ,,dog ,,of ,,belgium         
,illustration  ,illustration3 ,a        
,,belgian ,,carbineer ,,came ,,very     
,,hurriedly ,,one ,,morning ,,and ,,led 
,,pierrot ,,away       ,,pierrot        
,,dog ,,of ,,belgium     ,by ,,walter   
,a4 ,,dyer    ,,author ,,of   8,,the    
,,richer ,,life10 ,,etc4                
,illustration     ,illustrated by       
,gordon ,grant    ,,garden ,,city       
,,new ,,york    ,,doubleday1 ,,page     
,,company    #aiae       ,copyright1    
#aiae1 by    ,,doubleday1 ,,page        
,,company    ,all rights reserved1      
including that of   translation into    
foreign languages1   including the      
,scandinavian       ,,to ,,the          
,,commission ,,for ,,relief   ,,in      
,,belgium    ,,waging ,a ,,bloodless    
,,battle ,,against   ,,famine ,,and     
,,the ,,ravages ,,of   ,,war1 ,,this    
,,little ,,tale ,,is   ,,sympathetically
   ,,dedicated  ,illustration           
,belgium lies bleeding4  ,across her    
level1 lush meadows the harsh-shod hosts

 of war have marched4 ,beside her       
peaceful waters the sons of ,god have   
spilled each other's blood4 ,beneath her
 noble trees have raged the fires of    
human hate4  ,her king and his brave    
warriors have fought to save that which 
was their own and1 driven back1 have    
left their smiling land to suffer the   
desolation which has ever been the      
conqueror's boast4 ,her ancient cities  
smoke4 ,the inspired craftsmanship of an
 elder day has been destroyed forever4  
,belgium lies moaning4  ,across the     
winter sea we have heard the wailing of 
men and women among their ruined        
homes--honest townsfolk1 simple ,walloon
 and ,flemish peasants1 who had borne no
 malice and had done no wrong4 ,and amid
 the cries of anguish and despair there 
have come to me the weeping of a little 
girl named ,lisa and the voice of a     
faithful dog whining for his master4    
,w4 ,a4 ,d4     ,,pierrot1 ,,dog ,,of   
,,belgium  ,illustration     ,,pierrot1 
,,dog ,,of ,,belgium     ,i   ,the      

children called him ,pierrot from the   
first4 ,that is1 of course1 no proper   
name for a ,flemish dog1 but you see    
,mre ,marie had come from ,dinant1 where
 almost everybody speaks ,french1 and   
she had been taught ,french in school4  
,besides1 she had ,french friends in    
,brussels and was very fond of          
everything ,french and warm and         
southern4 ,so she had often told the    
children stories about ,harlequin and   
,columbine and ,pierrot2 and when they  
saw what a comical1 clumsy little fellow
 the puppy was1 and how much he looked  
as though he wore big1 baggy breeches1  
,henri called him 8drle ,pierrot10 and  
wee ,lisa clapped her fat little hands  
and laughed shrilly4  ,jean ,van ,huyk  
had brought ,pierrot home in his arms   
one spring evening and had tumbled him  
out upon the floor of the cottage to    
startle ,henri and ,lisa4 ,but they     
refused to be frightened1 for ,henri was
 learning the rules of courage and ,lisa
 thought at first that the puppy was a  

baby lamb4 ,straightway she fell upon   
him and sought to hug him to her plump  
little bosom1 but ,pierrot only bit her 
ear and made her squeal with delight1   
and then wriggled out of her arms and   
hurriedly waddled over to ,henri1 who   
rolled him over on his back and tickled 
his round little stomach4 ,whereat ,pre 
,jean roared loudly and old ,gran'pre   
cackled from his chair4  ,then shaggy   
old ,luppe1 who had pulled ,mre ,marie's
 milk-cart for seven years1 yawned      
tremendously1 dragged himself           
laboriously to his feet1 stalked over   
from the doorway and sniffed at         
,pierrot1 and then turned back with a   
look of dignified boredom4 ,by this     
ceremony ,pierrot was constituted an    
accepted member of the household4       
,illustration  ,it was ,luppe's         
advancing years1 in fact1 that explained
 the coming of ,pierrot4 ,it was sad to 
think of the day when the old fellow    
would no longer be able to trot into    
town with the milk and cheese1 but      

,providence has set narrow boundaries to
 a dog's life1 and ,mre ,marie would    
soon need a younger and stronger steed4 
,so one ,sunday morning ,pre ,jean had  
bade ,henri dress himself in his best   
clothes1 for they were to drive into    
,brussels to the dog market1 and half   
the world would be there4 ,the ,belgians
 do not think it strange to go to market
 on ,sunday1 for it is an entirely      
different kind of market from those     
conducted on week days1 and they put on 
their gay clothes and make a holiday of 
it4  ,when ,pre ,jean and ,henri        
arrived1 the city was already alive with
 people and they made a pleasant sight  
in the bright sunshine4 ,pre ,jean found
 a place to tie his horse and then they 
hastened directly to the ,grande ,place4
 ,this was a great paved square with    
imposing buildings on all sides such as 
the ,htel de ,ville and the ,maison du  
,roi4 ,there were a great many people in
 the square and they were all very      
lively and busy and jolly4  ,one side of

 the square looked like a great garden1 
for here was the flower market1 and the 
florists vied with each other in their  
displays of plants and cut flowers4 ,it 
was very beautiful1 also it smelled     
wonderfully sweet1 so that ,henri fell  
under a sort of enchantment and ,pre    
,jean had to drag him away4  ,on another
 side of the square were parrots and    
cockatoos and canaries and birds of all 
kinds in little wooden cages4 ,some of  
the parrots were making comical efforts 
to talk like people1 the song birds were
 whistling and trilling1 and all was gay
 and colourful1 which delighted ,henri4 
,but they had a bird of their own at    
home1 and it was not birds that ,pre    
,jean had come to see4  ,at length they 
came to the dog market4 ,four or five   
hundred dogs of all ages and sizes and  
colours lay dozing or stood pulling at  
their leashes4 ,there were big1 strong  
dogs like ,luppe2 alert black           
,schipperkes2 ,brussels ,griffons1 with 
faces like those of little bearded old  

men2 ,belgian sheep dogs with erect1    
pointed ears1 short-haired brown fellows
 and beautiful long-haired black ones2  
all sorts of dogs from ,great ,danes to 
ridiculous little ,dachshunds4 ,there   
were capable-looking work dogs2         
mournful-eyed mothers2 swaggering young 
bloods proclaiming loudly their desire  
for battle2 awkward1 blundering1        
adorable four-month-olds1 and fuzzy     
little babies that wabbled on their     
sprawling legs as though made of jelly4 
,henri saw a dozen dogs that would have 
suited him perfectly1 but ,pre ,jean was
 apparently more difficult to please1   
for he went from group to group without 
making a selection4 ,at last he told    
,henri that he could not find the sort  
of dog he wanted and that it was better 
to go home without any than take one    
that would not turn out well4  ,henri   
looked down the row of assuredly        
desirable dogs and his lip began to     
tremble a little4 ,so ,pre ,jean1       
instead of taking ,henri home at once1  

bought some cakes for their dinner and  
told him he should remain to hear the   
grand concert in the afternoon1 which   
pleased ,henri so much that he forgot   
his disappointment4  ,at noon there was 
a great hubbub and bustle in the ,grande
 ,place1 for the market was over and all
 the vendors must be out of there at    
once4 ,in the afternoon the ,regimental 
,band came in its wonderful uniforms and
 played stirring music in the kiosk     
until the shadows began to lengthen and 
,henri grew very weary4  ,it had been a 
wonderful day and ,henri fell asleep    
that night with gay pictures dancing    
before his eyes and music sounding in   
his ears4 ,this was happiness enough for
 little ,henri1 but ,pre ,jean had not  
found the dog he was after4 ,he knew the
 value of the right kind of dog and he  
would have nothing else4  ,so ,pre ,jean
 made a journey one day to fat ,auguste 
,naets1 the butcher of ,vilvorde1 who   
was famous for the dogs he bred4        
,auguste bragged much about these dogs4 

,their blood1 he said1 ran away back    
into the ,middle ,ages to the boarhounds
 of the ,dukes of ,brabant4 ,matins1 he 
called them2 and it is true that for a  
hundred years1 when other men had grown 
careless of their breeding1 ,auguste's  
father and grandfather and              
great-grandfather had kept the breed    
pure1 so that when the ,national        
,federation for the ,breeding of ,draft 
,dogs was founded a dozen years ago they
 deemed the ,naets strain worthy of a   
certificate of merit with five red seals
 attached1 which ,auguste proudly had   
framed and hung in his shop4  ,of the   
hundred thousand or more dogs that are  
used in ,belgium as chiens de trait1    
none were finer than those which ,pre   
,jean found in the kennels of ,auguste  
,naets4 ,they were large dogs1 with     
something of the look of the ,st4       
,bernard about them1 but with smaller   
heads and more lithe and rangy bodies4  
,in colour they were all sorts of       
combinations of black1 white1 and tawny2

 ,auguste held that colour meant nothing
 to a cart-dog4 ,their ears were long   
and drooping and their tails were docked
 when they were puppies to avoid        
interference with the harness4 ,they    
would have been handsomer with long     
tails1 but ,auguste was breeding for    
utility rather than for beauty4 ,there  
was a time when the dog-owners of       
,belgium cropped their dogs' ears to    
make them stand erect and pointed1 but  
it was found that during their steady   
work outdoors in winter rain and snow   
beat into their ears and caused sores   
and deafness1 so that the practice of   
depriving them of their natural         
protection was abandoned4  ,auguste's   
dogs1 like others of their breed1 were  
tireless and powerful4 ,they could      
easily draw a load of #djj pounds1      
though #bjj pounds was usually          
considered a one-dog load4 ,three dogs  
hitched to a #djj-pound load could run  
with it at a steady1 rapid trot for     
miles without apparent weariness4  ,pre 

,jean loved dogs1 and he could have     
stayed all day with ,auguste in his     
kennels1 but to ,auguste business was   
business1 and he at length persuaded    
,pre ,jean to pay a good price for a    
likely looking beggar from the latest   
litter4 ,that was ,pierrot4  8,he has   
the big feet and the large bones10 said 
,auguste4 8,that means he will grow     
large and strong and live for many      
years1 like my ,jacques10 and he pointed
 to the superb sire that headed his     
kennels4  ,so ,pre ,jean took the fuzzy1
 awkward little puppy back to the little
 tile-roofed cottage he had built for   
his bride ten years before1 and where   
,henri and wee ,lisa had been born4     
,they were sober1 industrious1 thrifty  
folk1 the ,van ,huyks1 and prosperous   
among their neighbours4 ,in ,belgium a  
peasant is always a peasant1 and there  
is a wide gulf fixed between the rich   
and the poor1 but ,pre ,jean owned his  
little dairy farm six miles out from    
,brussels on the ,waterloo ,road1 beyond

 the ,forest of ,soignies1 and they were
 very comfortable and happy4  ,it was a 
pleasant country1 with green pastures   
and meadows1 nodding wheat and rye      
fields1 and trim1 orderly market gardens
 on every hand1 and with straight1      
smooth1 hard roads all leading to town  
between tall rows of poplar trees4 ,pre 
,jean tilled the little farm and he and 
,gran'pre milked the cows and made the  
cheese1 while ,mre ,marie took the milk 
in to ,brussels every morning in big    
brass and copper cans which she kept    
very clean and shiny4  ,farther back    
from the city1 where the farms were     
poorer and the market not so near1 the  
peasants wore rough smocks and clumsy   
wooden shoes and lived mostly on coarse 
rye bread and bacon and potatoes1 with  
milk and rice and dried herring on      
,fridays4 ,but ,pre ,jean and ,mre      
,marie always wore leather shoes when   
they went to town1 and only the children
 clumped around in yellow sabots to save
 their ,sunday shoes1 and ,gran'pre     

because he preferred them4  ,mre ,marie 
was a plump1 fresh-faced young woman    
with a beautiful1 heavy crown of golden 
brown hair which was always neatly      
dressed1 no matter how much of a hurry  
she was in4 ,she went bareheaded1 winter
 and summer1 except when it rained2 then
 she drew her shawl over her head4 ,she 
wore a trim short skirt and a clean     
white apron4  ,illustration  ,on        
,sundays the family went regularly to   
mass1 dressed in their finest clothes1  
and then feasted on hare and eggs and   
butter and cheese and many kinds of     
vegetables4 ,in the afternoon ,pre ,jean
 took his cornet and went to practise   
with the band1 and sometimes he took    
,henri with him4 ,it was a wonderful    
band1 for all ,belgians love to make    
music1 and little ,henri could hardly   
wait for the time when his father would 
teach him to play1 too4 ,but when the   
band played the martial music1 ah1 then 
little ,henri's bosom swelled almost to 
bursting1 and he determined to be a     

soldier when he grew up4 ,that would be 
grand1 indeed6 ,but ,pre ,jean only     
smiled and told him that being a soldier
 wasn't all bands and fine uniforms4    
,some of the peasants used dogs to      
harrow and cultivate their vegetable    
gardens1 but ,pre ,jean owned a big     
black horse named ,medard1 so that      
,luppe's only duty was to draw the      
milk-cart and to bark at night if       
strangers approached4 ,when ,pierrot    
grew old enough ,luppe taught him to    
wake up and bark at strange noises and  
to keep quiet at other times1 for a good
 watchdog does not waste his breath on  
the moon4 ,when the huntsmen rode by    
with their chiens de chasse ,pierrot    
would become very much excited and      
wanted to follow them1 but ,luppe       
explained to him that their vocation was
 a very foolish and frivolous one1 and  
beneath the dignity of a chien de trait1
 though ,luppe himself would often lose 
his head over the warm scent of a hare1 
or even of a rat or mole4  ,old ,luppe  

was1 as you see1 a very wise and        
experienced dog4 ,he knew all the roads 
like a book and most of the streets of  
,brussels4 ,he knew how to bring his    
cart safely across crowded thoroughfares
 without guidance1 and to stop without  
instructions before the houses of ,mre  
,marie's customers in the city4 ,also he
 knew how to pull his load with the     
least possible expenditure of strength  
and wind1 and to lie down and rest in   
his harness whenever he stopped for a   
minute4  ,all these things he would one 
day teach to ,pierrot1 but meanwhile the
 puppy's education was chiefly in the   
fundamentals4 ,when ,luppe was away on  
his business ,pierrot would romp and    
play for hours with the children1 and as
 his first teeth dropped out and his    
second set came1 white and strong1 he   
learned just how hard it is fitting to  
bite a soft hand or plump ankle in play 
or in love4 ,sometimes he would follow  
,pre ,jean and ,gran'pre about the farm 
or dairy1 and they taught him to come at

 a call and to lie down and wait until  
he was wanted4 ,this was a very hard    
lesson to master1 you may believe4 ,also
 it was hard to learn that ,sunday shoes
 are not meant to be chewed like a broth
 bone4  ,so ,pierrot lived happily      
through his baby days on the dairy farm 
on the ,waterloo ,road4 ,there was      
plenty of skim milk and other things for
 him to eat1 and after he had overcome a
 slight predisposition to colic he began
 to grow very fast4 ,his feet persisted 
in keeping ahead of him in growth1 and  
he was still awkward when he ran fast1  
but his bones were getting big and      
strong and he was growing solid and     
heavy4 ,as the cold weather came on his 
bark grew deeper and less squeaky and   
the stiff hairs began to show through   
the soft puppy coat4 ,pierrot was fast  
growing into a fine big dog1 black and  
white with spots of tan above his eyes  
and on his muzzle and forelegs4         
,pierrot could not yet carry wee ,lisa  
on his back as old ,luppe could so      

easily1 but to ,henri he seemed large   
enough for anything1 and the boy was    
very impatient to see ,pierrot's serious
 training begun4 ,so ,gran'pre1 in his  
leisure hours1 built a little toy cart  
and harness for ,pierrot1 and he and    
,henri began the lessons4  ,at first    
,pierrot was very unmanageable and      
seemed anxious to get into the cart     
himself1 but after a while ,gran'pre    
made him understand that he was to go   
straight ahead when given the word and  
not stop until so ordered4 ,finally they
 taught him to turn when he felt the tug
 of a rein on his collar4  ,illustration
  ,when at last ,gran'pre felt sure that
 ,pierrot had learned his lessons1      
,henri was allowed to take him out upon 
the road with wee ,lisa in the cart1 to 
the huge delight of that small1 merry   
person4  ,one day1 as they passed       
solemnly along the road1 ,henri marching
 sturdily alongside and wee ,lisa       
sitting like a proud lady in her        
carriage1 they met a ,belgian soldier in

 a queer little bonnet and a dark blue  
uniform with red stripes on his         
trousers4 ,henri saluted as ,gran'pre   
had taught him to do1 and the soldier   
came to a halt4  8,where are you going1 
monsieur and mademoiselle80 asked the   
soldier pleasantly4  8,just for a       
drive10 replied ,henri1 a little        
bewildered at being thus formally       
addressed4  ,the grenadier1 who was not 
much of a talker1 stood regarding them  
with a quizzical smile4 ,then ,henri    
plucked up courage3  8,my father wears a
 blue coat with brass buttons1 too10    
said he4  8,is he a soldier80 asked the 
man4  8,n-no10 replied ,henri4 8,but he 
plays in the band40  8,ah1 so6 ,and     
shall you play in the band and wear a   
blue coat with brass buttons80          
8,perhaps4 ,and perhaps ,i shall be a   
grenadier or a trooper40  8,and         
mademoiselle1 what will then become of  
her80  8,lisa8 ,oh1 she will marry a    
burgomaster10 replied ,henri2 whereat   
the soldier laughed heartily1 for he had

 a simple wit1 and passed on4  ,pre     
,jean also laughed1 in his big1 hearty  
way1 when ,henri told of the encounter1 
but ,gran'pre shook his head and looked 
very thoughtful4  8,it may all be10 said
 he4 8,who knows80  ,and so the winter  
passed with many small adventures1 but  
on the whole tranquilly4 ,pierrot--he   
was getting to be big ,pierrot now--was 
very much one of the family1 more so    
than ,luppe had ever been4 ,luppe was a 
fine1 wise1 able dog1 but very          
businesslike and unemotional4 ,all the  
family loved ,luppe and hated to see him
 grow old1 for he had been a faithful   
and willing servant1 but it was ,pierrot
 who really found a place deep in their 
hearts4 ,there had been no children to  
play with when ,luppe was a puppy1 and  
that makes a great difference4 ,he had  
early found his allotted place between  
the shafts1 and his greatest joy was in 
the day's work4 ,but ,henri and wee     
,lisa had made a comrade of ,pierrot1   
and so he grew up very warm-hearted and 

with a broader1 deeper1 more varied     
outlook on life than ,luppe's4 ,luppe   
served a kind master and mistress and   
was content1 but ,pierrot needed        
love--given and received4  ,the winter  
was cold and a hard one for old ,luppe1 
and he became a little rheumatic and    
stiff in his hind legs4 ,he accepted    
more promptly every opportunity to rest1
 and rose with less alacrity than of    
old4 ,pre ,jean and ,mre ,marie both    
noticed this and began to turn their    
thoughts toward the further training of 
,pierrot4  ,when warm ,june weather came
 again1 ,luppe improved1 but it was     
evident that ,pierrot must soon take his
 place4 ,the youngster was only fifteen 
months old1 and his body1 which had     
grown with extraordinary rapidity1 still
 needed filling out1 but already he     
seemed nearly as big and strong as      
,luppe4 ,he had a tremendous appetite1  
and it seemed to ,pre ,jean that he     
should be earning his board4  ,one day  
,pre ,jean had a heavy hogshead in the  

dairy which he wished to move1 and he   
and ,gran'pre could scarcely budge it4  
,medard1 the horse1 had been loaned to  
,joseph ,verbeeck1 the market gardener1 
to help plough a field for late         
cabbages4 ,so ,pre ,jean pried up the   
hogshead with a bar while ,gran'pre     
slipped rollers beneath it1 and when    
,luppe returned from town with ,mre     
,marie they hitched him to a chain      
fastened around the hogshead4 ,pre ,jean
 and small ,henri pushed from behind1   
,gran'pre stood ready with more rollers1
 and ,mre ,marie urged ,luppe to pull4  
,with great effort they moved the heavy 
load a few inches1 and ,luppe began to  
pant painfully4  8,it is too hard for   
him10 said ,mre ,marie4 8,he is no      
longer young4 ,he will hurt himself40   
,then ,gran'pre thought of young        
,pierrot and sent ,henri and ,lisa to   
find him4 ,they hitched him to the chain
 beside ,luppe and ,mre ,marie gave the 
word to start4  ,pierrot hurled himself 
forward mightily and fell back upon his 

haunches4 ,old ,luppe looked at him     
disgustedly4 ,that was no way to start a
 load4  ,pierrot got up again and       
settled forward into his collar1 his    
nails scratching the dairy floor in an  
effort to get a foothold1 and before the
 rest were ready the big hogshead       
started to move4 ,then ,luppe threw his 
weight forward1 and ,pre ,jean and      
,henri put their shoulders to it1 and   
the hogshead began to gather momentum4  
,at first ,pierrot pulled jerkily1 with 
his forefeet scratching and his tongue  
hanging out2 he wanted to run with it4  
,but ,luppe growled at him and soon he  
settled down to the steady pull that    
counts4 ,gran'pre began thrusting the   
rollers beneath the hogshead1 ,mre      
,marie spoke shrill words of            
encouragement1 and foot by foot the two 
big dogs dragged the ponderous load to  
the other side of the dairy4  ,pierrot  
was panting and his tongue was dripping 
when the work was done1 but he looked up
 very proudly at ,mre ,marie1 as        

,gran'pre unharnessed him1 and wagged   
his stump tail violently as she spoke   
the expected word of praise4 ,old ,luppe
 said nothing1 but stalked off stolidly 
to his piece of carpet and lay down with
 a thump4  ,then ,pre ,jean went over to
 ,pierrot and felt up and down his legs 
and pinched his back and shoulders4     
8,he'll do10 said ,pre ,jean4 8,i think 
you might take him to town to-morrow    
with ,luppe40  ,pierrot had grown up4   
,,ii   ,pierrot's first trip to         
,brussels was filled with wonderful     
experiences4 ,mre ,marie1 very brisk and
 fresh-looking1 routed him out before   
daybreak4 ,the polished copper cans1    
filled with last night's creamy milk1   
she took from the cool water in which   
they stood and wiped them carefully4    
,then she brought up the low cart1 with 
its two stout wheels and the framework  
slanting out from the sides1 and set the
 cans in neatly with a round cheese and 
a firkin of butter4 ,luppe came up      
quietly1 and ,mre ,marie fastened on his

 girth and collar1 to which the reins   
were attached1 and placing him between  
the shafts snapped on the traces4       
,illustration  ,all this1 of course1    
,pierrot had observed many times before1
 but he was somewhat astonished when    
,mre ,marie took down his own harness   
from its peg and buckled it on him4     
,then she led him over beside ,luppe and
 hitched him outside the left-hand      
shaft1 snapping the traces into a ring  
,gran'pre had bolted to the front of the
 cart4 ,it suddenly dawned upon ,pierrot
 that he was to be taken out into the   
world1 and he began to prance and       
wriggle in his excitement4 ,luppe turned
 about and nipped his ear and told him  
not to be silly4 ,then ,mre ,marie felt 
of all the cans to see if they were     
securely placed1 pinned her little shawl
 across her breast1 and gathered up the 
reins4  8,eui1 ,luppe6 ,eui1 ,pierrot60 
she cried1 and the dogs trotted out into
 the cool morning1 ,mre ,marie walking  
rapidly beside the cart4  ,after a      

little while they met another woman with
 a milk-cart like ,mre ,marie's coming  
out of a lane1 and they all went along  
together1 ,mre ,marie and the woman     
talking and laughing4 ,pierrot tried to 
pick an acquaintance with the other dog1
 but he appeared to be a surly fellow1  
and ,pierrot was forced to give it up4  
,as dawn broke there appeared on the    
road other people with dogs and         
carts--women with milk and both men and 
women with fresh vegetables and fruit4  
,some of the market gardeners had larger
 carts with two or even three dogs1 and 
a few of the lazy ones rode and nodded  
on their carts4  ,the ,waterloo ,road   
runs straight into the centre of        
,brussels1 but ,mre ,marie and the other
 milkwomen did not take that route4     
,they turned off into a cross-road to   
the right after a while and at length   
came to the broad1 paved thoroughfare   
known as the ,avenue ,louise4 ,the      
houses began to appear closer together  
and there was much stir and bustle on   

the road4 ,pierrot had never seen so    
many people before1 and he found it all 
so interesting and exciting that it     
required the combined efforts of ,luppe 
and ,mre ,marie to keep him going       
straight ahead4  ,it was nearly four    
o'clock when they started4 ,a little    
more than an hour and a half later      
,pierrot found himself in the city      
itself1 with houses stretching          
continuously down each side of the      
street4 ,he might have been frightened  
but for the comforting proximity of     
,luppe and ,mre ,marie1 who seemed not  
at all disturbed4 ,it was growing noisy1
 too1 and ,pierrot was content to trot  
along very peacefully with his right    
side touching ,luppe's shaft4  ,arriving
 at the corner of a street that crossed 
the avenue1 they were halted by an      
officious ,garde de ,ville with         
fierce-looking moustaches4 ,he wore a   
blue uniform with a silver band on his  
cap1 and a terrifying sabre hung by his 
side4 ,behind him stood a very dejected 

woman with her dog and cart1 waiting    
until he should find time to take her to
 the station4 ,perhaps he had found that
 her milk was not fresh or had been     
watered4  8,ho6 ,sta stil60 commanded   
,mre ,marie1 and the dogs stopped4      
,then the officer proceeded to inspect  
,mre ,marie's cans and to test her milk4
 ,he examined the dogs for sores and the
 harness to see if it chafed1 and       
required ,mre ,marie to show him        
,luppe's drinking-bowl and the pieces of
 carpet for the dogs to lie on when     
resting4 ,finding everything as it      
should be--for ,mre ,marie was a careful
 milkwoman--he bade them pass on1 and by
 six o'clock they were ready for        
business4  ,mre ,marie gave ,luppe and  
,pierrot each a drink of water and a    
piece of hard dog cake1 and after a     
little rest they started on their       
rounds4 ,most of ,mre ,marie's customers
 were in the ,quartier ,louise1 where   
many of the ,english people live1 and   
she seemed to be very welcome here4 ,as 

the sun rose higher ,pierrot found it   
very pleasant standing in the shade of  
the big lime trees and chestnuts of the 
,avenue ,louise while ,mre ,marie took  
her bright cans to the houses4          
,carriages and automobiles rolled by    
constantly1 and pleasant people passed  
along the sidewalk1 forming a           
fascinating pageant for ,pierrot's      
entertainment4 ,when he became restless 
and felt an impulse to go on without    
,mre ,marie1 ,luppe1 who lost no        
opportunity to lie down and rest1 firmly
 restrained him4 ,on the whole1 ,pierrot
 behaved very well for his first lesson4
  ,and then there were many1 many other 
dogs to be seen4 ,it had never occurred 
to ,pierrot that there were so many dogs
 in the world1 and he was surprised not 
to find them all more excited about it4 
,luppe apparently paid no attention to  
them4  ,most noticeable were the large  
carts of the poultrymen from ,malines   
and other outlying villages who gathered
 at the covered market in the ,rue      

,duquesnoy4 ,to most of these carts five
 large dogs were harnessed1 one between 
the shafts and two on each side2        
sometimes a sixth was used beneath the  
cart with his tugs fastened to the axle4
 ,these poultrymen travel in the night  
7,malines is fifteen miles from         
,brussels7 in order to be early at      
market1 and frequently they fall asleep 
on their carts1 leaving the dogs to trot
 along unguided4 ,the intelligent       
animals not only keep up their steady   
pace without urging1 but learn to avoid 
all difficulties of the road by their   
own initiative4  ,then there were       
milkwomen and laundresses with carts    
much like ,mre ,marie's1 drawn by one   
dog or two4 ,there were bakers and      
peddlers of fruit and vegetables1 who   
mostly used high carts with their dogs  
hitched beneath4 ,and there were noisy1 
shouting mussel vendors pushing their   
carts before them1 with a dog hitched   
ahead to help4  ,sometimes a poor man   
would pass with a nondescript cart laden

 with kindling-wood1 garbage1 or        
what-not1 drawn by an undersized1       
underfed mongrel who was often hard put 
to it to drag his load1 but for the most
 part the dogs were fine1 big1 strapping
 fellows used to their work1 and        
apparently enjoying it4  ,illustration  
,the dog1 as a matter of fact1 is not   
only man's closest four-footed friend1  
but when set to work is his most willing
 slave and helper4 ,he is often         
intractable1 but when he works at all he
 works with a will4 ,other animals that 
have been harnessed and trained to do   
man's work--horse1 elephant1 camel1     
mule1 burro1 ox1 or reindeer--labour for
 the most part with a sort of stolid    
indifference and resignation4 ,with the 
exception of the most intelligent       
elephants and horses1 the dog is the    
only quadruped who displays a genuine   
interest and joy in his work4 ,whether  
hauling a canal boat in ,france or a    
sled in ,alaska1 he puts his heart and  
brain into his task and works like a    

man4  ,illustration  ,it did not occur  
to either ,pierrot or ,luppe to question
 the justice of their position4 ,luppe1 
in fact1 was happiest when between the  
shafts4 ,and the whole discussion as to 
whether or not the chiens de trait are  
cruelly treated is more or less         
profitless1 as it all depends on the    
master4 ,some of the owners are         
undoubtedly cruel1 and very few of them 
have any real feeling for their dogs1   
but for the most part common sense      
demands good treatment2 the owner is a  
fool who destroys the value of his own  
property by overwork or underfeeding1   
and for the most part the dogs are well 
fed and are kept in fine fettle for     
their work4  ,belgium has been slow to  
enact prohibitory laws in these matters1
 but of late years a ,society for the   
,prevention of ,cruelty to ,animals has 
been active1 and in some of the cities  
one may occasionally observe placards   
reading1 8,traitez les animaux avec     
douceur40 ,and for some years past there

 has been1 in ,brussels at least1 police
 inspection of harness to see that it   
does not chafe the dogs1 and drivers of 
sore1 sick1 or lame dogs are at least   
warned4  ,before noon ,mre ,marie had   
visited all her customers and sold all  
her milk1 and ,luppe knew when the route
 was completed and exhibited a growing  
interest in the prospect of home and    
dinner4  ,as they clattered across the  
,grande ,place they found many of the   
poultrymen also making ready for        
departure4 ,across the square a cry     
would be heard1 8,eui1 ,vos6 ,eui1      
,sus60 ,and off would rattle another    
team on the road to ,malines4  ,pierrot 
was very weary when they reached home   
again1 due to the excitement of new     
experiences as much as to the work done4
 ,he was very glad to curl up on his bed
 and dream of carts and dogs and people 
and rows of houses1 and ,mre ,marie bade
 the children not to disturb him4  ,the 
next day ,pierrot remained at home1 but 
the day following he travelled again to 

,brussels with ,mre ,marie and ,luppe1  
and thereafter for many days4 ,little by
 little ,mre ,marie and ,luppe taught   
him the things a cart-dog should know1  
and gradually he ceased to be astonished
 and excited by the sights and noises   
and smells of the city1 and when he     
reached home he was not so weary4       
,there came a day when old ,luppe was   
evidently ailing1 and ,pre ,jean thought
 it would be a good time to try ,pierrot
 alone with the cart4 ,so the next      
morning ,mre ,marie awoke ,henri very   
early and they hitched ,pierrot in      
,luppe's place between the shafts4      
,henri was to go along with ,mre ,marie 
to see that ,pierrot did not run away   
while she was visiting her customers4   
,old ,luppe arose stiffly and shakily   
and came over to be harnessed as usual4 
,mre ,marie pushed him gently aside1 and
 ,luppe stood for a moment looking      
surprised and hurt4 ,then his resentment
 against the usurper suddenly arose and 
he leaped at ,pierrot's throat4         

,pierrot had never been in a fight      
before1 but he was strong and active1   
and instinct told him how to defend     
himself4 ,he shook ,luppe off and then  
the two dogs grappled4 ,pierrot was     
hampered by shafts and harness1 but he  
held his own and did not attempt the    
aggressive4 ,mre ,marie sent ,henri     
running for his father1 and seizing a   
milk-yoke tried to separate the two     
dogs4  ,both were bleeding about the    
mouth but were not seriously injured    
when ,pre ,jean arrived on the scene4   
,mre ,marie held ,pierrot by his harness
 while ,pre ,jean managed to drag ,luppe
 off and tie him1 snarling and scolding1
 in the dairy4  ,then ,mre ,marie made  
haste to load her cart1 and soon they   
started out upon the road4 ,at the sound
 of the departing wheels ,luppe set up a
 long1 despairing howl4 ,pierrot trotted
 proudly along1 affecting not to hear1  
but a great sadness welled up in        
,henri's breast1 and there were tears in
 the bright eyes of ,mre ,marie4  ,the  

journey to ,brussels seemed very long   
and tiresome to ,henri1 but he trudged  
along manfully beside his mother1 who   
sought to keep up his spirits with      
cheery talk about the city and the      
people there4  ,henri had driven to     
,brussels several times with his father1
 but he had never before spent so much  
time in the streets1 and he soon forgot 
his weariness in the interesting sights 
about him4 ,for one thing1 he noticed   
that many of the other dogs wore        
muzzles1 and he asked his mother about  
it4  8,that is because they are ugly10  
said ,mre ,marie4 8,they snap at people 
who disturb them and they try to fight  
other dogs40  8,but ,pierrot wears no   
muzzle10 said ,henri4  8,that is because
 he is gentle10 said ,mre ,marie4 8,if  
you make a friend of your dog1 and never
 beat him except when he is very bad1   
and talk to him a great deal1 he becomes
 very like a person and does not want to
 bite any one40  ,the ,belgian cart-dogs
 are naturally good-natured1 but their  

life has made them generally combative4 
,when their masters take the trouble to 
treat them as comrades from puppyhood1  
they become exceedingly devoted and     
affectionate4 ,such a dog was ,pierrot4 
,he did not know what it was to have an 
enemy1 and his love for ,pre ,jean and  
,mre ,marie and ,gran'pre and ,henri and
 wee ,lisa had grown as naturally as his
 big muscles and rough coat4  ,toward   
the middle of the forenoon ,henri grew  
weary again and began sitting on the    
curb beside ,pierrot whenever his mother
 left him4 ,so ,mre ,marie decided that 
he needed a little diversion4  8,see10  
said she1 8here are mes amies1 les      
petites marchandes de journaux4 ,you    
will make friends with them while       
,pierrot and ,i visit ,madame ,courtois4
 ,it is a quiet street and ,pierrot will
 not run away4 ,we will soon return40   
,in a little round stall at the corner  
sat two pretty young girls sewing and   
chatting together behind their piles of 
magazines and newspapers4 ,they looked  

up with smiles and greeted ,mre ,marie  
gayly as she approached4 ,they1 too1    
were from the ,south and spoke ,french  
rather than ,flemish4 ,henri liked them 
at once4  ,illustration  8,this is my   
little ,henri10 said ,mre ,marie to the 
newsgirls1 8and his legs have become    
fatigued4 ,may he sit with you while ,i 
visit ,madame ,courtois80  ,both girls  
laughed merrily at nothing at all and   
made a place for ,henri on the narrow   
bench between them1 while ,mre ,marie   
and ,pierrot started up a side street4  
,one of the girls had dimples in her    
cheeks and the other had curly hair     
which blew about her ears4  8,where is  
the old dog to-day80 asked one of the   
girls4  8,he is ill10 replied ,henri4   
8,and the young dog has learned to take 
his place80  ,henri nodded very         
solemnly4 8,oh1 yes10 said he1 8we have 
taught him40  ,whereat both girls       
laughed again4  ,soon they were all very
 good friends and ,henri was telling    
them all about ,luppe and ,pierrot and  

,medard and ,lisa and ,gran'pre and the 
yellow bird in its wooden cage4 ,when   
,mre ,marie and ,pierrot returned1      
,henri was feeling much rested but      
rather hungry1 and one of the girls gave
 him a pear from her basket4  ,henri    
turned and waved his hand to them as    
,mre ,marie led him away1 and the girls 
laughed and shouted after them3 8,au    
revoir1 ,mre ,marie6 ,au revoir1 ,henri6
 ,au revoir1 ,monsieur le ,chien60 ,and 
,henri laughed1 too1 for that was a very
 droll way to address ,pierrot4  ,the   
cart was lighter going home1 so ,mre    
,marie allowed ,henri to ride part of   
the way1 and ,pierrot trotted or walked 
steadily along like the willing worker  
he was getting to be4  ,that day ,luppe 
was better1 but ,pre ,jean thought he   
had best have a good rest2 so he was    
given a comfortable bed of straw in an  
unused stall in the little thatched     
stable1 and ,mre ,marie and ,henri and  
,pierrot went again to the city without 
him4 ,and again ,luppe howled at their  

departure and was very despondent all   
day4  ,one cannot say whether ,luppe    
died of a broken heart or whether it was
 his advancing years and the rheumatism4
 ,pre ,jean did not realize what it     
meant to ,luppe to be deprived of his   
work in life2 and1 anyway1 what else    
could he have done8 ,the poor old dog   
failed rapidly4 ,he would not eat1 and  
he scarcely responded to the attentions 
which the whole family showered upon    
him4 ,only on the last day his eyes     
followed ,gran'pre about with dumb      
pleading in them2 and when ,gran'pre at 
last knelt beside him1 ,luppe painfully 
dragged himself up into the old man's   
arms1 and1 with a great sigh1 died4     
,mre ,marie and ,henri and ,lisa all    
wept1 ,lisa the loudest1 and ,gran'pre  
and ,pre ,jean were both very quiet and 
sober4 ,it is not fitting that a man    
should mourn a dog as he mourns a       
brother or even a cross old uncle1 but  
sometimes a dying dog leaves just as    
deep a feeling of loss4 ,luppe1 with all

 his little faults1 had been one of the 
family for so long that home would never
 seem quite the same again without him4 
,they buried him under the grapevine1 in
 a sheltered spot1 and many a human     
grave has been watered by less genuine  
tears4 ,then ,lisa brought blue         
cornflowers and red poppies and laid    
them on the little mound1 and they all  
went silently back to the house4  ,thus 
was old ,luppe gathered to his fathers  
and young ,pierrot reigned in his stead4
  ,illustration     ,,iii   ,it was not 
long after old ,luppe's death that a    
terrible thing happened4 ,pre ,jean came
 in one afternoon with a piece of yellow
 paper which he and ,mre ,marie and     
,gran'pre studied very gravely for a    
long time4 ,the children were sent to   
bed early but they could hear their     
elders talking until very late4 ,they   
could not imagine what it meant1 but    
when ,henri woke up once in the night he
 heard ,mre ,marie weeping1 which was   
strange1 for she was usually so         

cheerful4 ,perhaps she was thinking     
about ,luppe4  ,illustration  ,in       
,brussels there seemed to be more       
excitement than usual1 and nearly every 
one bought papers of the pretty         
newsgirls at the corner4 ,all were      
serious looking and many appeared to be 
frightened4 ,also there were soldiers   
marching through the streets1 which was 
a grand sight to ,henri4  ,it was from  
the newsgirls that ,henri at last       
learned what it was all about4 ,it was  
war1 which of course explained the      
soldiers4 ,henri's heart leaped as he   
watched them in the hope that he might  
see some fighting1 but he was a little  
frightened1 too4 ,on the way home he    
plied his mother with questions1 but she
 was very quiet and he did not learn    
much from her4  ,at last he found out   
that ,pre ,jean1 who had once served a  
term in the army1 had been called to the
 colours and attached to a company of   
reserves4 ,every day he had to leave the
 farm and the dairy in ,gran'pre's hands

 and go away to drill4 ,on these        
occasions he wore a uniform which1 while
 not quite so gay as the one he wore in 
the band1 was more martial looking4     
,this made ,henri very proud1 but ,mre  
,marie had not much to say about it4    
,illustration  ,once1 when ,henri stayed
 at home to help ,gran'pre1 they heard a
 great sound of tramping and went out to
 see what it was4 ,up the road a cloud  
of dust appeared and through it the legs
 of many men all moving together and the
 glint of sun on steel4 ,presently the  
soldiers came1 hundreds and hundreds of 
them1 marching past the little dairy    
farm toward ,brussels4 ,henri wanted to 
cheer1 but ,gran'pre seemed so stern    
that he refrained4 ,together they stood 
beside the road1 old man and little boy1
 very straight and rigid1 saluting      
solemnly as the officers rode past4 ,it 
was all most impressive4  ,henri        
continued to go to the city frequently  
with ,mre ,marie1 not because ,pierrot  
was likely to misbehave1 for he had     

learned his lessons well1 but because   
,mre ,marie more and more wanted him    
with her4 ,everywhere he heard talk of  
the great war and learned to keep his   
ears open4 ,the ,germans had come and   
there was fighting at ,lige--though     
,henri did not in the least know where  
,lige might be4 ,every one was proud of 
the brave men who were holding the      
forts1 and ,henri could understand      
something of that4 ,he was proud1 too1  
especially as his father was a soldier1 
though he did not understand why ,pre   
,jean had not been fighting and winning 
battles4 ,wounded men were occasionally 
brought in to ,brussels1 and ,mre ,marie
 seemed much troubled by the sight of   
them4 ,henri wanted very much to        
question them about fighting but was    
given no opportunity4  ,then came the   
day when the terrible news that ,lige   
had fallen sent ,brussels into a fever  
of excitement4 ,some of ,mre ,marie's   
customers packed up and moved away to   
,antwerp or ,ostend or ,england1 so that

 ,pierrot's route grew shorter4 ,there  
seemed to be fear that the ,germans     
might appear at any moment4  8,the      
,french60 cried the people in despair4  
8,where are they80  ,when ,mre ,marie   
and ,henri reached home that day ,pre   
,jean was waiting nervously in his      
uniform1 with his rifle and             
accoutrements ready4  8,we have been    
called to the front10 said he4 8,the    
,germans must be kept from ,brussels40  
,not much more was said2 it was not a   
time for talking4 ,pre ,jean kissed them
 all1 even old ,gran'pre1 and said      
good-bye1 and hurried off down the road4
 ,mre ,marie was very brave and did not 
weep till he had gone4 ,then she pressed
 ,henri and wee ,lisa close to her and  
sobbed bitterly1 which made the children
 cry1 too1 and ,pierrot1 who had not    
been unharnessed1 came dragging his cart
 and thrust his moist nose among them in
 sympathy4 ,but ,gran'pre stood alone by
 the road1 looking toward ,brussels1 his
 shoulders squared and his lips closed  

in a thin line4  ,then terrible events  
took place very rapidly3 ,the ,belgians 
could not hold back the ,germans and    
,pre ,jean and the rest were forced to  
fall back to ,antwerp4 ,the ,gardes de  
,ville in ,brussels advised ,mre ,marie 
not to come to town any more1 so they   
said good-bye to the pretty newsgirls   
and their other friends and tried to    
explain the matter to ,pierrot who      
complained the next morning because he  
was not harnessed to his cart4  ,that is
 why they were not in town when the news
 came that ,louvain had been destroyed  
and many peaceful people who were not   
soldiers at all had been shot4 ,but the 
news was not long in reaching the dairy 
farm1 and ,mre ,marie turned very white4
 ,some of their neighbours packed up    
their belongings and drove away1 but    
,gran'pre and ,mre ,marie did not know  
where to go1 so they stayed at home4    
,three ,belgian soldiers came and drove 
off ,medard and all the cows except one 
spotted heifer1 and gave ,mre ,marie a  

receipt1 saying that she would be paid  
some time4 ,they all knew the ,germans  
would soon be there1 so it didn't matter
 much2 and with only one cow to milk and
 no trip to make to town there was less 
work to do4 ,gran'pre1 with the help of 
,mre ,marie and ,henri and ,pierrot1    
began to harvest such of their small    
crops as he could4  ,on ,august #ahth a 
frightened neighbour brought word that  
the ,king had left for ,antwerp and that
 ,brussels was in the hands of the      
,germans4  8,why cannot we go to        
,antwerp1 lieve moeder10 asked ,henri1  
8and be with the ,king and ,pre ,jean   
and the soldiers80  ,but ,mre ,marie    
only shook her head2 she could not      
speak4  ,of all this ,pierrot understood
 but little4 ,he only knew that he      
missed the pleasant clatter of the      
milk-cart at his heels1 and the shade of
 the lime trees on the ,avenue ,louise1 
and all the interesting sounds and      
smells of the city1 and the sweet       
laughter of les petites marchandes de   

journaux4 ,also he missed the strong1   
kind hands and deep voice of ,pre ,jean4
 ,but he1 too1 was soon to learn        
something of the meaning of war4  ,a few
 years before a regiment of carabiniers 
had started to use dogs to haul small   
supply carts and mitrailleuses or       
machine-guns4 ,they are the soldiers who
 wear dark green uniforms with narrow   
yellow braid and yellow badges1         
wide-collared overcoats in winter1 and  
queer1 high-crowned hats with chin      
straps and plumes of glossy1 green-black
 cock feathers sprouting from green and 
yellow rosettes4 ,that is1 of course1   
the parade hat4 ,in action they wear    
little round caps or take the feathers  
out of their hats and cover them with   
black oilcloth4 ,the experiment with    
dogs proved successful1 and now that    
there seemed a prospect of much fighting
 and marching in the rough country the  
army decided to extend this branch of   
the service and began to commandeer     
hundreds of strong1 well-trained chiens 

de trait4  ,just before the first ,uhlan
 appeared at the ,van ,huyk farm a      
,belgian carbineer came very hurriedly  
one morning and led ,pierrot away4 ,the 
dog resisted at first but soon found he 
had got to go and trotted off up the    
road by the soldier's side4 ,the        
children clung to his rough neck and    
wept until ,mre ,marie dragged them into
 the house1 but ,gran'pre stood very    
straight and still and put his hand to  
his forehead when the soldier and       
,pierrot marched away4 ,the last thing  
,pierrot saw as he turned back at the   
bend in the road was the stiff1 brave   
figure of the old man standing before   
the little farmhouse1 and the last thing
 he heard was the wild wailing of wee   
,lisa who could not understand and would
 not be comforted4  ,pierrot and the    
carbineer were soon joined by other     
soldiers with other dogs1 and they all  
hurried along the strange roads         
together4 ,it was a long journey1 more  
than twenty miles1 for they made a wide 

detour around ,brussels1 passing north  
through ,anderlecht4  ,illustration     
,when they arrived at last at ,malines  
,pierrot was placed in an enclosure with
 many other dogs4 ,they were not used to
 being together in this way1 and two men
 had to go about among them with whips  
to keep them from fighting4 ,but        
,pierrot1 who was always friendly1 found
 this contact with his kind rather      
pleasant1 though he was greatly         
perplexed by it all and wanted to go    
home4  ,at night the dogs were fed and  
given straw to lie upon1 but none of    
them slept well in the new surroundings1
 and their guards were tired and        
irritable before morning4  ,after       
daybreak soldiers came and took out the 
dogs two by two4 ,finally a big1 bearded
 carbineer named ,conrad ,orts          
approached ,pierrot4 ,he patted         
,pierrot's head1 opened his mouth to    
look at his teeth1 and ran his hand down
 the hairy back and legs1 as ,pre ,jean 
used to do1 and ,pierrot liked him4     

,also he seemed to like ,pierrot1 for he
 smiled1 and said1 8,un bon garon40     
,then he selected a big1 strong1 surly  
looking dog named ,jef1 so ,pierrot     
afterward learned1 and led the two dogs 
on leashes out into an open field where 
there were tents and carts and piles of 
boxes and bundles and much bustling     
about4  ,they came to a strange little  
cart the like of which ,pierrot had     
never seen before4 ,it was a rapid-fire 
machine-gun mounted on two bicycle      
wheels4 ,in place of shafts there was a 
single tongue with two collars fastened 
at the end1 one on each side4 ,one of   
these ,conrad snapped about ,pierrot's  
neck and the other about ,jef's1 and    
then fastened the traces4 ,then he      
trotted them about for a few moments    
till he seemed satisfied4 ,the gun and  
carriage weighed less than #bjj pounds  
altogether1 which was a very easy load  
for two strong dogs on level ground4    
,other dogs were being harnessed to     
similar vehicles1 only some of them had 

ammunition boxes in place of the little 
cannon4 ,then ,conrad tied the dogs and 
went in search of the two soldiers who  
had brought them1 in order that he might
 learn their names1 which was a wise    
thing for him to do4  ,for a day or two 
,conrad ,orts spent much time training  
,jef and ,pierrot1 taking them through  
water and over all kinds of rough       
country that they might be ready for    
anything4 ,commands in the ,belgian army
 are given mostly in ,french1 which was 
strange to ,pierrot1 for ,gran'pre and  
,pre ,jean had taught him ,flemish      
words4 ,so he had to learn the meaning  
of such commands as 8,halte-l60         
8,marche60 and 8,va vite60 ,but he and  
,jef soon learned to obey ,conrad even  
when he did not hold the reins1 pulling 
the little cannon with a will across    
creeks and up and down steep banks1 and 
dashing with it through thickets where  
neither horses nor automobiles could    
have gone4 ,the dogs soon discovered    
each other's ways and learned to save   

their strength for the hard places and  
to pull well together4 ,and in spite of 
,jef's taciturnity1 ,pierrot found him  
to be an honest fellow1 always ready to 
do his share of the work1 and he came to
 like him4 ,conrad seemed much pleased  
with them both4  ,then came a morning   
when there was great excitement in the  
camp of the carbineers4 ,men were       
running all about and officers were     
shouting commands4 ,conrad came and     
hurriedly harnessed ,pierrot and ,jef to
 their carriage and they started off on 
a run down the road toward ,brussels    
with some of the other dogs and guns4   
,when they had gone about a mile the    
dogs were unharnessed and tied to trees1
 and the guns were placed in the road4  
,presently the galloping of horses was  
heard and shots were fired1 which       
frightened the dogs and made them try to
 break loose4 ,but they were much more  
frightened when their own guns began to 
speak4 ,a horrible din arose1 and some  
of the dogs lay down and cowered and    

others pranced and howled4 ,men came and
 kicked them and told them to be still2 
all of the soldiers seemed hurried and  
excited4 ,pierrot was trembling         
,violently and wished he were at home   
with ,gran'pre and wee ,lisa1 but stolid
 ,jef took it all very calmly and that  
put courage into ,pierrot4              
,illustration  ,a company of ,belgian   
infantry came running up1 and throwing  
themselves flat on the ground by the    
roadside1 or standing behind trees1 they
 began firing at the ,uhlans4 ,then1    
after a little1 two armoured automobiles
 came rushing along and charged down the
 road1 and the firing of the            
machine-guns ceased4  ,by and by the    
order came for the carbineers to fall   
back1 and the dogs were quickly         
harnessed up again4 ,some of them had to
 be kicked and cuffed into action1 but  
,pierrot and ,jef obeyed ,conrad ,orts  
in spite of their fear4 ,beside their   
gun a soldier lay moaning1 and ,pierrot 
sniffed at him curiously4 ,he could not 

understand any of it4  ,it had been only
 a little outpost skirmish1 but it was  
,pierrot's first taste of war4  ,there  
followed many days of this sort of      
thing4 ,sometimes there were skirmishes1
 sometimes false alarms1 but the dogs   
never knew when they might be called    
upon to run into action with their      
little cannon4 ,day or night1 it was    
always the same1 and it was fortunate   
for them that they learned to snatch    
such moments for rest and sleep as were 
offered4 ,and dinner-time became a very 
irregular affair4 ,it was all quite     
different from the orderly course of a  
cart-dog's life in ,brussels4 ,but      
gradually they learned to know what was 
expected of them and responded          
willingly4 ,in fact1 there was an       
excitement about it which kept them     
constantly keyed up and eager4 ,they got
 used to the smell of powder and the    
sound of firing1 too1 and ,pierrot did  
not tremble any more4  ,in the main1    
,conrad was kind1 though frequently     

hurried and a little rough1 and there   
were never sweetmeats any more nor      
caresses4 ,it was all very hard to      
understand4  ,two or three times the    
camp was moved1 and finally they        
withdrew to the circle of the ,antwerp  
forts4 ,and then once more ,pierrot     
heard the sounds and sniffed the smells 
of a city4 ,conrad hitched his dogs one 
day to a supply cart and took them in to
 town4 ,here again ,pierrot trotted     
along paved streets between high        
buildings1 and once his sharp ear caught
 the sound of milk cans rattling over   
paving stones4 ,it made him feel very   
homesick4  ,on their way back they had  
to wait for a long column of soldiers to
 march past4 ,they looked tired and     
dusty1 and the tramp1 tramp of their    
feet sounded strange in ,pierrot's ears4
 ,suddenly his eye was caught by a face 
he thought he knew4 ,could it be ,pre   
,jean8 ,perhaps he had come to take him 
home4  ,pierrot sniffed1 but in the     
strong man-smell of the marching troops 

he detected no familiar scent4 ,he      
barked with all his might1 8,here ,i am1
 ,pre ,jean2 here ,i am60 ,but ,conrad  
bade him be still1 and the soldier in   
the line kept his eyes fixed sternly    
ahead and marched on without turning4   
,so ,pierrot must have been mistaken4   
,it made him very unhappy1 and he whined
 in a low1 whistling tone till the      
column passed and ,conrad started on    
again4  ,there came a day when a fiercer
 battle took place than any ,pierrot had
 yet been engaged in4 ,the ,germans had 
spread out their forces until they were 
very near to the ,antwerp forts1 and    
there was need of an action in force to 
drive them back again4 ,many soldiers   
were ordered hastily to the             
front--galloping dragoons1 close ranks  
of infantry1 and horse-drawn field guns4
 ,when the command came to the          
carbineers1 the machine-gun battery was 
ready and the dogs waiting in their     
harnesses1 and they started off at a run
 down the road4  ,after they had gone   

about a mile an officer came galloping  
up and sent them off to the left around 
a little wood1 in which a battalion of  
infantry was in action4 ,the rattle of  
their rifles made an incessant din1 and 
now and then shrapnel shrieked overhead 
and shells exploded in the soft earth or
 among the trees4  ,illustration  ,the  
men urged their dogs to greater efforts1
 and they tore over the rough ground1   
dragging their guns and wagons in and   
out of gullies and through underbrush at
 a mad pace4  ,as they skirted the wood 
they came into full view of a gray      
,german column making its way slowly    
around the flank of the ,belgians4 ,the 
carbineers quickly deployed1 falling on 
their faces behind any bush or hillock  
they could find1 and opened fire4 ,but  
the men in charge of the batteries could
 not hide4 ,they must get their guns    
into action and take their chances4     
,there was no time to unharness the     
dogs1 so they were turned about and were
 obliged to stand facing away from the  

tumult of battle as the machine-guns    
began to rattle directly behind them4   
,it was very hard to bear1 and some of  
them might have broken and run but for a
 half-dozen men who had been told off to
 squat by the dogs' heads and hold them 
steady4  ,bullets began to whistle about
 their ears and to go plop6 plop6 into  
the ground about them4 ,now and then a  
man fell silently or with a sharp cry1  
and over on the right ,pierrot heard a  
dog's sharp yelp of anguish4 ,behind him
 ,conrad ,orts grunted and breathed     
through his teeth as he desperately     
worked his gun4  ,suddenly one of the   
men at the dogs' heads grasped his      
throat1 uttered a rattling moan1 and    
fell over in the grass1 and two of the  
dogs started wildly off1 their gun      
bumping and careening behind them4      
,other dogs reared and snarled1 and it  
was all the men could do to prevent a   
stampede4 ,a panic seized ,pierrot and  
the desire for swift flight1 but ,conrad
 turned about for a moment1 crying1     

8,steady1 boys1 steady60 ,stolid old    
,jef growled in his throat and ,pierrot 
stood firm4  ,the fire of the           
machine-guns had checked the advancing  
,germans1 and the carbineers began to   
dart ahead from hillock to hillock1     
continuing their fire4 ,at length the   
,germans withdrew and the battle centre 
shifted4 ,the carbineers were recalled  
and fell in with their battery behind   
the trees to catch their breath4 ,just  
as they were turning a speeding bullet  
caught a spotted young dog that ,pierrot
 had become acquainted with4 ,he was    
trotting close by with his mate and     
their gun1 and with a cry of pain and   
terror he leaped into the air and fell  
at ,pierrot's feet1 the red blood       
spurting from his shoulder4  ,in        
terrified amazement ,pierrot stopped    
short and sniffed at his fallen comrade4
 ,then ,conrad urged him on again while 
the men cut the dead dog from the       
traces4  ,for the carbineers the battle 
was over for that day1 but ,pierrot had 

looked upon his dead and he began to    
understand4     ,,iv   ,at length came  
the day of the evacuation of ,antwerp1  
and the ,belgian king and his brave but 
beaten army moved sorrowfully westward1 
leaving their fair land to suffer       
unprotected4 ,the carbineers were sent  
on ahead with their battery1 leaving the
 horse artillery and armoured motor cars
 and cavalry to cover the army's        
retreat4 ,some of the troops went on    
railway trains through ,ghent1 ,bruges1 
and ,ostend1 but for the most part the  
army1 including the carbineers1 was     
obliged to travel on foot4  ,it was a   
forced march1 long and arduous4 ,seventy
 miles they covered in three days1      
sometimes keeping to the roads1         
sometimes cutting across country1 but   
always hurrying on until it seemed to   
the dogs as though their legs would     
collapse and their lungs burst4  ,once  
they came out upon the seashore1 and    
,pierrot would have liked to tarry here 
and contemplate the new wonder1 but     

always there seemed to be the need for  
haste and ,conrad would not let him     
rest4 ,they left behind them the        
pleasant farms and the wooded country   
and came at length to the land of canals
 and dykes and sand dunes1 with queer1  
pollarded willows along the roadsides   
and canal banks4 ,also there was a great
 deal of rain and mud which made the    
hauling of the guns doubly difficult4   
,at last1 weary and wretched1 they came 
to a halt1 and the dogs were allowed a  
brief rest while the ranks were reformed
 and the men established camps and dug  
trenches4  ,it was here that ,pierrot   
occasionally saw soldiers in brown khaki
 who sang wild songs and spoke in a     
strange tongue but who seemed very      
friendly4 ,a few of them came one day to
 visit the carbineers1 and there was    
much handshaking and smoking1 but very  
little conversation4 ,they seemed       
particularly interested in the dogs1 and
 one of them1 a short1 stocky fellow1   
with a very red face and a wide grin1   

strode among them as though he had been 
waiting for weeks to rub his hand up and
 down a dog's back and pinch a dog's    
ears4 ,jef remained coldly suspicious1  
but ,pierrot wagged his stump tail      
violently and placed his muddy forepaws 
on the soldier's broad chest4 ,whereupon
 the soldier gave ,pierrot a stifling   
hug and a pat on the head and walked    
quickly away4  ,this did ,pierrot a     
world of good1 for though ,conrad ,orts 
was a good master he seemed to have no  
time for caresses1 and in ,pierrot's    
heart there was a mighty craving for the
 love of man4 ,when the brown khaki man 
was gone ,pierrot stood looking after   
him and whining4 ,then he lay down1     
whimpering a little1 and the great wave 
of homesickness swept over him afresh4  
,if a dog cannot fully reason1 he can at
 least remember1 and ,pierrot felt that 
he had lost what was best in life and he
 could not understand why4 ,he saw it   
all again--the peaceful dairy farm with 
,medard and the cows2 ,mre ,marie1 with 

her fresh face and the shiny milk cans2 
the busy city and the laughing          
newsgirls2 mild old ,gran'pre and merry 
little ,lisa2 the gentle hands and      
voices and the joy of being loved4 ,but 
of course ,pierrot was only a dog and   
war is war4 ,one cannot be bothered with
 such trivial matters when the fate of  
dynasties is at stake4  ,soon the       
fighting began again1 only now there    
were no gallant dashes along hard roads 
or across green fields1 but weary       
plodding through the mud1 climbing in   
and out of trenches1 short1             
heartbreaking charges1 and hasty        
retreats4 ,it was close-range fighting1 
and almost continuous4 ,there was a     
constant roaring of big guns and the    
sickening bursting of bombs near at     
hand4 ,the dogs were seldom unharnessed1
 slept by snatches when they could1 and 
were often obliged to go hungry4        
,during one of the many encounters1 a   
miserable little affair among the dunes 
ungilded by any of the fabled glory of  

battle1 ,conrad ,orts suddenly tumbled  
over in the wet sand and lay still4 ,the
 order to retreat was given1 but no word
 came from ,conrad4 ,jef and ,pierrot   
stood perplexedly watching the other men
 and dogs flounder back around the      
sand-hills4 ,then came shouts and the   
sound of running feet behind them1 and  
of hostile firing4 ,turning about1 they 
saw the men in gray coming on1 rushing  
from dune to dune4 ,partly through fear 
and partly through an instinctive       
feeling that they should return to their
 friends1 the two ,belgian dogs started 
off on a mad gallop after the retreating
 carbineers1 leaving the silent form of 
their master where it had fallen4  ,by a
 miracle they reached the trenches in   
safety1 though a rain of bullets fell   
all about them1 and a man named ,andr   
,wyns took charge of them and their gun4
  ,illustration  ,and now a new burden  
was laid upon ,jef and ,pierrot1 for    
,andr was a rough man and knew little   
about the handling of dogs4 ,he beat and

 prodded and kicked them1 not in anger  
but in the mistaken belief that such    
treatment was necessary to get the most 
out of them4 ,at first ,pierrot was     
terrified and enraged and showed his    
resentment1 for he had never been beaten
 in this manner before2 but he soon     
learned the uselessness of rebellion and
 submitted with what grace he could4    
,eagerly he waited for the coming again 
of ,conrad ,orts1 but ,conrad never     
returned4 ,as for ,jef1 he bore it all  
in sullen silence1 but it was plain to  
be seen that he bore no love for ,andr4 
,when the cold winter weather came there
 was added misery for dogs and men4 ,icy
 water stood in the bottoms of the      
trenches and the nights were raw and    
chill4 ,it was fortunate for ,pierrot   
that he had always been an outdoor dog1 
used to rain and frost and sleet1 and   
that his rough coat was thick and       
matted4 ,but that did not save his feet 
from getting frost-bitten after his runs
 through the water1 and cut by the      

frozen mud and ice-crusted pools4       
,little balls of ice would form between 
his toes1 which hurt him cruelly4 ,some 
of the men bandaged the feet of their   
dogs1 but ,andr ,wyns seemed to have no 
time for that4 ,he only beat them the   
harder when they started out stiffly or 
showed signs of weariness on the return4
 ,at night the men drew blankets around 
them and huddled about such small fires 
as they could find fuel for1 but there  
were neither fires nor blankets for the 
dogs4  ,if ,czar and ,kaiser can bring  
such suffering to men1 what chance that 
they will heed the aching limbs and     
bleeding feet of shivering dumb brutes8 
,the days and weeks slipped by and some 
of the dogs died of pneumonia1 or1      
weakened by hunger and exposure1 had to 
be shot4 ,pierrot1 grown gaunt and      
haggard1 was nearing the end of his     
strength4 ,he had become almost         
insensible to ,andre's beatings1 and his
 mind had become so dulled that he      
worked mechanically and without         

initiative4 ,the happy days on the      
,waterloo ,road seemed now so dim and   
unreal that he scarcely thought of them2
 only in the back of his brain there was
 always an aching1 hopeless longing4    
,one midwinter morning at daybreak      
,pierrot was aroused from restless      
slumber by a great noise and confusion  
all about him4 ,he and ,jef had been    
sleeping unharnessed beneath their gun  
in a little hollow at the lip of the    
trench1 huddled close together for      
warmth4 ,in the night a light snow had  
fallen and partly covered them4         
,pierrot rose to his feet1 stretched1   
shook himself wearily1 and stood        
blinking stupidly out upon a white      
world4 ,across the trench1 a few hundred
 yards away1 he could see the helmets of
 a great host of ,germans advancing     
rapidly in solid ranks4 ,the ,belgian   
soldiers were hurrying to the escarpment
 to meet the attack1 and already their  
rifles were speaking1 while ,german     
bullets ploughed sharp lines in the snow

 or buried themselves in the bank       
behind4 ,already one or two of the dogs 
who were in exposed positions were      
yelping with pain or had stiffened out  
upon the ground1 and now and then one of
 the carbineers went tumbling down to   
the bottom of the trench4  ,the men in  
charge of the little battery made a rush
 for their guns1 and a few of the dogs  
were hastily harnessed4 ,presently      
,pierrot saw ,andr ,wyns come labouring 
toward them with an armful of           
ammunition4 ,he had nearly reached them 
when he pitched forward upon his face   
and rolled down the bank4  ,then came   
the ,germans--hundreds1 thousands of    
them--not cheering1 but pressing grimly 
on and filling the gaps as their        
comrades fell4 ,there was a sharp order1
 and the ,germans broke into a run and  
stormed the trench with fixed bayonets4 
,illustration  ,then all was a frightful
 confusion of struggling men4 ,they     
filled the trench1 fighting desperately1
 and ,belgians and ,germans fell        

together in the awful agonies of sudden 
death4 ,the ,belgians fought stubbornly1
 but foot by foot the survivors were    
forced back1 and the ,germans swarmed   
into the trench1 across the bodies of   
foe and comrade1 and up the opposite    
bank4  ,one or two of the carbineers had
 succeeded in getting their machine-guns
 into action1 but they were soon        
overwhelmed and the dogs who were       
harnessed were quickly bayonetted that  
they might not run off with the guns4   
,some of the other dogs fled and perhaps
 a few escaped1 but there was little    
chance for them4  ,pierrot and ,jef     
stood waiting1 the impulse to flee not  
having come to them4 ,men scrambled past
 them1 but they stood dazed and         
terrified4 ,then a big brute of a       
fellow1 his face distorted with the     
battle madness which sometimes turns a  
man into a fiend1 came grunting and     
cursing up the bank1 and finding the    
dogs in his path1 thrust his bayonet    
wantonly through poor ,jef's heart4     

,pierrot saw his team-mate fall without 
a cry4 ,the ,german put his foot on the 
animal and drew out his bayonet with an 
effort4 ,a spurt of blood followed it   
and made a red pool in the snow4        
,unreasoning rage seized ,pierrot1 and  
with what remained of his once agile    
strength he leaped at the man's throat  
and sank his fangs into the flesh4 ,the 
soldier dropped his rifle1 and grasping 
,pierrot in his strong hands sought to  
choke him and force him off4 ,but the   
dog was crazed and blind with rage and  
insensible to pain4 ,he felt the tearing
 of the man's neck muscles between his  
jaws and he tasted the hot blood4 ,then 
the man's grip relaxed and he fell      
backward4 ,pierrot fell with him1 the   
breath well-nigh gone out of his body4  
,but the man lay quiet1 struggling no   
more1 and ,pierrot extricated himself   
and rose unsteadily4  ,the fight raging 
about him made no impression on his     
stunned senses4 ,but suddenly another   
gray form appeared before him2 a heavy  

boot caught him under the chin and sent 
him sprawling4 ,then the report of a    
rifle sounded loudly in his ears and he 
felt a sharp and awful pain in his right
 hind leg4  ,after that1 darkness4      
,v   ,when the light again dawned upon  
,pierrot's distressed brain he was      
conscious1 first1 of an intense         
sensation of pain and weakness4 ,then   
gradually he became aware of a weight   
upon his chest and a severe throbbing in
 his right hind leg4 ,he lifted his head
 but found himself unable to move or to 
reach his wounded leg with his tongue4  
,across his body rested the heavy thigh 
of a dead soldier4  ,pierrot sank back  
and waited till the dizziness passed and
 his head cleared a little4 ,then the   
universal instinct for self-preservation
 and the need to struggle for his life  
awoke within him4 ,little by little1    
with long1 painful waits between his    
efforts1 he managed to drag himself free
 from the weight upon him4  ,he stood   
for a moment1 trembling with weakness1  

as though to reassure himself that he   
was alive4 ,all was quiet about him1    
though the sounds of battle still raged 
not far away4 ,he hardly noticed the    
forms of fallen men in the trench or    
heard their occasional moans4 ,then he  
dropped to his side again and made a    
feeble attempt to lick his aching leg4  
,the foot was quite numb and the hair   
was matted and caked1 but the bleeding  
had stopped4  ,illustration  ,as his    
small store of strength returned he     
discovered that he was cold as well as  
weak1 and the need came upon him--the   
instinct of the hurt animal--to crawl   
away to some sheltered spot where he    
might either recuperate or die4 ,it     
seemed to him that first of all he must 
get away from the horrible trench4 ,very
 slowly and painfully1 with one leg     
dragging1 he toiled up the bank and over
 the escarpment1 and lay panting on the 
snowy ground4 ,then1 after a little     
rest1 he started on again unsteadily    
toward a little thicket of shrubbery    

that had been trampled nearly flat by   
the feet of the grenadiers4  ,it seemed 
a long way off1 and he was obliged to   
stop often to rest4 ,when at last he    
approached the thicket he was startled  
for a moment by a brown hare which      
scuttled out from beneath the tangled   
bushes and went bounding off across the 
snow4 ,pierrot felt no impulse to give  
chase nor any wonder that the hare      
should have escaped destruction4 ,he    
burrowed under the broken branches and  
sniffed his way to where the hare had   
made a nest in the dry grass beneath4   
,the spot was still warm1 and ,pierrot  
curled himself up in it gratefully and  
fell to nursing his wound4  ,for three  
days and two nights ,pierrot lay in his 
hiding-place1 sleeping much of the time4
 ,at noon the warm sun struck through   
the twigs which by night shielded him   
from the bitter winds4 ,the ,red ,cross 
motors came and there were sounds of    
human activity in the trench4 ,soldiers 
marched by1 but there was no rushing    

attack and no heavily shod phalanx came 
crashing through his cover4 ,in his     
dense retreat he lay undiscovered1      
waiting patiently for life or death4    
,during the third day he became restless
 and slept but little4 ,he was feeling  
somewhat stronger and his mind had      
become more active4 ,his wounded leg    
throbbed less severely4 ,toward         
nightfall an imperative call came to him
 to go forth4  ,thus far1 strangely     
enough1 he had not felt keen pangs of   
hunger1 for it is natural for sick dogs 
to fast4 ,but now he was painfully aware
 of a consuming thirst4 ,he had         
occasionally reached out and lapped at  
the cool snow outside his covert1 but   
while that had felt good to his fevered 
nose and mouth1 it had not sufficed4    
,now his throat was parched1 his tongue 
was thick and dry1 and his head ached4  
,if you do not believe that dogs have   
headaches1 notice how your terrier      
thrusts his head against your knee next 
time he is ailing1 and begs for the     

pressure of your hand4  ,so ,pierrot    
crawled out of his nest in the gathering
 dusk and looked about him1 stretching  
his stiffened limbs and lifting his nose
 to the keen wind4 ,he walked once      
around his thicket and then started off 
across the frozen ground toward the     
dunes1 making laborious progress1       
keeping to the shadows1 sniffing for    
water4  ,twice he heard voices1 and once
 footsteps approached and passed by1    
while he lay still and waited1 cowering4
 ,at last he came to a hollow where     
melting snow had formed a little pool4  
,he broke the thin sheet of ice with one
 forepaw1 and then1 thrusting his nose  
into the freezing water1 he drank long  
and gratefully4  ,with the quenching of 
his thirst a new life seemed to flow    
through his veins and courage returned  
to his stout heart4 ,but he was still   
weak1 and after a moment's indecision he
 crept back to his shelter4  ,on the    
morning of the fourth day he awoke      
refreshed4 ,but now a new need had come 

to torment him4 ,he was hungry4 ,sharp  
pangs gnawed at his vitals and all his  
being cried aloud for food4 ,he thrust  
his head out of his hiding-place and    
looked about1 sniffing the air4 ,over   
the edge of the trench he saw the       
movements of men and the sun glistening 
on rifle barrels and ,german helmets4   
,he drew back stealthily4 ,experience   
had taught him caution4 ,he had had     
enough of soldiers and of war4 ,he must 
wait4  ,all day he suffered the agonies 
of hunger and fought against the impulse
 to dash out blindly in search of food4 
,and as the day advanced he was         
conscious of an ever-increasing desire  
to go home4 ,a great longing filled him 
for his cozy bed in ,medard's stable1   
for the home where there was always     
plenty to eat1 for the kind hands that  
knew how to cure a dog's hurts1 for the 
human love that had drifted so far into 
the past that it was like a dream of    
heaven4 ,the homing instinct became his 
ruling motive2 it obsessed him and drew 

him as with chains4  ,repeatedly he     
started impulsively out from the        
thicket1 and as often the sight of      
soldiers drove him fearfully back4      
,when at last nightfall came and the    
trenches glowed with little campfires1  
,pierrot sallied forth1 deliberately and
 cautiously4 ,first1 he sought again his
 drinking-pool and slaked his burning   
thirst4 ,then he passed on into an      
unknown country in the dark4 ,he skirted
 the dunes1 followed a little           
watercourse for half a mile1 and then   
struck into a shallow ditch beside a    
rutty road4 ,he trusted little to his   
eyes1 but ears and nostrils were        
constantly alert to detect danger1 and  
he gave a wide berth to everything that 
suggested man to his senses4 ,his sore  
feet had healed1 but he was obliged to  
travel on three legs by reason of his   
wound1 and he was still stiff and far   
from strong4 ,always his nose was       
searching earth and air for the scent of
 food4  ,suddenly he stopped and lifted 

his head4 ,from a shallow ravine a few  
rods from the road came a smell that at 
once attracted and repelled him4 ,there 
was the scent of men and of wood smoke4 
,there was also the scent of food4 ,the 
thought of soldiers terrified him1 but  
his unwonted exercise had made him      
ravenous with hunger4  ,irresistibly the
 smell of food drew him1 and he crept   
stealthily toward the low bushes that   
grew along the edge of the ravine4      
,peering through1 he saw with fearful   
eyes the glow of dying campfires        
stretching off in a long line1 and the  
shadowy forms of prone men wrapped in   
blankets4 ,on the opposite bank a lone  
guard paced slowly up and down4         
,pierrot skulked silently along behind  
the bushes till he came to a spot where 
the food smell was very strong4         
,directly below him was one of the      
smouldering fires1 and a few feet down  
the bank he discerned strewn about      
half-visible objects from which the     
smell came4  ,grown reckless with       

famine1 ,pierrot crawled eagerly out    
from the bushes and fell upon the refuse
 of the camp4 ,a hard crust of bread1   
the bones and offal of a fowl1 the beans
 clinging to the inside of a tin--he    
devoured them all impartially4  ,one of 
the tin cans1 dislodged by ,pierrot's   
eager nose1 rolled noisily down the     
bank1 and the sentry opposite halted and
 raised his rifle quickly to his        
shoulder4 ,pierrot crouched back1       
watching him4 ,the soldier evidently    
thought better of arousing his comrades 
with a rifle shot1 and suspecting that  
some animal was prowling about1 picked  
up a stone and threw it at ,pierrot4 ,it
 struck with a thud beside him and      
bounded up into the bushes4 ,pierrot1   
thoroughly alarmed but still hungry1    
seized a large bone in his teeth and    
dashed back through the bushes4 ,not    
waiting to ascertain whether he was     
pursued1 he ran for a mile across the   
frozen fields on his three weary legs   
before he came to a stop4 ,then1 making 

sure that he had fully escaped the      
danger that threatened1 he fell upon his
 stomach on the hard ground with the    
bone between his paws1 and spent a      
contented half-hour crunching it until  
the last vestige had disappeared4  ,when
 dawn began to show faintly in the      
eastern sky ,pierrot sought a new       
hiding-place4 ,at last he came upon the 
scattered remains of a haycock in a     
marshy meadow4 ,the hay was damp and    
stiff with frost1 but ,pierrot dug his  
way beneath the largest heap of it and  
slept the deep sleep of exhaustion until
 the evening fell4  ,when he awoke he   
was lame and sore1 but he dragged       
himself forth1 yawned mightily1 and set 
his face toward home4  ,he felt not the 
slightest doubt as to the general       
direction1 but he had no idea of the    
distance4 ,there was but one thing to   
do--plod doggedly along1 with his right 
hind foot held clear of the ground4 ,now
 and then he made a detour to avoid     
suspicious forms1 and again to follow up

 a scent of food4 ,twice that night he  
stumbled upon bits of refuse4 ,it was   
scanty foraging1 but it served to       
appease the pangs within him4  ,the next
 morning1 having seen no soldiers1 and  
finding the country apparently peaceful1
 he was emboldened to continue his      
journey by daylight1 for the longing for
 home was strong within him4 ,but the   
attempt was too much for his weakened   
body1 and he was forced to give up      
before noon and crawl under a hedge to  
rest4  ,at some time during the         
afternoon a sound caused ,pierrot to    
awake suddenly and to leap to his feet4 
,a human form and footstep brought him  
to a quick posture of defence1 with     
bared teeth and bristling neck4  ,before
 him stood a young woman in a coarse    
gray dress1 torn shawl1 and wooden      
shoes4 ,she was not happy looking and   
pretty like the newsgirls in ,brussels1 
nor neat and fresh-faced like ,mre      
,marie4 ,she was a squat1 dumpy sort of 
person1 with a pale face and dull eyes  

and her mouth was drawn down at the     
corners4  ,at first she was as much     
startled as ,pierrot1 and a look of fear
 overspread her coarse features that was
 not pretty to see4 ,but when she saw it
 was only a dog1 the dull look came back
 to her eyes and she stood stolidly     
waiting4  ,pierrot had never suffered   
ill at the hands of a woman1 and the    
snarl died in his throat4 ,the bristles 
on his neck lay down again and his tail 
began to move tentatively4 ,he took an  
inquiring step toward the woman4  ,the  
ghost of a smile flitted across the     
peasant's face and she slowly approached
 ,pierrot with her thick palms          
outspread4 ,the dog advanced a little   
nearer1 with a cocking of the ears and a
 look of pleased inquiry in his eyes4   
,then the woman perceived that he was   
lame4 ,her slow sympathies quickened and
 she approached and laid her hand on his
 head4 ,then she stooped and felt of his
 leg1 not too gently4 ,it hurt ,pierrot1
 but he only gave her ear a little      

caress with his moist nose4  8,poor     
fellow60 said the woman in ,flemish4    
8,come1 and we will wash it40  ,pierrot 
followed her as she walked toward a     
little grove of trees back from the road
 and entered the low doorway of a small 
hut4 ,there was no one inside except an 
old gray cat1 which at once retired to  
the rafters4 ,at this the woman gave a  
low1 short laugh4  ,the hut was a poor  
little place1 indeed1 and apparently the
 woman lived all alone in it1 though    
there was a man's smock hanging from a  
peg on the wall4 ,she moved about with a
 sort of hopeless indifference1 hanging 
a kettle of water in the chimney and    
building a little fire of faggots       
beneath it4 ,pierrot lay down before it 
and fell asleep again1 for he was still 
very weary4  ,when the water was warm   
the woman took an old rag and washed    
,pierrot's wound4 ,he awoke and thumped 
his tail on the hard earthen floor1 for 
the warm water felt very good4 ,then the
 woman tied the rag about his leg and   

bade him lie quiet4  ,going to a        
cupboard1 she brought out a half loaf of
 coarse black bread and cut off two     
slices4 ,then she got a bowl and a      
little meal and made a sort of broth or 
gruel4 ,these she placed on the rude    
table and drew up a stool4  ,pierrot did
 not move toward the table1 but lay     
watching the woman with interest as she 
folded her hands and bowed her head4    
,presently she began eating her broth   
with a pewter spoon1 but she did not    
finish it4 ,she placed the bowl on the  
floor and ,pierrot1 not understanding   
how hungry she still was1 cleaned it in 
a twinkling4 ,then the woman gave       
,pierrot one of the slices of bread and 
ate the other herself4 ,the gray cat1 it
 appeared1 was expected to forage for   
his own dinner4  ,pierrot stretched out 
before the fire again1 with a feeling of
 peace and contentment such as he had   
not known for a long time1 and slept    
soundly for many hours4  ,in the morning
 the peasant woman gave ,pierrot half of

 her scanty breakfast4 ,then she drew   
her worn shawl over her head and opened 
the door of the hut4  8,come with me10  
she said4  ,pierrot arose regretfully   
and went out into the crisp morning4    
,the woman turned off toward the little 
wood1 but ,pierrot hesitated4 ,she had  
been very kind1 but she was not going in
 the direction of home4 ,not hearing his
 footsteps1 she turned and spoke again1 
pleadingly4  8,come with me10 she said4 
,but still ,pierrot hesitated4 ,he was  
grateful to the woman1 and his first    
impulse was to obey her1 but from where 
he stood he could see the long road     
stretching toward the east1 and he knew 
that off there somewhere were home and  
the faces of those he loved4 ,the need  
to go on awoke again within him1 and    
with one little bark of farewell he     
turned and hobbled rapidly off on his   
three legs4 ,the woman stood gazing     
after him for a few moments1 a pathetic 
object in the keen morning wind4 ,then  
she brushed the back of her hand across 

her eyes and turned slowly away among   
the trees4  ,it was no three days'      
journey that ,pierrot had undertaken    
this time1 for though he had no load    
dragging at his heels1 he found that he 
could not travel fast nor very far at a 
time4 ,he had only his instinct and a   
vague memory to guide him1 and often the
 winding road led him astray1 so that he
 covered many needless miles4  ,but he  
had ceased to fear the soldiers1 and    
dared now to travel by daylight and thus
 made better progress1 though he still  
made wide detours to avoid suspicious   
looking people4 ,the clumsy bandage     
became loose and ,pierrot tore it off   
with his teeth1 but his wounded leg did 
not hurt him now save when he attempted 
to use it4  ,it was weary work1         
travelling on three legs and on scanty  
rations4 ,sometimes he was obliged to   
sink down exhausted in a sheltered spot 
and wait till his strength returned4    
,sometimes1 when the pangs of hunger    
seized him1 he was forced to waste      

valuable hours hunting for food4        
,illustration  ,people in houses and    
peasants in the fields he learned not to
 fear1 and twice he was invited into    
cottages and fed4 ,but always he managed
 to get away after he was rested and    
never knew that he was guilty of        
ingratitude4 ,sometimes men on the road 
or in the fields called to him1 but he  
would not stop4 ,once a boy gave chase1 
but ,pierrot put all the speed he could 
muster into his three legs and contrived
 to escape1 though he was obliged to lie
 panting for a long time after this race
 before he could recover4 ,it was hard  
for him to understand this loss of his  
old-time power4  ,he kept no account of 
the days and only knew that the way     
seemed endless4 ,but one afternoon the  
conviction seized him that he was       
nearing his journey's end4 ,there was   
nothing familiar in the objects in the  
landscape2 he had never been there      
before4 ,but something inside him told  
him it was so4 ,he pressed on eagerly1  

whining a little to himself as a terrier
 whines when he scents a mole4 ,surely1 
over the next hill1 or around the next  
bend1 he would come upon the old1       
familiar scenes--cottage and byre and   
the blessed fields of home4 ,over there1
 just beyond1 were the well-remembered  
faces1 the happy voices of the children1
 the capable1 kind hands of ,mre ,marie4
  ,in his zestful haste he overtaxed his
 strength again1 and1 trembling with    
excitement and fatigue1 he was obliged  
to seek rest before sunset4  ,he slept  
fitfully that night4 ,frequently his    
dreams awoke him and he stood peering   
into the darkness1 listening for he knew
 not what1 before he remembered and lay 
down again4 ,but though he rested ill1  
he was abroad before daybreak1 padding  
laboriously on4  ,all that day he       
travelled without food or rest1 stopping
 only for an occasional drink when      
opportunity offered4 ,there was never a 
doubt in his mind that to-day he would  
be home again4 ,no sound or scent or    

unaccustomed sight lured him from his   
straight course4 ,then at length he came
 out upon the road he knew1 with its    
rows of poplar trees1 and his heart     
began to hammer at his ribs4 ,heedless  
of pain and weariness1 he dashed blindly
 on1 around the bend in the road1 up the
 little lane1 to the place where home   
had been4  ,pierrot stopped in a panic  
of bewilderment4 ,the tile-roofed house 
was gone and only blackened timbers     
remained4 ,he sniffed about among the   
ruins for a time1 greatly troubled1 and 
then circled around toward the          
outbuildings4 ,they1 too1 were gone1 but
 nearby was a little shack that he did  
not remember4  ,night was coming on     
again1 and ,pierrot was feeling very    
weary and forlorn and hopeless4 ,was    
this1 then1 the empty end of his long1  
painful quest8 ,where was the pretty    
little home and the comfortable cow barn
 and the people he used to love8 ,had   
all vanished into thin air8  ,pierrot   
dragged himself disconsolately over to  

the strange little shack and sniffed at 
the crack under the door4 ,something in 
the scent drove him into a sudden frenzy
 of excitement4 ,he began to scratch    
vigorously and gave voice to one short1 
sharp bark4  ,illustration     ,,vi     
,after the ,belgian soldier had marched 
away with ,pierrot1 hard times fell upon
 the little dairy farm of the ,van      
,huyks4 ,soon the ,germans came and     
drove off their one heifer1 and there   
was no more milk or butter for them4    
,they also took all of the wheat and    
most of the rye that was in the barn4   
,there was still a little wheat in the  
field that ,gran'pre had not had time to
 bring in4 ,they all turned out and     
gleaned every grain of this and ,mre    
,marie hid it under the floor of the    
house together with what little had been
 left in the barn4 ,all of their        
chickens were taken1 too1 and there was 
not much left for them to eat4 ,the     
,germans were not rough with them and   
gave them a paper in payment for the    

things they had taken1 but this would   
not buy food4  ,mre ,marie1 fearing the 
,german soldiers1 kept ,henri and ,lisa 
closely indoors1 and she herself seldom 
went far from home4 ,only old ,gran'pre 
went out and got the news and came back 
walking very proudly but with never     
anything good to tell4 ,the ,germans    
were still pressing on1 but ,gran'pre   
did not despair4 ,the ,belgians had     
fought bravely1 as ,belgians should1 and
 they would be delivered out of the     
hands of the despoiler4 ,but ,mre ,marie
 was less hopeful4 ,she very seldom got 
any sort of news of ,pre ,jean1 and so  
many women were mourning their dead that
 she became very sad and frightened1    
especially after she learned that       
,joseph ,verbeeck had been killed by a  
bursting shell4 ,she also heard other   
things from the lips of her             
panic-stricken neighbours which made her
 shudder and draw wee ,lisa very close4 
,again the ,germans came a few weeks    
later and searched the house and        

outbuildings for anything they might    
find useful4 ,they did not discover ,mre
 ,marie's little hoard1 and one of the  
soldiers1 who seemed to be an officer1  
became very angry and talked very loud1 
though they could not understand him4   
,when he went out to the barn he broke  
down the door with his foot1 though     
,henri would have shown him how to open 
it4  ,but one of the soldiers was not so
 unkind4 ,he stood apart1 seeming to be 
standing guard at the door1 and when the
 officer swore he appeared not to       
approve1 though he said nothing4 ,he was
 a young ,bavarian1 with a round1       
smooth-shaven face and eyes very far    
apart1 and with the heavy red hands of a
 peasant4 ,something about him attracted
 little ,lisa1 and when ,mre ,marie was 
occupied with the other soldiers the    
child slipped out unnoticed and went up 
to him4  ,nobody had ever had occasion  
to instruct wee ,lisa as to the iniquity
 of staring1 and she stood now with     
frankly curious eyes gazing full on the 

soldier's broad face4 ,he looked almost 
like an overgrown toy as he stood there 
so straight with his heels close        
together and his round red face         
appearing so abruptly above his gray    
coat with its shiny rows of brass       
buttons4 ,she hesitated to break the    
spell that seemed to have turned this   
ruddy man into a wooden image1 but the  
soldier could not long withstand her    
intent scrutiny and gradually his face  
relaxed into a smile4  ,it was a very   
pleasant smile and it gave ,lisa a warm 
feeling inside4 ,it suddenly occurred to
 her that this was the first genuine1   
unforced smile she had seen for some    
time4 ,surely these ,german soldiers    
weren't such terrible monsters1 after   
all4 ,indeed1 one could easily learn to 
like this one4  ,of course wee ,lisa was
 not old enough to know that if all     
,germans were ,bavarian peasants1 and   
all ,russians were ,polish moujiks1     
there would be no war at all4           
,illustration  ,gran'pre had complained 

sometimes of being stiff in the joints1 
and ,lisa wondered if this soldier might
 not be suffering from an acute attack  
of this affliction4 ,she did not know   
just how to put her question1 so she    
asked1 in ,flemish1 8,do you bend80     
,lisa had a sweet little voice for one  
pitched in so high a key1 and it made   
the soldier smile more broadly4 ,he     
shook his head and uttered some         
extraordinarily gruff words that meant  
nothing to ,lisa4 ,she was satisfied    
that he did not bend1 though somewhat   
reassured by the apparent mobility of   
his neck4  ,her eye was attracted by a  
slight movement of his right hand1 which
 hung by his side1 and going quickly    
over to him she raised it and discovered
 that his arm1 at least1 was quite      
properly hung from the shoulder4        
,whereat the soldier laughed aloud1 but 
checked himself very suddenly as his    
comrades and the officer appeared from  
around the house4 ,then ,lisa heard her 
mother calling her1 and hastened in4    

,after a final inspection of the house  
the officer called to the soldier in    
front and they all started off across   
the fields toward ,madame ,verbeeck's   
house4 ,as they passed the kitchen      
window bold little ,lisa thrust her head
 out1 and the ,bavarian soldier brushed 
his lips across the top of her yellow   
head so quickly that no one saw1 not    
even the vigilant officer nor anxious   
,mre ,marie4 ,lisa called a shrill      
good-bye after him and waved her hand1  
but he marched straight ahead with the  
others without turning back4 ,perhaps he
 heard1 though4  ,after the soldiers had
 failed to find the grain under the     
floor1 ,mre ,marie felt quite safe1 but 
she began to be worried about the small 
quantity4 ,no one seemed to know how    
long the war would last4 ,one said three
 years2 another believed the ,english   
would be over in a few weeks1 and then  
the ,germans would go flying back home2 
others declared that1 whatever happened1
 ,belgium was doomed1 and the sooner the

 poor people left the country the       
better4  ,mre ,marie did not know whom  
to believe1 but she decided that it     
would be only prudent to husband her    
little store of grain so that it would  
last all winter4 ,she estimated the     
amount on hand1 and also the late       
cabbages and turnips and everything else
 she could count on for food1 and       
divided the whole by the number of      
winter days4 ,when she discovered how   
little that allowed for each day1 with  
nothing extra for ,sundays1 she began to
 be frightened4 ,she consulted          
,gran'pre1 and he agreed that they      
should restrict themselves to short     
rations4  ,mre ,marie explained this to 
the children as best she could1 but     
little ,lisa did not understand very    
well4 ,so when she discovered how very  
little she might have to eat1 even when 
she was most hungry1 she would cry      
sometimes4 ,but ,henri1 who was nearly  
nine years old now and had been learning
 much about the doctrine of courage from

 ,gran'pre1 bore the deprivation without
 complaint and even shared his last few 
morsels with ,lisa4  ,it would seem as  
though the ,van ,huyks had suffered     
enough for one family1 but when you     
remember all the poor ,belgian families 
that had been left starving or had been 
broken up or sent fleeing to strange    
lands or wiped out altogether1 when you 
recall what happened about ,aershot and 
,louvain1 you will see that the ,van    
,huyks still had something to be        
thankful for even when the worst came4  
,for they were still all alive and well2
 even ,pre ,jean had not yet been       
reported among the dead or missing2     
while all ,belgium was lying prostrate  
beneath a load of want and sorrow and   
horrible dread4 ,for war is cruel and   
winter is cruel1 and the poor folk of   
,flanders and ,brabant were without     
hope4  ,late in ,october there came a   
banging of rifle-butts on the door and  
again a group of soldiers in green-blue 
overcoats invaded the little tile-roofed

 cottage on the ,waterloo ,road4 ,they  
had been drinking and were very rude and
 boisterous4 ,they ransacked the        
premises and cursed because they found  
so little4 ,one of them struck old      
,gran'pre across the face with the back 
of his hand and another seized ,mre     
,marie and1 in spite of her struggles1  
kissed her on the cheek4 ,worse things  
might have befallen them had not one of 
the soldiers1 angered at the lack of    
loot1 set fire to the house and the     
barn4  ,as the flames started up1 brisk 
and crackling1 the soldiers seemed to   
become suddenly sobered and alarmed4    
,perhaps they were not allowed to do    
such things4 ,at any rate1 they set off 
up the road1 leaving the little         
homestead blazing behind them4  ,mre    
,marie and ,gran'pre saved what they    
could of their humble belongings1 the   
former working in a frenzy of grief1    
with the tears rolling down her cheeks1 
while ,gran'pre's mild features were    
distorted by a look of defiant hatred4  

,out in the garden ,henri and ,lisa     
stood hand in hand1 gazing in silent awe
 upon the terrible spectacle4  ,that    
night they slept under ,madame          
,verbeeck's roof1 but she could not keep
 them2 she was afraid to4 ,so the next  
morning they started back1 sad and      
despairing1 to the smoking ruins of     
their home4  ,out of such boards and    
tiles as he could find1 ,gran'pre1 with 
,henri's help1 built a little one-room  
shack near where the barn had been1     
while ,mre ,marie sought among the ruins
 for whatever of value might have been  
spared4 ,some bedding they had rescued1 
and ,mre ,marie found some pots and pans
 and a few other things that could be   
used4 ,her iron cook stove1 too1 though 
cracked1 still hung together4 ,but the  
hoarded grain and vegetables1 alas6 were
 burned and ruined2 there was scarcely a
 bushel left that was fit for food4     
,gran'pre set up the stove in the shack 
and built a rude table and benches and  
bunks4 ,he had a stout heart in his old 

breast1 ,gran'pre had1 and though he    
didn't talk much he kept ,mre ,marie    
from breaking down4 ,then they all set  
to work gathering dried grass and weeds 
for their beds1 and by nightfall their  
poor little home was furnished4  ,a few 
days later they heard again the tramp of
 marching feet on the road1 and from    
their doorway watched a company of      
,german soldiers file past4 ,mre ,marie 
was not afraid of them now2 it seemed to
 her that they had done their worst4    
,gran'pre stood very erect and grim and 
silent1 but wee ,lisa suddenly ran out  
with a glad little cry1 waving her arms4
 ,in the company she had recognized her 
,bavarian friend4 ,he turned his head   
for a moment1 but his face was          
expressionless1 and he did not leave the
 ranks4 ,so ,lisa wept with             
disappointment4  ,but next day he came1 
quietly1 after sundown4 ,he was alone   
and he knocked softly before entering   
the shack4 ,without speaking he laid a  
half loaf of rye bread on the table and 

a small piece of bacon4 ,gran'pre looked
 very proud and angry and was all for   
throwing them in his face1 but ,lisa ran
 up to him joyfully1 and he smiled a    
little as he patted her head1 so        
,gran'pre allowed the food to remain4   
,then the soldier looked at ,mre ,marie 
with a very sad and tender expression in
 his eyes and strode away in the        
darkness4  8,he has little ones of his  
own10 said ,mre ,marie4  ,before long   
the weather grew very cold4 ,gran'pre   
mended a spade and banked up the shack  
on all sides and put sods on the roof4  
,there was plenty of fuel among the     
charred ruins of the house and          
outbuildings1 so that they were able to 
keep fairly comfortable inside the      
shack1 but all their warm winter        
clothing had been burned and they       
suffered from cold whenever they went   
out4 ,their shoes1 too1 were getting    
thin and worn1 and all but one pair of  
,gran'pre's sabots had been burned4     
,worst of all1 there was little or      

nothing to do1 and they had all been so 
industrious4 ,this was bad for ,mre     
,marie especially1 and she took to      
brooding beside the stove and thinking  
of ,pre ,jean and all the happy days    
gone by4  ,as the winter drew on and the
 snow came their life developed into a  
mere desperate struggle against hunger  
and cold4 ,several times ,lisa's        
,bavarian friend came stealthily and    
brought food1 but they never knew what  
the next day might have in store for    
them4 ,many of their neighbours had     
fled1 but ,gran'pre insisted on staying 
on their land1 and indeed they knew of  
no place whither they might fly4  ,one  
day the young ,bavarian came very       
hurriedly and threw a sack of bread upon
 the table4 ,he could not explain where 
he had got it2 perhaps he had stolen it4
 ,but he made them understand that he   
was ordered away to the west and could  
not come any more4 ,they were all sad   
and troubled4 ,then the soldier picked  
up little ,lisa and kissed her long and 

tenderly1 and shook hands with the rest4
 ,even ,gran'pre did not refuse him4    
8,adieu10 said ,mre ,marie1 8and ,god   
bless you60  8,adieu10 said the soldier 
in queer-sounding ,french1 and when he  
went out there were tears in the honest 
blue eyes4  8,he has little ones at     
home10 said ,mre ,marie again4 8,i hope 
he will get back to them40  ,mre ,marie 
took the bread and hid it and estimated 
the smallest amount that would keep body
 and soul together each day4 ,then they 
all sat down and waited4 ,there was     
nothing else to do4     ,,vii   ,every  
night and every morning ,mre ,marie said
 her prayers to the ,virgin1 and at last
 help came4 ,a strange man who spoke    
,english visited the shack1 took their  
names1 and made a note of their         
condition4 ,mre ,marie had learned a few
 words of ,english from some of her     
customers in the ,avenue ,louise1 and   
she gathered that he was to bring them  
something that had been sent in a big   
ship by kind people from away across the

 sea who had in some way heard of the   
plight of ,gran'pre and ,mre ,marie and 
,henri and wee ,lisa4 ,so they all      
waited anxiously for his return4  ,in a 
few days he came again in a motor car   
and brought them a big box4 ,he bade    
them be of good courage and said that he
 might bring more later4 ,he was a very 
brisk1 businesslike sort of person1 but 
not unkindly4 ,then he hurried off      
again4  ,the family gathered closely    
around as ,gran'pre opened the box1 and 
very excitedly they watched him take out
 flour1 tea1 sugar1 and clothing4 ,then 
,mre ,marie fell on her knees beside her
 bunk and buried her head in her arms1  
and they all waited with bowed heads    
while she sent up her thanks4  ,then    
they began examining the clothing4      
,there was a gray fur coat for ,mre     
,marie1 worn bare at the collar and     
wrists1 but very warm4 ,there were shoes
 and stockings and underclothes1 a red  
jacket that could be cut down for ,lisa1
 and some cloth that could be made into 

a coat for ,henri4 ,for ,gran'pre there 
was a strange garment that he afterward 
learned was a sweater4 ,it was thick and
 black and had a big green ,d on the    
front of it4 ,gran'pre did not          
understand the meaning of the letter1   
but he found the garment very warm4     
,illustration  ,down in the bottom of   
the box there was a child's book with   
the most wonderful pictures of fairies  
and queer people all in bright colours1 
and verses in a strange tongue2 and     
there was a roll of cotton bandages and 
some medicines in bottles4  ,they were  
all quite overjoyed until ,henri said1  
8,now if only ,pre ,jean would come     
back40  ,mre ,marie grew sober at that1 
and wee ,lisa added1 8,and big1 shaggy  
old ,pierrot40  ,it was night by this   
time1 and as they had no lights ,mre    
,marie said they must all go to bed4    
,but suddenly ,henri's sharp ears caught
 a strange sound of sniffing and        
scratching at the door4 ,then came a    
short1 sharp bark4  ,henri ran and      

opened the door1 and there stood good   
old ,pierrot himself1 very gaunt and    
thin1 but ,pierrot6  ,little ,lisa ran  
and fell squarely upon him1 as she had  
been wont to do in the old1 happy days1 
and a little yelp of pain escaped him4  
,gran'pre pulled her gently away1 and   
poor old ,pierrot did his best to leap  
gayly upon them with little whines of   
delight1 to show how glad he was4  ,yes1
 he was home again1 back among the loved
 faces and caressing hands that he had  
dreamed about so long4 ,he could hardly 
contain himself for joy and nearly      
wagged his stump tail off in his        
exuberance4 ,oh1 if he could only speak 
and tell them everything6  ,true1 this  
was a strange little house2 all the     
surroundings were strange4 ,but it was  
home at last6 ,for here were his people1
 his dear people1 and it is folks1 after
 all1 that count4  ,gran'pre understood 
dogs and knew that ,pierrot was hurt1 so
 as soon as he could get the dog and    
children quiet he brought ,pierrot out  

into the moonlight and examined him4    
8,pierrot has been a good soldier10 said
 he4  ,then he sent ,henri for the roll 
of bandages and the bottles4 ,so you see
 the kind people across the sea must    
have heard of ,pierrot1 too4            
,illustration  8,i fear he will always  
be lame10 said ,gran'pre4 ,but the      
children did not seem to be greatly     
depressed by that4 ,neither did         
,pierrot1 for that matter1 for after he 
had eaten the crust of bread ,mre ,marie
 gave him1 and had kissed them again all
 around1 he stretched himself out on the
 edge of ,henri's worn1 scorched quilt  
with a great happy sigh1 and fell       
asleep1 snoring loudly4   ,,the ,,end   
,illustration   ,,the ,,country ,,life  
,,press1 ,,garden ,,city1 ,,new ,,york  
,,transcriber',s ,,notes3     ,text in  
italics is surrounded by underscores3   
italics4