Beautiful Joe [18]
nothing for a
time, I knew he was angry with the Dobsons for sacrificing the colt's life.
Presently he said, "You won't need to have that colt stuffed now he's dead,
Dobson."
"What do you mean? Why do you say that?" asked the boy, peevishly.
"Because you stuffed him while he was alive," said Jack, saucily.
Then we had to run for all we were worth, for the Dobson boy was after us, and
as he was a big fellow he would have whipped Jack soundly.
I must not forget to say that Billy was washed regularly once a week with nice-
smelling soaps and once a month with strong-smelling, disagreeable, carbolic
soap. He had his own towels and wash cloths, and after being rubbed and
scrubbed, he was rolled in a blanket and put by the fire to dry. Miss Laura said
that a little dog that has been petted and kept in the house, and has become
tender, should never be washed and allowed to run about with a wet coat, unless
the weather was very warm, for he would be sure to take cold.
Jim and I were more hardy than Billy, and we took our baths in the sea. Every
few days the boys took us down to the shore and we went swimming with them.
CHAPTER VII TRAINING A PUPPY
"NED, dear," said Miss Laura one day, "I wish you would train Billy to follow
and retrieve. He is four months old now, and I shall soon want to take him out
in the street."
"Very well, sister," said mischievous Ned, and catching up a stick, he said,
"Come out into the garden, dogs."
Though he was brandishing his stick very fiercely, I was not at all afraid of
him; and as for Billy, he loved Ned.
The Morris garden was really not a garden but a large piece of ground with the
grass worn bare in many places, a few trees scattered about, and some raspberry
and currant bushes along the fence. A lady who knew that Mr. Morris had not a
large salary, said one day when she was looking out of the dining-room window,
"My dear Mrs. Morris, why don't you have this garden dug up? You could raise
your own vegetables. It would be so much cheaper than buying them."
Mrs. Morris laughed in great amusement. "Think of the hens, and cats, and dogs,
and rabbits, and, above all, the boys that I have. What sort of a garden would
there be, and do you think it would be fair to take their playground from them?"
The lady said, "No, she did not think it would be fair."
I am sure I don't know what the boys would have done without this strip of
ground. Many a frolic and game they had there. In the present case, Ned walked
around and around it, with his stick on his shoulder, Billy and I strolling
after him. Presently Billy made a dash aside to get a bone. Ned turned around
and said firmly, "To heel!"
Billy looked at him innocently, not knowing what he meant. "To heel!" exclaimed
Ned again. Billy thought he wanted to play, and putting his head on his paws, he
began to bark. Ned laughed; still he kept saying "To heel!" He would not say
another word. He knew if he said "Come here," or "Follow," or "Go behind," it
would confuse Billy.
Finally, as Ned kept saying the words over and over, and pointing to me, it
seemed to dawn upon Billy that he wanted him to follow him. So he came beside
me, and together we followed Ned around the garden, again and again.
Ned often looked behind with a pleased face, and I felt so proud to think I was
doing well, but suddenly I got dreadfully confused when he turned around and
said, "Hie out!"
The Morrises all used the same words in training their dogs, and I had heard
Miss Laura say this, but I had forgotten what it meant. "Good Joe," said Ned,
turning around and patting me, "you have forgotten. I wonder where Jim is? He
would help us."
He put his fingers in his mouth and blew a shrill whistle, and soon Jim came
trotting up the lane from the street. He looked at us with his large,
intelligent eyes, and wagged his tail slowly, as if to say, "Well, what do you
want of me?"
"Come and give me a hand at this training business, old Sobersides," said Ned,
with
time, I knew he was angry with the Dobsons for sacrificing the colt's life.
Presently he said, "You won't need to have that colt stuffed now he's dead,
Dobson."
"What do you mean? Why do you say that?" asked the boy, peevishly.
"Because you stuffed him while he was alive," said Jack, saucily.
Then we had to run for all we were worth, for the Dobson boy was after us, and
as he was a big fellow he would have whipped Jack soundly.
I must not forget to say that Billy was washed regularly once a week with nice-
smelling soaps and once a month with strong-smelling, disagreeable, carbolic
soap. He had his own towels and wash cloths, and after being rubbed and
scrubbed, he was rolled in a blanket and put by the fire to dry. Miss Laura said
that a little dog that has been petted and kept in the house, and has become
tender, should never be washed and allowed to run about with a wet coat, unless
the weather was very warm, for he would be sure to take cold.
Jim and I were more hardy than Billy, and we took our baths in the sea. Every
few days the boys took us down to the shore and we went swimming with them.
CHAPTER VII TRAINING A PUPPY
"NED, dear," said Miss Laura one day, "I wish you would train Billy to follow
and retrieve. He is four months old now, and I shall soon want to take him out
in the street."
"Very well, sister," said mischievous Ned, and catching up a stick, he said,
"Come out into the garden, dogs."
Though he was brandishing his stick very fiercely, I was not at all afraid of
him; and as for Billy, he loved Ned.
The Morris garden was really not a garden but a large piece of ground with the
grass worn bare in many places, a few trees scattered about, and some raspberry
and currant bushes along the fence. A lady who knew that Mr. Morris had not a
large salary, said one day when she was looking out of the dining-room window,
"My dear Mrs. Morris, why don't you have this garden dug up? You could raise
your own vegetables. It would be so much cheaper than buying them."
Mrs. Morris laughed in great amusement. "Think of the hens, and cats, and dogs,
and rabbits, and, above all, the boys that I have. What sort of a garden would
there be, and do you think it would be fair to take their playground from them?"
The lady said, "No, she did not think it would be fair."
I am sure I don't know what the boys would have done without this strip of
ground. Many a frolic and game they had there. In the present case, Ned walked
around and around it, with his stick on his shoulder, Billy and I strolling
after him. Presently Billy made a dash aside to get a bone. Ned turned around
and said firmly, "To heel!"
Billy looked at him innocently, not knowing what he meant. "To heel!" exclaimed
Ned again. Billy thought he wanted to play, and putting his head on his paws, he
began to bark. Ned laughed; still he kept saying "To heel!" He would not say
another word. He knew if he said "Come here," or "Follow," or "Go behind," it
would confuse Billy.
Finally, as Ned kept saying the words over and over, and pointing to me, it
seemed to dawn upon Billy that he wanted him to follow him. So he came beside
me, and together we followed Ned around the garden, again and again.
Ned often looked behind with a pleased face, and I felt so proud to think I was
doing well, but suddenly I got dreadfully confused when he turned around and
said, "Hie out!"
The Morrises all used the same words in training their dogs, and I had heard
Miss Laura say this, but I had forgotten what it meant. "Good Joe," said Ned,
turning around and patting me, "you have forgotten. I wonder where Jim is? He
would help us."
He put his fingers in his mouth and blew a shrill whistle, and soon Jim came
trotting up the lane from the street. He looked at us with his large,
intelligent eyes, and wagged his tail slowly, as if to say, "Well, what do you
want of me?"
"Come and give me a hand at this training business, old Sobersides," said Ned,
with