Beautiful Joe [14]
wool.
She put the puppy in it and looked at him. Though it was midsummer and the house
seemed very warm to me, the little creature was shivering, and making a low
murmuring noise. She pulled the wool all over him and put the window down, and
set his basket in the sun.
Then she went to the kitchen and got some warm milk. She dipped her finger in
it, and offered it to the puppy, but he went nosing about it in a stupid way,
and wouldn't touch it. "Too young," Miss Laura said. She got a little piece of
muslin, put some bread in it, tied a string round it, and dipped it in the milk.
When she put this to the puppy's mouth, he sucked it greedily. He acted as if he
was starving, but Miss Laura only let him have a little.
Every few hours for the rest of the day, she gave him some more milk, and I
heard the boys say that for many nights she got up once or twice and heated milk
over a lamp for him. One night the milk got cold before he took it, and he
swelled up and became so ill that Miss Laura had to rouse her mother and get
some hot water to plunge him in. That made him well again, and no one seemed to
think it was a great deal of trouble to take for a creature that was nothing but
a dog.
He fully repaid them for all his care, for he turned out to be one of the
prettiest and most lovable dogs that I ever saw. They called him Billy, and the
two events of his early life were the opening of his eyes and the swallowing of
his muslin rag. The rag did not seem to hurt him, but Miss Laura said that, as
he had got so strong and greedy, he must learn to eat like other dogs.
He was very amusing when he was a puppy. He was full of tricks, and he crept
about in a mischievous way when one did not know he was near. He was a very
small puppy and used to climb inside Miss Laura's Jersey sleeve up to her
shoulder when he was six weeks old. One day, when the whole family was in the
parlor, Mr. Morris suddenly flung aside his newspaper, and began jumping up and
down. Mrs. Morris was very much alarmed, and cried out, "My dear William what is
the matter?"
"There's a rat up my leg," he said, shaking it violently. Just then little Billy
fell out on the floor and lay on his back looking up at Mr. Morris with a
surprised face. He had felt cold and thought it would be warm inside Mr. Morris'
trouser's leg.
However, Billy never did any real mischief, thanks to Miss Laura's training. She
began to punish him just as soon as he began to tear and worry things. The first
thing he attacked was Mr. Morris' felt hat. The wind blew it down the hall one
day, and Billy came along and began to try it with his teeth. I dare say it felt
good to them, for a puppy is very like a baby and loves something to bite.
Miss Laura found him, and he rolled his eyes at her quite innocently, not
knowing that he was doing wrong. She took the hat away, and pointing from it to
him, said, "Bad Billy!" Then she gave him two or three slaps with a bootlace.
She never struck a little dog with her hand or a stick. She said clubs were for
big dogs and switches for little dogs, if one had to use them. The best way was
to scold them, for a good dog feels a severe scolding as much as a whipping.
Billy was very much ashamed of himself. Nothing would induce him even to look at
a hat again. But he thought it was no harm to worry other things. He attacked
one thing after another, the rugs on the floor, curtains, anything flying or
fluttering, and Miss Laura patiently scolded him for each one, till at last it
dawned upon him that he must not worry anything but a bone. Then he got to be a
very good dog.
There was one thing that Miss Laura was very particular about, and that was to
have him fed regularly. We both got three meals a day. We were never allowed to
go into the dining room, and while the family was at the table, we lay in the
hall outside and watched what was going on.
Dogs take a great interest in what any one gets to eat. It was quite exciting to
see the Morrises' passing
She put the puppy in it and looked at him. Though it was midsummer and the house
seemed very warm to me, the little creature was shivering, and making a low
murmuring noise. She pulled the wool all over him and put the window down, and
set his basket in the sun.
Then she went to the kitchen and got some warm milk. She dipped her finger in
it, and offered it to the puppy, but he went nosing about it in a stupid way,
and wouldn't touch it. "Too young," Miss Laura said. She got a little piece of
muslin, put some bread in it, tied a string round it, and dipped it in the milk.
When she put this to the puppy's mouth, he sucked it greedily. He acted as if he
was starving, but Miss Laura only let him have a little.
Every few hours for the rest of the day, she gave him some more milk, and I
heard the boys say that for many nights she got up once or twice and heated milk
over a lamp for him. One night the milk got cold before he took it, and he
swelled up and became so ill that Miss Laura had to rouse her mother and get
some hot water to plunge him in. That made him well again, and no one seemed to
think it was a great deal of trouble to take for a creature that was nothing but
a dog.
He fully repaid them for all his care, for he turned out to be one of the
prettiest and most lovable dogs that I ever saw. They called him Billy, and the
two events of his early life were the opening of his eyes and the swallowing of
his muslin rag. The rag did not seem to hurt him, but Miss Laura said that, as
he had got so strong and greedy, he must learn to eat like other dogs.
He was very amusing when he was a puppy. He was full of tricks, and he crept
about in a mischievous way when one did not know he was near. He was a very
small puppy and used to climb inside Miss Laura's Jersey sleeve up to her
shoulder when he was six weeks old. One day, when the whole family was in the
parlor, Mr. Morris suddenly flung aside his newspaper, and began jumping up and
down. Mrs. Morris was very much alarmed, and cried out, "My dear William what is
the matter?"
"There's a rat up my leg," he said, shaking it violently. Just then little Billy
fell out on the floor and lay on his back looking up at Mr. Morris with a
surprised face. He had felt cold and thought it would be warm inside Mr. Morris'
trouser's leg.
However, Billy never did any real mischief, thanks to Miss Laura's training. She
began to punish him just as soon as he began to tear and worry things. The first
thing he attacked was Mr. Morris' felt hat. The wind blew it down the hall one
day, and Billy came along and began to try it with his teeth. I dare say it felt
good to them, for a puppy is very like a baby and loves something to bite.
Miss Laura found him, and he rolled his eyes at her quite innocently, not
knowing that he was doing wrong. She took the hat away, and pointing from it to
him, said, "Bad Billy!" Then she gave him two or three slaps with a bootlace.
She never struck a little dog with her hand or a stick. She said clubs were for
big dogs and switches for little dogs, if one had to use them. The best way was
to scold them, for a good dog feels a severe scolding as much as a whipping.
Billy was very much ashamed of himself. Nothing would induce him even to look at
a hat again. But he thought it was no harm to worry other things. He attacked
one thing after another, the rugs on the floor, curtains, anything flying or
fluttering, and Miss Laura patiently scolded him for each one, till at last it
dawned upon him that he must not worry anything but a bone. Then he got to be a
very good dog.
There was one thing that Miss Laura was very particular about, and that was to
have him fed regularly. We both got three meals a day. We were never allowed to
go into the dining room, and while the family was at the table, we lay in the
hall outside and watched what was going on.
Dogs take a great interest in what any one gets to eat. It was quite exciting to
see the Morrises' passing