Beautiful Joe [115]
and now they were swept from him. It
was cruel and wicked, and he wished he could die. The canaries, and pigeons, and
doves, the hotel people had allowed him to take to his room, and they were safe.
The parrot was lost an educated parrot that could answer forty questions, and,
among other things, could take a watch and tell the time of day.
Jack Morris told him that they had it safe at home, and that it was very much
alive, quarrelling furiously with his parrot Bella. The old man's face
brightened at this, and then Jack and Carl, finding that he had had no
breakfast, went off to a restaurant near by, and got him some steak and coffee.
The Italian was very grateful, and as he ate, Jack said the tears ran into his
coffee cap. He told them how much he loved his animals, and how it "made ze
heart bitter to hear zem crying him to deliver zem from ze raging fire."
The boys came home, and got their breakfast and went to school. Miss Laura did
not go out She sat all day with a very quiet, pained face and could neither read
nor sew, and Mr. and Mrs. Morris were just as unsettled. They talked about the
fire in low tones, and I could see that they felt more sad about Mrs. Montague's
death than if she had died in an ordinary way. Her dear little canary Barry,
died with her. She would never be separated from him, and his cage had been
taken up to the top of the hotel with her. He probably died an easier death than
his poor mistress. Charley's dog escaped, but was so frightened that he ran out
to their house, outside the town.
At tea time, Mr. Morris went down town to see that the Italian got a comfortable
place for the night. When he came back, he said that he had found out that the
Italian was by no means so old a man as he looked and that he had talked to him
about raising a sum of money for him among the Fairport people, till he had
become quite cheerful, and said that if Mr. Morris would do that, he would try
to gather another troupe of animals together and train them.
"Now, what can we do for the Italian?" asked Mrs. Morris. "We can't give him
much money, but we might let him have one or two of our pets. There's Billy,
he's a bright, little dog, and not two years old yet. He could teach him
anything."
There was a blank silence among the Morris children. Billy was such a gentle,
lovable, little dog, that he was a favorite with every one in the house. "I
suppose we ought to do it," said Miss Laura, at last; "but how can we give him
up?"
There was a good deal of discussion, but the end of it was that Billy was given
to the Italian. He came up to get him, and was very grateful, and made a great
many bows, holding his hat in his hand. Billy took to him at once, and the
Italian spoke so kindly to him, that we knew he would have a good master. Mr.
Morris got quite a large sum of money for him, and when he handed it to him, the
poor man was so pleased that he kissed his hand, and promised to send frequent
word as to Billy's progress and welfare.
CHAPTER XXXVI DANDY THE TRAMP
ABOUT a week after Billy left us, the Morris family, much to its surprise,
became the owner of a new dog.
He walked into the house one cold, wintry afternoon and lay calmly down by the
fire. He was a brindled bull-terrier, and he had on a silver-plated collar with
"Dandy" engraved on it. He lay all the evening by the fire, and when any of the
family spoke to him, he wagged his tail, and looked pleased. I growled a little
at him at first, but he never cared a bit, and just dozed off to sleep, so I
soon stopped.
He was such a well-bred dog, that the Morrises were afraid that some one had
lost him. They made some inquiries the next day, and found that he belonged to a
New York gentleman who had come to Fairport in the summer in a yacht. This dog
did not like the yacht. He came ashore in a boat whenever he got a chance, and
if he could not come in a boat, he would swim. He was a tramp, his master said,
and he wouldn't stay long in any place. The Morrises
was cruel and wicked, and he wished he could die. The canaries, and pigeons, and
doves, the hotel people had allowed him to take to his room, and they were safe.
The parrot was lost an educated parrot that could answer forty questions, and,
among other things, could take a watch and tell the time of day.
Jack Morris told him that they had it safe at home, and that it was very much
alive, quarrelling furiously with his parrot Bella. The old man's face
brightened at this, and then Jack and Carl, finding that he had had no
breakfast, went off to a restaurant near by, and got him some steak and coffee.
The Italian was very grateful, and as he ate, Jack said the tears ran into his
coffee cap. He told them how much he loved his animals, and how it "made ze
heart bitter to hear zem crying him to deliver zem from ze raging fire."
The boys came home, and got their breakfast and went to school. Miss Laura did
not go out She sat all day with a very quiet, pained face and could neither read
nor sew, and Mr. and Mrs. Morris were just as unsettled. They talked about the
fire in low tones, and I could see that they felt more sad about Mrs. Montague's
death than if she had died in an ordinary way. Her dear little canary Barry,
died with her. She would never be separated from him, and his cage had been
taken up to the top of the hotel with her. He probably died an easier death than
his poor mistress. Charley's dog escaped, but was so frightened that he ran out
to their house, outside the town.
At tea time, Mr. Morris went down town to see that the Italian got a comfortable
place for the night. When he came back, he said that he had found out that the
Italian was by no means so old a man as he looked and that he had talked to him
about raising a sum of money for him among the Fairport people, till he had
become quite cheerful, and said that if Mr. Morris would do that, he would try
to gather another troupe of animals together and train them.
"Now, what can we do for the Italian?" asked Mrs. Morris. "We can't give him
much money, but we might let him have one or two of our pets. There's Billy,
he's a bright, little dog, and not two years old yet. He could teach him
anything."
There was a blank silence among the Morris children. Billy was such a gentle,
lovable, little dog, that he was a favorite with every one in the house. "I
suppose we ought to do it," said Miss Laura, at last; "but how can we give him
up?"
There was a good deal of discussion, but the end of it was that Billy was given
to the Italian. He came up to get him, and was very grateful, and made a great
many bows, holding his hat in his hand. Billy took to him at once, and the
Italian spoke so kindly to him, that we knew he would have a good master. Mr.
Morris got quite a large sum of money for him, and when he handed it to him, the
poor man was so pleased that he kissed his hand, and promised to send frequent
word as to Billy's progress and welfare.
CHAPTER XXXVI DANDY THE TRAMP
ABOUT a week after Billy left us, the Morris family, much to its surprise,
became the owner of a new dog.
He walked into the house one cold, wintry afternoon and lay calmly down by the
fire. He was a brindled bull-terrier, and he had on a silver-plated collar with
"Dandy" engraved on it. He lay all the evening by the fire, and when any of the
family spoke to him, he wagged his tail, and looked pleased. I growled a little
at him at first, but he never cared a bit, and just dozed off to sleep, so I
soon stopped.
He was such a well-bred dog, that the Morrises were afraid that some one had
lost him. They made some inquiries the next day, and found that he belonged to a
New York gentleman who had come to Fairport in the summer in a yacht. This dog
did not like the yacht. He came ashore in a boat whenever he got a chance, and
if he could not come in a boat, he would swim. He was a tramp, his master said,
and he wouldn't stay long in any place. The Morrises