Bruno

d of fussiness that travels around the world with its own lunch-box, disdaining everything strange

ing at Brun

shiny skin; so we were quite delighted one day when we found that Bruno had cornered a young one about four feet long. It was in a little glade about three hundred yards from the house; and as soon as Julius found the cause of Bruno's excitement, he hurried to t

the more delicate kinds of fish. When cooked it was very inviting, b

loud in our praises of alligator

ence. A first meal is thoroughly enjoyed, but one not brought up on such a diet never gets beyond the second. It is a useful article of food in southern camp-life,

ing in the little shanty, I noticed one night when Julius came

s tools home every

done with the s

wrapped in an old coat I had there. They will be

afternoon; so I waited on him first, seeing that his water-basin was full to the brim and heaping a plate with food for him. Then Julius and I sat down with keenest enjoyment to such a meal as we would have scorned in

himself, sighed deeply, then asked me in his usual manner to open the door for him. This was the way he asked. He rested his head on my k

e want

opened the door for him; standing for a few moments after Bruno had disappeared in the darkness, lookin

e both began to feel sleepy. Bruno had not returned; so

e was no

ttle while; th

the time we are ready to put

asing. As I brushed out my hair, I was turning over in my mind all those vague fears I had felt

a big alligator coul

," answered J

that he was

minutes whistling, calling, and listening; but no sound came except th

before felt uneasy, and had provided no way to lock our shanty. There was just an old-fa

h the night Julius got

n whining and scratching at the door, and when we both sprang up to open it, in walked Bruno, looki

tioned him for an explanation of his desertion of us for the night. It was of no u

etite for work; but the man who was helping him would be the

st immediately. His face was ligh

e Bruno slept last night," he

d; "I have alre

ug himself a nest right beside them, drawing the edge of my old coat

ng up his own mind that it was an unwise thing to do, and evidently deciding to see to it later. His sitting with us till bedtime, keeping in mind his

his own natural gifts of thought and reason. He often surprised us by joining in the conversation. He would be lying dozing, and we talking in our usual tones. If we mentioned Robbie or Charlie, the two children who were hi

himper and sigh in a manner strangely like human sobbing. We thought at such times that he was going through those trying d

etter than he did me, yet he always came to me with his requests. If hung

nscious manner, and run towards the place where he knew the food was kept. If I had misunderstood his request, he continued gazing at me, licking h

ifference: the next time he came to me just the same. He seemed to have reasoned it out that I was the loaf-giver,