Beautiful Joe [37]
I soon fell into a
heavy sleep. But I waked up at the slightest noise. Once Miss Laura turned in
bed, and another time Miss Bessie laughed in her sleep, and again, there were
queer crackling noises in the frosty limbs of the trees outside, that made me
start up quickly out of my sleep.
There was a big clock in the hall, and every time it struck I waked up. Once,
just after it had struck some hour, I jumped up out of a sound nap. I had been
dreaming about my early home. Jenkins was after me with a whip, and my limbs
were quivering and trembling as if I had been trying to get away from him.
I sprang up and shook myself. Then I took a turn around the room. The two girls
were breathing gently; I could scarcely hear them. I walked to the door and
looked out into the hall. There was a dim light burning there. The door of the
nurse's room stood open. I went quietly to it and looked in. She was breathing
heavily and muttering in her sleep.
I went back to my rug and tried to go to sleep, but I could not. Such an uneasy
feeling was upon me that I had to keep walking about. I went out into the hall
again and stood at the head of the staircase. I thought I would take a walk
through the lower hall, and then go to bed again.
The Drurys' carpets were all like velvet, and my paws did not make a rattling on
them as they did on the oil cloth at the Morrises'. I crept down the stairs like
a cat, and walked along the lower hall, smelling under all the doors, listening
as I went. There was no night light burning down here, and it was quite dark,
but if there had been any strange person about I would have smelled him.
I was surprised when I got near the farther end of the hall, to see a tiny gleam
of light shine for an instant from under the dining-room door. Then it went away
again. The dining-room was the place to eat. Surely none of the people in the
house would be there after the supper we had.
I went and sniffed under the door. There was a smell there; a strong smell like
beggars and poor people. It smelled like Jenkins. It was.
CHAPTER XIV HOW WE CAUGHT THE BURGLAR
WHAT was the wretch doing in the house with my dear Miss Laura? I thought I
would go crazy. I scratched at the door, and barked and yelped. I sprang up on
it, and though I was quite a heavy dog by this time, I felt as light as a
feather.
It seemed to me that I would go mad if I could not get that door open. Every few
seconds I stopped and put my head down to the doorsill to listen. There was a
rushing about inside the room, and a chair fell over, and some one seemed to be
getting out of the window.
This made me worse than ever. I did not stop to think that I was only a medium-
sized dog, and that Jenkins would probably kill me, if he got his hands on me. I
was so furious that I thought only of getting hold of him.
In the midst of the noise that I made, there was a screaming and a rushing to
and fro upstairs. I ran up and down the hall, and half-way up the steps and back
again. I did not want Miss Laura to come down, but how was I to make her
understand? There she was, in her white gown, leaning over the railing, and
holding back her long hair, her face a picture of surprise and alarm.
"The dog has gone mad," screamed Miss Bessie. "Nurse, pour a pitcher of water on
him."
The nurse was more sensible. She ran downstairs, her night-cap flying, and a
blanket that she had seized from her bed, trailing behind her. "There are
thieves in the house," she shouted at the top of her voice, "and the dog has
found it out."
She did not go near the dining-room door, but threw open the front one, crying,
"Policeman! Policeman! help, help, thieves, murder!"
Such a screaming as that old woman made! She was worse than I was. I dashed by
her, out through the hall door, and away down to the gate, where I heard some
one running. I gave a few loud yelps to call Jim, and leaped the gate as the man
before me had done.
There was something savage in me that night. I think it
heavy sleep. But I waked up at the slightest noise. Once Miss Laura turned in
bed, and another time Miss Bessie laughed in her sleep, and again, there were
queer crackling noises in the frosty limbs of the trees outside, that made me
start up quickly out of my sleep.
There was a big clock in the hall, and every time it struck I waked up. Once,
just after it had struck some hour, I jumped up out of a sound nap. I had been
dreaming about my early home. Jenkins was after me with a whip, and my limbs
were quivering and trembling as if I had been trying to get away from him.
I sprang up and shook myself. Then I took a turn around the room. The two girls
were breathing gently; I could scarcely hear them. I walked to the door and
looked out into the hall. There was a dim light burning there. The door of the
nurse's room stood open. I went quietly to it and looked in. She was breathing
heavily and muttering in her sleep.
I went back to my rug and tried to go to sleep, but I could not. Such an uneasy
feeling was upon me that I had to keep walking about. I went out into the hall
again and stood at the head of the staircase. I thought I would take a walk
through the lower hall, and then go to bed again.
The Drurys' carpets were all like velvet, and my paws did not make a rattling on
them as they did on the oil cloth at the Morrises'. I crept down the stairs like
a cat, and walked along the lower hall, smelling under all the doors, listening
as I went. There was no night light burning down here, and it was quite dark,
but if there had been any strange person about I would have smelled him.
I was surprised when I got near the farther end of the hall, to see a tiny gleam
of light shine for an instant from under the dining-room door. Then it went away
again. The dining-room was the place to eat. Surely none of the people in the
house would be there after the supper we had.
I went and sniffed under the door. There was a smell there; a strong smell like
beggars and poor people. It smelled like Jenkins. It was.
CHAPTER XIV HOW WE CAUGHT THE BURGLAR
WHAT was the wretch doing in the house with my dear Miss Laura? I thought I
would go crazy. I scratched at the door, and barked and yelped. I sprang up on
it, and though I was quite a heavy dog by this time, I felt as light as a
feather.
It seemed to me that I would go mad if I could not get that door open. Every few
seconds I stopped and put my head down to the doorsill to listen. There was a
rushing about inside the room, and a chair fell over, and some one seemed to be
getting out of the window.
This made me worse than ever. I did not stop to think that I was only a medium-
sized dog, and that Jenkins would probably kill me, if he got his hands on me. I
was so furious that I thought only of getting hold of him.
In the midst of the noise that I made, there was a screaming and a rushing to
and fro upstairs. I ran up and down the hall, and half-way up the steps and back
again. I did not want Miss Laura to come down, but how was I to make her
understand? There she was, in her white gown, leaning over the railing, and
holding back her long hair, her face a picture of surprise and alarm.
"The dog has gone mad," screamed Miss Bessie. "Nurse, pour a pitcher of water on
him."
The nurse was more sensible. She ran downstairs, her night-cap flying, and a
blanket that she had seized from her bed, trailing behind her. "There are
thieves in the house," she shouted at the top of her voice, "and the dog has
found it out."
She did not go near the dining-room door, but threw open the front one, crying,
"Policeman! Policeman! help, help, thieves, murder!"
Such a screaming as that old woman made! She was worse than I was. I dashed by
her, out through the hall door, and away down to the gate, where I heard some
one running. I gave a few loud yelps to call Jim, and leaped the gate as the man
before me had done.
There was something savage in me that night. I think it