'Surely you're not going to let that brute loose about the house!' she exclaimed.

'He'll kill somebody.

I can see it in his face.' "'I want him to kill somebody,' replied my father; 'I want him to kill burglars.' "'I don't like to hear you talk like that, Thomas,' answered the mater; 'it's not like you.

We've a right to protect our property, but we've no right to take a fellow human creature's life.' "'Our fellow human creatures will be all right--so long as they don't come into our kitchen when they've no business there,' retorted my father, somewhat testily.

'I'm going to fix up this dog in the scullery, and if a burglar comes fooling around--well, that's _his_ affair.' "The old folks quarrelled on and off for about a month over this dog.