him to do all sorts of tricks. Rex learned to walk on his hind feet, sit
up straight and beg for something to eat, play 'dead dog,' roll over,
chase his tail, and run through a hoop.

"In a few months, Rex had grown to be quite a large dog. By this time,
James had taught him how to swim; and when the boy would throw a stick
into the water and say, 'Go get it, Rex,' the dog would bring it back
in his mouth.

"All the boys in the neighborhood liked Rex; and he liked them all--
except Richard. Whenever he came around, the dog would growl and show
his teeth.

"Two years later, one warm Saturday afternoon in April, James called Rex
and started for the pond. Oftentimes fishing parties visited this pond,
so a number of small boats were tied among the willows fringing the
shore. On this particular afternoon, Richard and his little brother Harry
had also gone to the pond; and Richard untied one of the boats to take
a ride. Of course he had no right to use a boat that did not belong to
him; but he thought that no one would ever know.

"Just as James came around a clump of willows, he saw the little boat
tip over; and Richard and Harry fell in, at the deepest place in the
pond. James knew they could not swim; so he began to call for help as
loudly as he could. Rex ran back and forth whining, looking first at
James, then at the boys in the water. Suddenly a happy thought struck
James. Pointing to the two boys, he said, 'Go get them, Rex!' Immediately
the dog jumped into the water and began to swim toward the boys. He soon
had Harry's collar between his teeth, and was swimming back to shore.