Beautiful Joe [35]
had to turn and look at him.
He was holding his book up between himself and his mother, and was opening his
mouth as wide as he could and throwing back his head, pretending to howl.
For the life of me I could not help giving a loud howl. Mrs. Morris looked up
and said, "Bad Joe, keep still."
The boys were all laughing behind their books, for they knew what Ned was doing.
Presently he started off again, and I was just beginning another howl that might
have made Mrs. Morris send me out of the room, when the door opened, and a young
girl called Bessie Drury came in.
She had a cap on and a shawl thrown over her shoulders, and she had just run
across the street from her father's house. "Oh, Mrs. Morris," she said, "will
you let Laura come over and stay with me to-night? Mamma has just gotten a
telegram from Bangor, saying that her aunt, Mrs. Cole, is very ill, and she
wants to see her, and papa is going to take her there by tonight's train, and
she is afraid I will be lonely if I don't have Laura."
"Can you not come and spend the night here?" said Mrs. Morris.
"No, thank you; I think mamma would rather have me stay in our house."
"Very well," said Mrs. Morris, "I think Laura would like to go."
"Yes, indeed," said Miss Laura, smiling at her friend. "I will come over in half
an hour."
"Thank you, so much," said Miss Bessie. And she hurried away.
After she left, Mr. Morris looked up from his paper. "There will be some one in
the house besides those two girls?"
"Oh, yes," said Mrs. Morris; "Mrs. Drury has her old nurse, who has been with
her for twenty years, and there are two maids besides, and Donald, the coachman,
who sleeps over the stable. So they are well protected."
"Very good," said Mr. Morris. And he went back to his paper.
Of course dumb animals do not understand all that they hear spoken of; but I
think human beings would be astonished if they knew how much we can gather from
their looks and voices. I knew that Mr. Morris did not quite like the idea of
having his daughter go to the Drury's when the master and mistress of the house
were away, so I made up my mind that I would go with her.
When she came down stairs with her little satchel on her arm, I got up and stood
beside her. "Dear, old Joe," she said, "you must not come."
I pushed myself out the door beside her after she had kissed her mother and
father and the boys. "Go back, Joe," she said, firmly.
I had to step back then, but I cried and whined, and she looked at me in
astonishment. "I will be back in the morning, Joe," she said, gently; "don't
squeal in that way." Then she shut the door and went out.
I felt dreadfully. I walked up and down the floor and ran to the window, and
howled without having to look at Ned. Mrs. Morris peered over her glasses at me
in utter surprise. "Boys," she said, "did you ever see Joe act in that way
before?"
"No, mother," they all said.
Mr. Morris was looking at me very intently. He had always taken more notice of
me than any other creature about the house, and I was very fond of him. Now I
ran up and put my paws on his knees.
"Mother," he said, turning to his wife, "let the dog go."
"Very well," she said, in a puzzled way. "Jack, just run over with him, and tell
Mrs. Drury how he is acting, and that I will be very much obliged if she will
let him stay all night with Laura."
Jack sprang up, seized his cap, and raced down the front steps, across the
street, through the gate, and up the gravelled walk, where the little stones
were all hard and fast in the frost.
The Drurys lived in a large, white house, with trees all around it, and a garden
at the back. They were rich people and had a great deal of company. Through the
summer I had often seen carriages at the door, and ladies and gentlemen in light
clothes walking over the lawn, and sometimes I smelled nice things they were
having to eat. They did not keep any dogs, nor pets of any kind so Jim and I
never had an excuse to call there.
Jack and
He was holding his book up between himself and his mother, and was opening his
mouth as wide as he could and throwing back his head, pretending to howl.
For the life of me I could not help giving a loud howl. Mrs. Morris looked up
and said, "Bad Joe, keep still."
The boys were all laughing behind their books, for they knew what Ned was doing.
Presently he started off again, and I was just beginning another howl that might
have made Mrs. Morris send me out of the room, when the door opened, and a young
girl called Bessie Drury came in.
She had a cap on and a shawl thrown over her shoulders, and she had just run
across the street from her father's house. "Oh, Mrs. Morris," she said, "will
you let Laura come over and stay with me to-night? Mamma has just gotten a
telegram from Bangor, saying that her aunt, Mrs. Cole, is very ill, and she
wants to see her, and papa is going to take her there by tonight's train, and
she is afraid I will be lonely if I don't have Laura."
"Can you not come and spend the night here?" said Mrs. Morris.
"No, thank you; I think mamma would rather have me stay in our house."
"Very well," said Mrs. Morris, "I think Laura would like to go."
"Yes, indeed," said Miss Laura, smiling at her friend. "I will come over in half
an hour."
"Thank you, so much," said Miss Bessie. And she hurried away.
After she left, Mr. Morris looked up from his paper. "There will be some one in
the house besides those two girls?"
"Oh, yes," said Mrs. Morris; "Mrs. Drury has her old nurse, who has been with
her for twenty years, and there are two maids besides, and Donald, the coachman,
who sleeps over the stable. So they are well protected."
"Very good," said Mr. Morris. And he went back to his paper.
Of course dumb animals do not understand all that they hear spoken of; but I
think human beings would be astonished if they knew how much we can gather from
their looks and voices. I knew that Mr. Morris did not quite like the idea of
having his daughter go to the Drury's when the master and mistress of the house
were away, so I made up my mind that I would go with her.
When she came down stairs with her little satchel on her arm, I got up and stood
beside her. "Dear, old Joe," she said, "you must not come."
I pushed myself out the door beside her after she had kissed her mother and
father and the boys. "Go back, Joe," she said, firmly.
I had to step back then, but I cried and whined, and she looked at me in
astonishment. "I will be back in the morning, Joe," she said, gently; "don't
squeal in that way." Then she shut the door and went out.
I felt dreadfully. I walked up and down the floor and ran to the window, and
howled without having to look at Ned. Mrs. Morris peered over her glasses at me
in utter surprise. "Boys," she said, "did you ever see Joe act in that way
before?"
"No, mother," they all said.
Mr. Morris was looking at me very intently. He had always taken more notice of
me than any other creature about the house, and I was very fond of him. Now I
ran up and put my paws on his knees.
"Mother," he said, turning to his wife, "let the dog go."
"Very well," she said, in a puzzled way. "Jack, just run over with him, and tell
Mrs. Drury how he is acting, and that I will be very much obliged if she will
let him stay all night with Laura."
Jack sprang up, seized his cap, and raced down the front steps, across the
street, through the gate, and up the gravelled walk, where the little stones
were all hard and fast in the frost.
The Drurys lived in a large, white house, with trees all around it, and a garden
at the back. They were rich people and had a great deal of company. Through the
summer I had often seen carriages at the door, and ladies and gentlemen in light
clothes walking over the lawn, and sometimes I smelled nice things they were
having to eat. They did not keep any dogs, nor pets of any kind so Jim and I
never had an excuse to call there.
Jack and